The BulleTin • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 A9
Golf
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: A few weeks
ago, my 14-year-old sister
snuck out and had sex with
a boy she met on Snapchat.
I know this because my dis-
traught mother decided to
tell me.
My sister lied to my par-
ents repeatedly about it,
but later, when they went
through her phone, they
found explicit images that
a girl her age should never
have. Furthermore, after they
confiscated her phone, she
acquired a new one from a
friend and continues to mes-
sage boys through Snapchat.
She continues to lie to my
parents when they ask her
if she’s communicating with
anyone.
She has been hanging
around a toxic group of girls
at school, and she’s very im-
pressionable. She isn’t a bad
person, but all this lying has
left me confused and upset.
What can I do to help her?
— Her Worried Brother
in Georgia
Dear Brother: The age of
consent in Georgia is 16. Do
your parents know the iden-
tity and age of the person
your sister met on Snapchat?
The inappropriate pictures
your parents discovered on
her phone could be consid-
ered child pornography, and
there are laws against it.
It’s very important that
your sister understand how
dangerous what she has been
doing is. Because the peer
group she has chosen to fol-
low is undesirable, it would
be better if your sister was
removed from that influence
and home-schooled or trans-
ferred to a different school.
Please suggest this to your
parents.
Dear Abby: My best friend,
“Betsy,” died suddenly a week
ago. She was only 58, and I
am devastated. She was the
most upbeat, positive person
I have ever known.
A year ago, a new neigh-
bor, “Claudia,” moved across
the street. I befriended her
and introduced Claudia to
Betsy a couple of months ago.
They met twice and texted
each other a few times. I was
pleased, thinking we could
have a girls’ night out once in
a while.
After Betsy died, I heard
Claudia has been telling peo-
ple her “best friend” had died.
The day before, she told me
she barely knew Betsy. Clau-
dia also said that at least now
she didn’t have to share me!
I am appalled that this
woman is trying to co-opt my
grieving for my dearest friend
and make it her own. How do
I deal with this?
— Sorrowful in Washington
Dear Sorrowful: I am
sorry for the loss of your best
friend. People who knew you
and Betsy know how close
you were. Claudia may have
said what she did in order to
gain sympathy or attention.
Your grief is your own.
No one can steal it from you.
Claudia may be insecure or
jealous of the closeness you
shared with Betsy. Now that
you know what kind of per-
son Claudia is, act accord-
ingly.
Dear Abby: Do you feel the
words “cool” and “perfect”
are way overused and should
be retired indefinitely?
— Curious in California
Dear Curious: No, but if
you do, I’m perfectly cool
with it.
How about overused
words like “huge,” “awesome”
and “epic”? And is everything
and everyone truly “AMAZ-
ING”? See what you have
started? Somebody hand me
a thesaurus.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021:
Sensitive, deep and emotional, you’re empathic to the point of being an ab-
sorbent sponge. This year, activate your buried ambition, and you’ll be very
successful. Protect yourself against someone’s negative energy, and you’ll
triumph. If single, you’re a real soul searcher, so you stay single this year. If at-
tached, your partner is nurturing and the most fun person you know. You’re
lucky. LIBRA knows how to talk you out of anything.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Competitors provide inspiration, but take time to relax and regroup
if you start to feel pressured. Community involvement will be rewarding.
A mission to make the world a better place has appeal. Tonight: Enjoying a
renewed appreciation for your cherished friendships.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Career prospects are both interesting and challenging. Innovate; be
creative. Combine business with pleasure. Listen carefully to others. Today
indicates that valuable information is offered during social situations and at
Zoom meetings. Tonight: Sincerity is the best form of communication.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
A deep awareness is present. Your intuition is wonderful. Heed those
inner voices, and you’ll be guided toward success. Your energy level will be
high, but do quell irritation. It’s especially easy to overreact now. Tonight:
Friends are willing to give your career a boost.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Your priorities and desires are in flux. It will be a wild but interesting
day. Decide what it is that you really want and pursue it. There are endings
and beginnings in process. Fate intervenes in plans, so be flexible and obser-
vant. Tonight: Relax.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Talented and powerful people are drawing closer to you. The
promise of partnerships is very real. You discover much about others and
how they feel toward you. Tonight: Keep an open mind and seek the truth,
then all will be well.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Your work is rewarding and interesting today. You’ll be thinking
of how best to manage your time and resources. Needed materials and sup-
plies become available. Communication with the very young or the elderly is
excellent. Tonight: Be aware of how old habits come into play.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Today encourages you to splurge or take a gamble. Do enjoy some
special goodies or luxuries in moderation, but don’t go to extremes. You’ll
realize that there is so much to appreciate and be thankful for. Tonight: Catch
up with an old lover.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Work out anger issues with family members. Compromise is the solu-
tion to domestic conflicts. Your residence might need some maintenance.
Patiently work out differences and make much needed repairs. Shop for the
best prices. Tonight: A long and arduous family dinner.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Relationships with siblings and neighbors can be demanding. Be pa-
tient. Undercurrents and extenuating circumstances are afoot. As the day
ends, facts come to light. You’ll be glad you were understanding and toler-
ant. Tonight: Allow others to grow and explore.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Old financial obligations or debts are becoming more manageable.
