In these times of Covid-19 and social distancing, people are looking for distractions.  The NBA, MLB, and MLS are all playing virtual seasons or tournaments with their stars, and now it’s time for golf to play its part.

Mastercard and the World Golf Tour (WGT) put on their first virtual match tonight featuring major winners Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell in a nine hole contest over the front nine of Pebble Beach, broadcast live on YouTube.

It was a highly entertaining match, with excellent banter between the two pros.  Both players had obviously spent a fair amount of time on their avatar apparel and gear, and McDowell was obviously the more experienced player.  It sounded as though both had discovered the game in the last few weeks when the world shut down.

Both players commented on how realistic the graphics and course play were, and how the views were true to life.  What wasn’t true to life was that they played in “Practice” mode, allowing them to preview their putts.

Here is GMacca59

Here is JustinRose0730

If you are looking to get in your golf fix, try WGT. Who knows, you might get paired up with a major winner.

Photo from https://twitter.com/LouStagner/status/1240033589296861185/photo/1

I am a big fan of the show LEGO Masters on Fox, and then this came to me in an e-mail from GolfChannel today.

Lou Stagner’s daughter built a LEGO replica of the famous 12th hole at Augusta National GC.

My daughter and I built this replica of Augusta National #12 out of Lego.

We are planning to sell it to raise money for charity.

Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/nawBF79W2d

— Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner) March 17, 2020

I may be sad about the Masters being postponed, but this gives me a little bit of happiness back.

Augusta National announced that the Masters Tournament has been postponed.

Statement from Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club:

On Wednesday, March 4, we issued a memo stating that our plans to host the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals had not changed. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing risks associated with the widespread Coronavirus COVID-19 have led us to a decision that undoubtedly will be disappointing to many, although I am confident is appropriate under these unique circumstances.

Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.

Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision. We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.

We will continue to work with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Governor, the Georgia Department of Public Health, the City of Augusta and all other local authorities. We are grateful to all of these entities for their exceptional efforts and guidance.

We recognize this decision will affect many people, including our loyal patrons. Your patience as we make every effort to communicate effectively and efficiently is appreciated, and we will share any additional information as soon as it becomes available. Updates also will be posted to our website, Masters.com.

As COVID-19 continues to impact the lives of people everywhere, we seek your understanding of this decision and know you share our concern given these trying times. Thank you for your faithful support.