By Canadian Press

South African player tests positive for the coronavirus

Mar 19, 2020 | 12:10 PM

The first player under the PGA Tour umbrella has tested positive for the new coronavirus after returning home to South Africa from playing a developmental tour event in Mexico.

The PGA Tour says Victor Lange made his only PGA Tour Latinoamerica start in the Estrella Del Mar Open in Mazatlan, Mexico. About a week after he returned home, Lange accompanied a friend to an unrelated doctor’s appointed and was tested as a precaution.

The tour said in statement the 26-year-old Lange received the diagnosis Tuesday night. The tour said he has no symptoms and is expected to make a full recovery while under quarantine and medical supervision at his home in Johannesburg.

“We appreciate Victor’s prompt disclosure of his diagnosis,” the tour said, adding it will allow officials to alert those with whom Lange might have had contact.

The Mexico event was his only start this year on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, one of six circuits the PGA Tour runs worldwide. Lange also played two Sunshine Tour events earlier this year in South Africa.

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The International Federation of PGA Tours remain shut down during the pandemic, with the European Tour cancelling and postponing two more events on its schedule — the Golfsixes, a two-day event on May 9-10 in Portugal, was cancelled; the Made in Denmark event on May 21-24 was postponed. That brings to eight tournaments on the European Tour either cancelled or postponed.

The R&A says it is sticking to its schedule for the British Open on July 16-19 at Royal St. George’s and the Women’s British Open on Aug. 20-23 at Royal Troon while monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither course has even begun building the infrastructure for those championships. though the R&A says it is studying a range of options.

The Associated Press