University of North Texas Athletics
Munoz, Ortiz To Resume PGA Season In Fort Worth
6/11/2020 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
DENTON – Even after completing the first round of the 2020 Players Championship back on March 12, Carlos Ortiz still wasn't sure he or any of his fellow PGA golfers should have been playing the prestigious "fifth major" at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Mere hours had passed since the COVID-19 outbreak had evolved from a concern to a full-fledged problem that would shortly be classified as a global pandemic, and there he was, competing against 143 other players with his safety getting closer to the front of his mind.
After initially saying the final three rounds would be played without fans in attendance, the PGA quickly decided to cancel the remainder of the tournament.
"Honestly there was a lot of uncertainty, and we really didn't know if we should be playing," said Ortiz, a decorated UNT alum, who starred on the men's golf team and graduated in 2013. "We were really surprised we were playing. When we started, I didn't think we'd stop, but they canceled at 10 p.m. that first day and I don't think anyone knew what to expect. We didn't know if it'd be a week, three weeks, a month or the whole year."
Now, nearly three months to the day after the PGA's last competitive round of golf, the season is set to resume at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth's Colonial Country Club, and Ortiz, along with fellow UNT alum and former teammate Sebastian Munoz will be in the field loaded with some of the world's best players. The tournament will be played without spectators and several precautions are in place, and Ortiz said he is ready to get back to competitive golf after the longest layoff of his career.
"It's hard to get motivated and work toward something when you don't know when that something's going to come," Ortiz said of the time off. "It was hard. At the end of the day it was three months, but we didn't know how long it'd take. Now we're back and learning the new normal, and it's cool to know we're setting the example for the other sports. It's going to be nice getting out there again."
Ortiz and Munoz were both in the midst of their best seasons on the PGA Tour.
Ortiz, the 2011 Sun Belt individual champion, already has three top-5 finishes – two tied-for-fourths and a tied-for-second finish at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Before the season was halted in March, he had put together three top-30 showings in his previous four starts. He's currently ranked 26th in the FedExCup standings. He will tee off Round 1 from the 10th hole at noon Thursday.
Munoz, who was a 2015 UNT graduate and the 2015 individual Conference USA champion, also has three top-10 showings on the season and collected his first PGA Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship back in September, when he won in a playoff. He's currently 12th on the season money list and ranked ninth in the FedExCup standings. He will tee off Round 1 from the first hole at 1:28 p.m., Thursday.
"I've been playing really well and getting way more consistent," Ortiz said. "I think my game is going in the right direction and obviously with this stop in play, I've had time to think and clear my head and get better. Now I can continue the great season I was having."
As it turns out, Ortiz might have missed some time even without the pandemic, as he suffered a broken toe and was unable to play for six weeks. But for the past three weeks, he's been back to his regular schedule and ramping up for the resumption of the season.
In that time, he's had to find a way to keep his game sharp and keep the mental edge the game requires without regular competition.
"I've been playing with friends and fellow pros and playing some money games just to get back to feeling the pressure a little bit," Ortiz said. "You can get a similar feeling of what you feel in a tournament that way. It's been a lot of playing with friends and other pros to get used to scoring and making shots when you have to make shots."
As for the lack of fans, Ortiz said it will be strange to not hear applause after a good shot or to win a tournament and not have the usual gallery there to cheer on the winner. But it's not a foreign concept to him or any of the pros.
"We all played junior golf and it's the same thing there," he said. "It might be a little weird, but at the end of the day we've all done it and we'll be fine. If you win a tournament and there's no one clapping, that's going to be weird but we're competing against each other. The fans make the vibe much better, but now they'll just be watching from home."
Most importantly, Ortiz said that while he had questions about why he and his fellow golfers were competing at the Players a few months ago, he has no doubt the time has come to resume play and he feels comfortable with the steps the PGA has taken to assure safety for everyone involved in the tournament.
