Daniel Berger wins PGA Tour & # 039; s Texas return event, as Justin Rose narrowly misses

Daniel Berger (left) fists Collin Morikawa after their play-off at Colonial Country Club

American Collin Morikawa missed a three meter putt to give Daniel Berger the victory in the first event of the PGA Tour in three months in Colonial Country Club, Texas.

An eerie silence followed the Morikawa miss when professional golf returned behind closed doors due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

The atmosphere during the week was described by Justin Rose as "subdued" and "strange" by Rory McIlroy.

England & # 39; s Rose finished 14th under par, one shot outside the playoff.

He missed an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th, as he placed a four-under-par 66 on Sunday.

Rose & # 39; s solid round was in stark contrast to world number one McIlroy, who also started the final round three shots from the lead at 10 below.

The Northern Irishman dropped six shots in his opening nine holes to rally on the back nine to get a four above 74 and six below the card.

Has social remote work worked?

Generally yes. At the beginning of the week, McIlroy warned that mistakes will be made if they adapt to a new way of playing and not to judge the players too harshly.

The Charles Schwab Challenge was the first of five PGA Tour events to take place behind closed doors in the US and after admitting it was "strange" McIlroy added, "At the same time I was so focused what I was doing was that once I got into it, I didn't feel it was much different at all. "

However, there was some sound from diligent fans whose traits were on the track limits. On private areas, platforms and small stands were set up so they could see the action.

Their cheers have been heard all week and have been welcomed by some of the players, with Bryson DeChambeau, who finished 14th alongside Rose, saying, "It's nice to have people for you every now and then We don't get that much right now. "

The lack of audience noise was noticeable, especially during the final round of tension building when players stopped birdies and missed par putts in the run in

But American friends Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth tried to embrace the new regime. They all played together on the first two days. Thomas often raised his hand to acknowledge the nonexistent cheers after doing putts and the trio ended their round with & # 39; air high-fives & # 39 ;.

The lack of huge grandstands that frame many greens allowed television viewers to see more of the course, but they were also treated to a colorful language that could otherwise be drowned out by spectator noise.

And while the social distance guidelines were followed fairly well in general, there were mistakes, such as when Varner III drew a ball after finishing his opening round as a joint leader. He gave the ball to a woman who gently accepted it with her fingertips.

And when Berger won the playoff, he hugged his caddy and exchanged fist bumps with Morikawa – although by Sunday this seemed to have become the norm for many players taking over on the 18th green.

The issue of racial injustice was also addressed directly this week. The PGA Tour kept a minute of silence every day at 8:46 a.m. local time in memory of George Floyd, the unarmed African-American who died after being tied to the ground for eight seconds by a white police officer in Minneapolis for 46 seconds.

Harold Varner III, one of the few black American golfers on the PGA Tour, has taken the lead in discussing the "potential role of the Tour in the national conversation and solution" amid global protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement against racial injustice.

On Friday there was a small, peaceful protest outside the track, but at the fourth green and fifth tee, players could hear chants of "Black Lives Matter!" "No justice, no peace!" and "I can't breathe!"

More to follow.