Dylan Frittelli was going to take the PGA Tour charter from Hartford to Detroit, but did not pass his COVID test administered on Saturday. (Elsa)

By Brian Wacker
Dylan Frittelli has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the fourth player to do so since the PGA Tour resumed its season three weeks ago.

The tour announced the test result in a statement on Sunday night. “I am experiencing no issues and feel great physically and was surprised and disappointed to learn of the positive test today,” Frittelli said in the statement. “I look forward to getting back on tour once it’s safe to do so.”

Frittelli, who missed the cut at the Travelers Championship after playing the first two rounds with Ian Poulter and J.T. Poston, has withdrawn from next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

The 30-year-old Frittelli, who lives in Austin, said in the statement that he noticed a minor increase in his respiratory rate overnight. The South African player took a required saliva test on Saturday for the tour’s charter flight to Detroit and the result came back positive on Sunday.

The tour announced that it has begun contact tracing and said it will offer its full support to Frittelli, who must self-isolate for at least 10 days and have two negative test results 24 hours apart or more before he can return to competition.

Poston also missed the cut at Travelers but flew home to St. Simons Island, Ga., on Friday and is scheduled to travel to Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, according to his agent. Poulter, who finished 64th at TPC River Highlands and is not in next week’s field, did not immediately respond to a message from Golf Digest.

Frittelli is the third player in the last seven days to have tested positive. Denny McCarthy tested positive on Friday and withdrew before starting the second round at TPC River Highlands. Cameron Champ withdrew from the tournament last Monday after getting a positive result to the test he took upon arriving at the Travelers.

The caddies for Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka also tested positive early in the week, and McDowell and Koepka subsequently withdrew from the Travelers out of caution (both players tested negative) as did Koepka’s brother, Chase. Webb Simpson also withdrew from the Travelers after a family member had tested positive. He, too, had tested negative.

At the RBC Heritage, Nick Watney tested positive prior to the second round at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and withdrew from that tournament.