The US Masters celebrated its 64th year this past week. Another successful and invigorating week in Augusta, Georgia brought golfers, fans, and bettors alike plenty of excitement. This storied championship odds another notch in its belt.
The Augusta Golf Course is a private enterprise. Unlike most private golf courses, this one is for profit. Let’s take a look at how the Augusta National, the golfers, and fans have dealt with the novel coronavirus in order to deliver on another great year for professional golf.
This was a great year for betting on the US Masters. That is because a degree of uncertainty is always favorable for savvy bettors. Because sportsbooks are so good at setting odds-after all, it is their job-when things go awry, it is an opening for bettors who are on their toes.
Reschedulings, potential last-minute drop-outs, and other unforeseen circumstances are winning events for bettors. Keep that in mind all year while we work through these tumultuous times.
Of course, this does not mean you should go willy-nilly. It is important to develop your betting strategy. This is something that you should do no matter which sportsbook you are using, or which sport you are betting on.
However, golf is one of the safest sports. While any social activity comes with risks, golf is outdoors and involves very large distances. It is absolutely not a contact sport, and the players do not even share equipment. So if you have any golf bets out there, you can be relatively sure that they will continue, compared to other sports.
This golf tournament faced some specific challenges when it comes to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been a global challenge. However, each sector and each event requires specific agility when dealing with such a wily problem.
The first thing the Augusta National did was reschedule. Originally set for April 9-12, that proved impossible. That was the first month of the pandemic in the United States. Remember that at that time, we knew even less about this virus. How contagious it was, or how dangerous in general. So they did the responsible thing and they postponed the event.
This proved to be a winning strategy! The US Masters went off without a hitch.They of course used this time to prepare several COVID precautions to ensure the safety of all participants.
All players had to undergo a PCR test before they would even step foot on the course. Testing positive would require them to quarantine for 14 days, and would of course mean they could not play.
In August, Augusta National announced that there would be no fans at the Masters. They held true to their word, and the competition went on with all fans watching intently from their homes.
In addition to the big changes they had to carry out at an institutional level, many golfers themselves struggled with complications due to the novel coronavirus. In fact many golfers tested positive at some point, but have since recovered and were able to compete in the tournament.
The following players recovered after a positive PCR:
In addition, two golfers were prohibited from participating because they tested positive right before the tournament: Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia. While it was devastating for them to
Of course, in that list of positive PCR tests we find the name of the winner of this year’s US Masters. A month before the beginning of the competition, Dustin JOhnson tested positive for the virus. He has recovered by the time of the opening. In fact, he was at the top of his game.
He ended up winning the whole kit and kaboodle. In fact, at 20-under, he earned the lowest score in the history of the US Masters. After a year of lockdown and recovering from the ill,ess this is absolutely a day for golf history!
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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