NBC to televise PGA match for coronavirus aid this month

NBC Sports and the United Kingdom’s Sky Sports announced Monday they will televise a charity match this month to raise coronavirus relief funds, marking one of the first professional sports competitions in the U.S. since the pandemic began.

The TaylorMade Driving Relief event, slated for May 17, aims “to raise money and awareness for the American Nurses Foundation and CDC Foundation.” The match will include top golfers Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and 2019 NCAA national champion Matthew Wolf.

Organizers, including the PGA Tour, said the match “will follow strict CDC social distancing guidelines, local mandates and will utilize appropriate testing measures to help protect the health and safety of the golfers, production crew and others on site.”

UnitedHealth Group is pledging $3 million to the American Nurses Foundation and the Centers for Disease Foundation, a nonprofit group, while Farmers Insurance has pledged $1 million to Off Their Plate, a charity helping COVID-19 health care workers and other front-line workers.

PGA Tour Charities will also be announcing a text-to-donate option with GoFundMe “to allow viewers to make additional contributions and raise funds for COVID-19 relief,” according to the announcement.

The event would mark the first major U.S. sport to return to television screens amid the coronavirus pandemic.

NASCAR has announced it will return May 17 with its first race in two months from Darlington, S.C., while Major League Baseball has hinted in recent days of a return around July 4.

The PGA Tour announced last week it will resume its standard tournament schedule on June 11 for the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Almost all major sports postponed or canceled their 2020 seasons in March as the coronavirus outbreak spread across the country.

Sports that resume competitions are not planning to have fans in attendance.