"I'm really comfortable with how they're handling it," he said. "Eventually, we all have to get out there. These are scary times, but the PGA has done everything in their power to make it a safe environment. It's going to be fine. Eventually, we have to get back to what we used to do. We're finding our new normal and finding a way to have tournaments again."
Mere hours had passed since the COVID-19 outbreak had evolved from a concern to a full-fledged problem that would shortly be classified as a global pandemic, and there he was, competing against 143 other players with his safety getting closer to the front of his mind.
After initially saying the final three rounds would be played without fans in attendance, the PGA quickly decided to cancel the remainder of the tournament.
"Honestly there was a lot of uncertainty, and we really didn't know if we should be playing," said Ortiz, a decorated UNT alum, who starred on the men's golf team and graduated in 2013. "We were really surprised we were playing. When we started, I didn't think we'd stop, but they canceled at 10 p.m. that first day and I don't think anyone knew what to expect. We didn't know if it'd be a week, three weeks, a month or the whole year."
Now, nearly three months to the day after the PGA's last competitive round of golf, the season is set to resume at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth's Colonial Country Club, and Ortiz, along with fellow UNT alum and former teammate Sebastian Munoz will be in the field loaded with some of the world's best players. The tournament will be played without spectators and several precautions are in place, and Ortiz said he is ready to get back to competitive golf after the longest layoff of his career.
"It's hard to get motivated and work toward something when you don't know when that something's going to come," Ortiz said of the time off. "It was hard. At the end of the day it was three months, but we didn't know how long it'd take. Now we're back and learning the new normal, and it's cool to know we're setting the example for the other sports. It's going to be nice getting out there again."
Ortiz and Munoz were both in the midst of their best seasons on the PGA Tour.
Ortiz, the 2011 Sun Belt individual champion, already has three top-5 finishes – two tied-for-fourths and a tied-for-second finish at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Before the season was halted in March, he had put together three top-30 showings in his previous four starts. He's currently ranked 26th in the FedExCup standings. He will tee off Round 1 from the 10th hole at noon Thursday.
Munoz, who was a 2015 UNT graduate and the 2015 individual Conference USA champion, also has three top-10 showings on the season and collected his first PGA Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship back in September, when he won in a playoff. He's currently 12th on the season money list and ranked ninth in the FedExCup standings. He will tee off Round 1 from the first hole at 1:28 p.m., Thursday.
"I've been playing really well and getting way more consistent," Ortiz said. "I think my game is going in the right direction and obviously with this stop in play, I've had time to think and clear my head and get better. Now I can continue the great season I was having."
As it turns out, Ortiz might have missed some time even without the pandemic, as he suffered a broken toe and was unable to play for six weeks. But for the past three weeks, he's been back to his regular schedule and ramping up for the resumption of the season.
In that time, he's had to find a way to keep his game sharp and keep the mental edge the game requires without regular competition.
"I've been playing with friends and fellow pros and playing some money games just to get back to feeling the pressure a little bit," Ortiz said. "You can get a similar feeling of what you feel in a tournament that way. It's been a lot of playing with friends and other pros to get used to scoring and making shots when you have to make shots."
As for the lack of fans, Ortiz said it will be strange to not hear applause after a good shot or to win a tournament and not have the usual gallery there to cheer on the winner. But it's not a foreign concept to him or any of the pros.
"We all played junior golf and it's the same thing there," he said. "It might be a little weird, but at the end of the day we've all done it and we'll be fine. If you win a tournament and there's no one clapping, that's going to be weird but we're competing against each other. The fans make the vibe much better, but now they'll just be watching from home."
Most importantly, Ortiz said that while he had questions about why he and his fellow golfers were competing at the Players a few months ago, he has no doubt the time has come to resume play and he feels comfortable with the steps the PGA has taken to assure safety for everyone involved in the tournament.
"I'm really comfortable with how they're handling it," he said. "Eventually, we all have to get out there. These are scary times, but the PGA has done everything in their power to make it a safe environment. It's going to be fine. Eventually, we have to get back to what we used to do. We're finding our new normal and finding a way to have tournaments again."
Friday, November 04