You are entering a more promising security cycle. Learn more about financial
management. Don’t repeat patterns and habits that led to previous disap-
pointments. Tonight: Conversations about monetary matters are wild.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today is wonderful for study and analysis of all kinds. Social pros-
pects are especially bright. Adorn yourself. Assemble an especially wonderful
costume. Much can be accomplished. There is a deeper understanding of
your own psyche. Tonight: Any confusion will clear.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Today is a time for rest and reverie, with the Moon in your sector
of solitude and subconscious yearnings. Take note of dreams. Answers come
from within. Allow nature and wildlife to draw nigh. The natural world offers
peace and comfort. Tonight: Quiet time.
Continued from A7
The Players Championship marks the
one-year anniversary of the shutdown, and
Monahan is all about looking forward.
The tour is allowing 20% capacity of fans
at Sawgrass. Based on the sound from the
Phoenix Open and at Bay Hill, even limited
spectators can make plenty of noise com-
pared with nine months of mostly silence.
When the PGA Tour resumed on June
11, it played 33 of the next 36 weeks — one
week off for Thanksgiving, two for the hol-
iday season — without interruption or out-
break. Over the last nine months, the tour
has gone to 31 communities in 18 states
and four other countries.
The positivity rate from about 50,000
coronavirus tests across three tours is less
than a quarter percent. On the PGA Tour
alone, 25 players reported positive tests, a
list that included Dustin Johnson a month
Chris O’Meara/AP file
before he won the Masters.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan reacts to a question during a news conference at The Play-
It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing. Mona-
ers Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, in 2020. After a three-month shutdown because
han chose not to be paid and his top exec-
of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour has staged 36 events in 39 weeks without interruption.
utives took a 25% cut in pay. The tour laid
off 50 employees in the fall. Twelve tourna- administration who also oversees the an-
had been used as mobile clinics in pop-up
ments were canceled.
ti-doping program and has his hand in
towns across North Dakota during the
The road back was far more complicated gaming issues.
fracking boom.
than the decision to shut down.
Working with Dr. Tom Hospel, the
Those could be converted into testing
First, the majors had to find a spot on the tour’s medical adviser, Levinson found
labs that traveled to tournaments and de-
schedule. The Masters took November, the himself immersed in ever-changing CDC
livered test results quickly. That solved the
PGA Championship went to August and
guidelines and on the phone with experts
biggest obstacle for golf — enough testing
the U.S. Open was about to
from the WHO and the
without taking away from the community
“We were moving
take December until Sep-
White House.
and fast results.
tember opened up when the puzzle pieces around
The first presentation
“If you look at our return to golf, the
British Open was canceled.
of “Return to Golf” to the
partnership with Sanford was the single
— who we thought
“If I look back right now,
players on the policy board biggest development,” Levinson said.
I’ve got 60-plus spreadsheets
didn’t go very well.
There were a few nervous moments
might be able to play,
of different versions of the
“The tour presented all
when golf returned, particularly at the
schedule,” said Tyler Dennis, when they could play,
the things we’d have to do
Travelers Championship in Connecticut
the tour’s chief of operations.
as players to return to golf
the third week back. Two players tested
who we thought might in a safe manner. I don’t
“We were moving puzzle
positive. So did the caddies for Graeme Mc-
pieces around — who we
think we made it to the
Dowell and Brooks Koepka, leading both
have to cancel due to
thought might be able to
third page before the push- players — along with Koepka’s brother, who
restrictions. It was a
play, when they could play,
back came,” said Kevin
made it through qualifying — to withdraw.
who we thought might have wild process.”
Kisner, one of the four
Two other players withdrew just to be safe.
The surprise for Monahan was not that
to cancel due to restric-
player-directors. “We felt
— Tyler Dennis, PGA Tour
tions. It was a wild process.
there were too many things the tour made it back to The Players Cham-
chief of operations
pionship without interruption, but that the
Normally we’re looking at
that would affect how guys
schedules five years out.
would play and the compe- COVID situation was not farther along.
Fans are just now coming back with regu-
Now we’re looking five weeks out.”
tition would be affected negatively.
larity, limited in numbers.
The RBC Heritage, which follows the
“And if it was going to affect the com-
“But I’m thankful we are making prog-
Masters in April, originally was canceled.
petition, there’s no way we were going to
ress. The fact we’ve been able to play every
And then it was moved to June. Only two
return.”
week has been fantastic,” he said. “Our play-
of the 14 tournaments when golf resumed
Testing was the biggest issue, and it re-
ers deserve all the credit. You can set the
kept their original spot on the schedule.
mains the key moment for golf’s return.
None of it mattered without a health
South Dakota-based Sanford Health is a ti- best plan. But if the players, caddies, every-
body doesn’t follow it, you may not be able
and safety plan. That largely fell to Andy
tle sponsor on the PGA Tour Champions.
to sustain it.”
Levinson, the senior vice president of tour The company had a few idle trucks that