The PGA Tour will leave the 8:46 tee time open to honor George Floyd and highlight racial injustice
The PGA Tour plans to honor George Floyd and the racial justice movement sparked by his death by keeping the 8:46 a.m. tee time open during two upcoming tournaments.
That time — representing the 8 minutes and 46 seconds former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck, killing him — will be set aside at both Colonial Country Club (for the Charles Schwab Challenge) and TPC Sawgrass (for the Korn Ferry Tour Challenge), according to an article posted on PGATour.com.
Players will pause for a one-minute moment of silence followed by three horn blasts in coordination with PGA Tour Rules Officials, it said.
Last week, participants attending Floyd’s memorial stood in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to honor his memory. During the ongoing protests, some demonstrators have staged lie-ins, many of them taking to the ground for 8 minutes, 46 seconds to symbolize those final moments.
“As part of ongoing efforts to amplify the voices and efforts underway to end racial and social injustice, the TOUR has set aside an 8:46 a.m. tee time that will feature no players,” read the article, which noted that time “has become a universal symbol for the racial injustice faced by the black community.”
The two tournaments mark the PGA Tour’s return following a 3-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“While the TOUR doesn’t have all the answers, the organization is going to listen, learn, “demand better” and expects to be held accountable for making a commitment to the solution,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a June 1 letter to players and employees.
The PGA Tour also said it is creating a long-term plan to address racial justice issues, saying “the details of which will be shared in the weeks to come.”
Chauvin’s bail at $1.25 million
Chauvin was arrested last month and initially charged with third-degree murder and other crimes. Last week, prosecutors added a second-degree murder charge.
The other three officers involved in Floyd’s death — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
They are each being held on $1 million bail and are scheduled to be in court June 29, according to inmate records. Their bails can be lowered to $750,000 with conditions.
Chauvin’s next scheduled court date is June 29 as well.
