The hidden, merciless drama of the Wyndham Championship

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Turns out C.T. Pan was ahead of the curve, quite literally, when he withdrew from THE PLAYERS Championship on the eve of the PGA TOUR’s showcase event back in March. Pan was concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic, which was just starting to put a stranglehold on the nation’s consciousness. He’d played in front of the sellout crowds at TPC Sawgrass before, and he and his wife, Michelle, just didn’t feel comfortable with him teeing it up there amid all the uncertainty. “It was a really tough decision,â€� Pan said on Tuesday. “In my whole career, including junior golf, I’ve never withdrawn from a tournament. I can tell you an example like in Junior World when I was 11, my nose was bleeding, and I still insisted to play. “… But for the safety of my family and myself, my wife and I, we think that’s the right call to pull myself out early. Honestly, PLAYERS Championship is the biggest event on the PGA TOUR, and a lot of people come to watch.â€� Within 24 hours — and after one round that won’t ever be in the record books – the TOUR joined every other major sports organization in shutting its season down. For the better part of the next three months, the United States tried desperately to flatten the curve of the coronavirus. Pan, who is now traveling in an RV rather than flying, was in Texas last week for the TOUR’s Return to Golf at the Charles Schwab Challenge. The 28-year-old from Chinese Taipei, who won the RBC Heritage last year, missed the cut but walked away comfortable with the testing and protocols put in place. “I think the TOUR has put out so much efforts the last two months to create a safe environment for us to play,â€� Pan said. “Last week I was totally impressed by how they do things. The testing is impressively quick and easy. The social distancing, they’re still doing that. And the grab-and-go meals, that’s something I suggested them to do, and they said that’s great, that they would do that. “You know, I think they’re trying to follow the rules just like everyone else out there, and hopefully they will be the model for NBA and MLB and for them to proceed to their next steps. So far, I’m very impressed about how PGA TOUR handled this.â€� At one point during the three-month layoff, the RBC Heritage was among the 11 tournaments canceled in the wake of the pandemic. But when the TOUR announced its revamped schedule, the popular event at Harbour Town had moved into the dates of the U.S. Open that was postponed until September. “Usually, cancellation means it won’t be back for the whole year until ’20-21,â€� Pan said. “So when they announced the new schedule, it was quite a surprise to me that RBC is the second event on the schedule, so I was really happy to see that. “My wife and I, we love this place. We love coming back here.â€� Pan spent the unprecedented mid-season, three-month break back home in Houston. He set up an indoor driving range in his garage so he could get in some work on his TrackMan. He also set up a YouTube channel to share golf tips with his fans. By May, he had started playing again at his home course, BlueJack National, which Tiger Woods designed. “It was weird the first shot hitting the ground, but I definitely appreciate that more,â€� he said. The RBC Heritage is usually played the week after the Masters and offers TOUR players a chance to catch their collective breath after the pressure cooker at Augusta National. This year will be different, though, with no fans allowed onsite, although the resort town Hilton Head appears as bustling as ever. This won’t be a vacation for either member of the Pan family, though, since Michelle is caddying for her husband this week. Their practice round on Tuesday was a trip down memory lane – at least for Pan. His wife missed his first TOUR victory because the junior event they host was the same weekend. “This morning I played the back nine,â€� Pan said. “… So, I kind of told her how I played each hole and even each shot. I even showed her where the hole locations are and like the birdie putt on 16, the par save on 17 from the top bunker, and 18 I hit a great shot, the approach shot to 15 feet. “So that was really fun to go through that again and having her in the ropes and caddying for me because she wasn’t here last year. So, it’s great to be back.â€�

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1. 1996 Las Vegas Invitational 2. 1996 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic 3. 1997 Mercedes Championships 4. 1997 Masters 5. 1997 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic 6. 1997 Motorola Western Open 7. 1998 BellSouth Classic 8. 1999 Buick Invitational 9. 1999 Memorial Tournament 10. 1999 Motorola Western Open 11. 1999 PGA Championship 12. 1999 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational 13. 1999 National Car Rental Golf Classic/Disney 14. 1999 THE TOUR Championship 15. 1999 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship 16. 2000 Mercedes Championships 17. 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 18. 2000 Bay Hill Invitational 19. 2000 Memorial Tournament 20. 2000 U.S. Open 21. 2000 British Open 22. 2000 PGA Championship 23. 2000 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational 24. 2000 Bell Canadian Open 25. 2001 Bay Hill Invitational 26. 2001 THE PLAYERS Championship 27. 2001 Masters 28. 2001 Memorial Tournament 29. 2001 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational 30. 2002 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires 31. 2002 Masters 32. 2002 U.S. Open 33. 2002 Buick Open 34. 2002 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship 35. 2003 Buick Invitational 36. 2003 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship 37. 2003 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires 38. 2003 100th Western Open presented by Golf Digest 39. 2003 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship 40. 2004 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship 41. 2005 Buick Invitational 42. 2005 Ford Championship at Doral 43. 2005 Masters 44. 2005 British Open 45. 2005 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational 46. 2005 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship 47. 2006 Buick Invitational 48. 2006 Ford Championship at Doral 49. 2006 British Open 50. 2006 Buick Open 51. 2006 PGA Championship 52. 2006 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational 53. 2006 Deutsche Bank Championship 54. 2006 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship 55. 2007 Buick Invitational 56. 2007 World Golf Championships-CA Championship 57. 2007 Wachovia Championship 58. 2007 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational 59. 2007 PGA Championship 60. 2007 BMW Championship 61. 2007 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola 62. 2008 Buick Invitational 63. 2008 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship 64. 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard 65. 2008 U.S. Open 66. 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard 67. 2009 the Memorial Tournament 68. 2009 AT&T National 69. 2009 Buick Open 70. 2009 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational 71. 2009 BMW Championship 72. 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard 73. 2012 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance 74. 2012 AT&T National 75. 2013 Farmers Insurance Open 76. 2013 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship 77. 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard 78. 2013 THE PLAYERS Championship 79. 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational 80. 2019 THE TOUR Championship 81: Masters Tournament

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How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four Segments. The first fantasy golf game to utilize live ShotLink data, PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf allows you to see scores update live during competition. Aside from the experts below, Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at this year’s Bermuda Championship in his edition of the Power Rankings. For more fantasy, check out Rookie Watch, Qualifiers and Reshuffle. THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts below. Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create your team, click the “Leagues” tab and search for “PGA TOUR Experts.” After that? Pick your players and start talking smack. Want to represent the fans against our experts? SEASON SEGMENT

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