PGA Tour vet is as conflicted as I am about golf reopening in June

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For the past month and a half, sports fans have been starved for the live action the coronavirus pandemic has stolen from us. Every day, it seems, a new report emerges outlining how and when the NBA and NHL might restart their respective seasons, or what the latest proposed plans are for MLB and MLS …

For the past month and a half, sports fans have been starved for the live action the coronavirus pandemic has stolen from us.

Every day, it seems, a new report emerges outlining how and when the NBA and NHL might restart their respective seasons, or what the latest proposed plans are for MLB and MLS to begin their seasons.

These reports, however, have come with no definitive dates attached to them, which is like watching a sporting event and not getting to see the final result. In other words: A tease.

PGA Tour golf is the first among the so-called mainstream sports to step up with a definitive date for a restart since its season was halted with the cancellation of The Players Championship after only one round was played, on March 12.

That official restart is scheduled to take place in a month when the Charles Schwab Challenge is played June 11-14 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

For those of us who are golf junkies, and even for the casual sports fan who’s simply desperate to see some live sports of any kind with sports TV networks running out of “classic’’ events to re-air, this comes with some buzz and curiosity.

And some trepidation, too.

Is a month from now too soon, given the stranglehold the virus continues to have on the world, not to mention how little even the experts know about it?

I struggle with the answer to this. My struggle may be a little bit selfish, though, considering the potential plan is for The Post to be in Fort Worth to cover the Charles Schwab Challenge. That suddenly makes this very real, with thoughts of having to get on an airplane, rent a car, stay in a hotel and figure out where to eat — after sheltering in place at home for the past two months to avoid all social contact.

Surely, some PGA Tour players have the same concerns — despite the comprehensive 37-page memo the Tour officials released this week outlining stringent measures to keep everyone safe.

One player who has a queasy feeling about the restart in a month is Pat Perez, a 44-year-old veteran who has won three times on the PGA Tour and has more than $26 million in career earnings.

“It’s not time to go yet,’’ Perez told The Post this week, before the PGA Tour health and safety memo was distributed. “It’ll be ready when its ready. You can’t rush this kind of thing. You can’t rush getting people back together in this sort of deal.’’

The PGA Tour’s new safety regulations include COVID-19 testing for all players and caddies before they arrive at the tournament and when they get there, along with thermal testing every day before entry to the golf course, social distancing and a number of other stringent guidelines that will make the tournaments feel very different than usual.

“If I can’t go back to work normal, then there’s no reason to do it,’’ Perez said. “Get it right, get everybody safe. People act like it’s been five years without sports. It’s only been about five or six weeks [actually nine].’’

Perez then threw out a couple of potential awkward scenarios that could unfold.

“Let’s say I leave Scottsdale [his home] and I don’t have that virus and I get to Dallas and I’ve got it?’’ he said. “The Tour’s going to have a real problem with me if that happens. Let’s say a guy gets tested on Tuesday and he tests positive when he comes back on Thursday. Is he [disqualified]?

“And, are you telling me that if Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy or another big name that drives our tour is leading entering Sunday, you’re going to DQ him if he tests positive? I dare you. There’ll be a [bleeping] riot.’’

Tyler Dennis, the senior vice president and chief of operations for the PGA Tour, said Wednesday the Tour is “excited about how the PGA Tour can play a role here in the world’s return, if you will, to enjoying things we love and doing so in a responsible manner,’’ adding that “leading medical experts, government agencies in each of the markets’’ have been consulted.

Because we want sports to start up again, in this case golf, you want to believe the PGA Tour has this thing figured out. Except that no one has anything figured out right now.

“I just can’t believe that they’re going to get 700 or 800 people back in an area together when really we don’t know when the end of this thing is,’’ Perez said. “Just wait until we can do it safely. If we’ve got to wait until September, then wait.’’

Here’s the thing, though: Perez is as conflicted as I am, because when asked if he’s going to play at Colonial despite his concerns, he didn’t hesitate with his answer.

“Oh yeah,’’ he said. “Hundred percent I’m going to play.’’