The postponed events include  the Volvik Founders Cup in Phoenix, Ariz., which was scheduled to take place March 19-22; the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., which was scheduled to take place March 26-29; and the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, Calif., which was scheduled for April 2-5. The plan is to reschedule these events for later dates in the 2020 season.

The upcoming two events on the Symetra Tour that were set to take place in California were also postponed (the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Beaumont, Calif., from March 27-29 and the Windsor Golf Classic in Windsor, Calif., from April 2-4).

“This is a difficult situation and as we navigate these uncertain times, we appreciate the support of all those involved with the LPGA. I am fully committed to rescheduling these important events on our 2020 schedule, especially our first major, the ANA Inspiration,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan.

“Our thoughts are with all of those around the world affected by this virus. And on a personal level, it pains me to see the impact of this health crisis on our athletes, our sponsors and our fans. That said, I know keeping our LPGA family safe, and all those who follow us safe, has to be my top priority,” he added.

“We will continue to monitor this rapidly evolving situation with our global health partners and are planning for different scenarios for future LPGA events should they be necessary,” Whan concluded.

Despite the recent difficulties faced by much of the sporting world, the message to the MotoGP™ community remains an optimistic one as work continues round the clock to get our tantalising 2020 season underway.

Why have the Grands Prix been postponed?

“Since the coronavirus problem began, we’ve been following the instructions of each government, we have been in close contact with the promoters in Austin and Argentina and when the authorities said it wasn’t possible to do it now, we talked to other Grands Prix to try and accommodate… and we were able to. Now the calendar is ok, if everything continues as it is.”

Is the aim to continue with the 19 GPs that remain in the 2019 season?

“As I said in the press conference in Qatar, our idea is to continue the Championship with all the races, that’s our aim. But if something is unpredictable… we’re following the situations with each government and especially the promoters. We’re in close contact with the FIM, IRTA, the teams, and of course with the promoters. We’re trying to accommodate everything in the moment, in close contact with them.”

As it stands, will the Spanish GP at Jerez be the first MotoGP™ class round of the season?

“We are talking with the authorities in Jerez and today everything seems ok; there’s no problem. But we’ll see exactly what the situation is in the near future.”

Would you consider having the first MotoGP™ class Grand Prix behind closed doors?

“As I said, we are trying to do everything as normally as we can but if the conditions of the local authorities are to race without spectators, we can consider it, along with the local promoter.”

Have you been in contact with the teams?

“We have been in contact with the FIM, IRTA, with the teams and organisers, and all together we are taking the necessary measures.”

Have you got a message for MotoGP™ fans?

“We are expecting a fantastic MotoGP season, We think the season will be amazing, and we’re waiting to start it as soon as possible. It’s a bit delayed from normal but if we can start on the schedule we have now, it really will be an exciting season.”

It’s equal parts unconscionable and scary, with straight lines drawn from there to arrogance and greed. That’s what the NBA and NHL were prepared to do as Wednesday afternoon transitioned to Wednesday night, before Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. It took that development – a grave, dramatic development – for the NBA to suspend its season.

The NHL? For now, we wait. But why?

Both of those leagues had reams of information available Wednesday, by which point there were more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus cases across the country, and decided the advice of government and health officials shouldn’t apply to them. So they carried on with five hockey games and four basketball games Wednesday night. Before Gobert’s test result became public – which prompted the postponement of Utah’s game, and then the suspension of the season – the NBA owners seemed primed to punt a decision till Thursday, even in the wake of the preponderance of evidence. We’ll make our own decisions on our own timeline, thanks. Hey, would you please cough into your arm?

That would be fine if, say, only the owners and their front-office advisers were exposing themselves to risk. Rather, the NHL owners are now looking their fans directly in the eye and saying, “Do you feel lucky today?” Capitals vs. Red Wings, Thursday night at Capital One Arena in Washington. Sound palatable? It’s inconceivable that by puck drop fans will still be allowed in.

And yet, we wait. It’s a fan’s prerogative, sure. But an authority should lead here.

Shoot, even the NCAA – an organization that couldn’t lead a hog to mud – reacted appropriately Wednesday afternoon, limiting fans at the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Watch the dominoes fall, NHL: The Big Ten and the ACC, among others, announced Wednesday that fans wouldn’t be permitted to Thursday’s conference tournament games. It’s an acknowledgment that public health is more important than a raucous environment at, say, Indiana vs. Penn State. Is that too much to ask?

Sports is at the center of this problem because large gatherings present such a ripe opportunity for the virus to spread. Try social distancing in Section 204, Row M, Seats 13 and 14. It can’t happen. It won’t happen. Put one asymptomatic carrier of the virus in that environment, and who’s to say how many walk out with it, bringing it to their homes, their grocery stores, their schools?

Lest anyone think this is some combination of hype and hysteria, let’s listen to some of the information available to both the NBA and the NHL as they pushed forward with their schedules, before the NBA’s decision to suspend the season.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, tweeted: “Every expert has told us that there is a risk in any kind of mass gathering – the closer you are to other people, the bigger the risk. You must ask yourself if going to a large gathering is necessary.”

On Wednesday, the Columbus Blue Jackets, who play in the state’s capital, said in a statement: “We have been in contact with the [NHL] and, given the facts before us, it has been determined that our scheduled games . . . will go on as scheduled and be open to ticketed fans that wish to attend.”

Finally – finally! – the Blue Jackets bucked the league Wednesday night and said Thursday’s game against Pittsburgh, among others, will be closed to fans. Maybe there’s hope? Still, look around the country.

On Wednesday, as she declared a state of emergency for the nation’s capital, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said: “We’re making it very clear that the science tells us that mass gatherings over 1,000 people doesn’t help us reach our goal of flattening the curve and containing the spread of this virus.”

A statement from Monumental Sports, which owns both the NHL’s Capitals and NBA’s Wizards, said in part: “At the current direction of the NBA and NHL, our games will go on as scheduled and be open to spectators. We are in constant contact with both leagues and should they update their guidance, we will update the public accordingly.”

You know what that is, other than passing the buck? Where to start? It’s willfully putting fans at increased risk for no reason, no reason at all. It’s taking the advice of league officials over the advice – strong advice – of the people who govern the city in which you play and the health-care professionals who, in turn, advise them.

Furthermore, it’s forgoing a chance to lead. Sure, it makes sense for franchises that make up a league to present a unified front. But at what cost? Is, say, the loyalty of Ted Leonsis, who owns the Wizards and Capitals, to the NBA and the NHL before it is to his own city, his own fans? Distancing himself from his fellow owners to say, “I know what the league is advising, but our local officials think it’s a bad idea to bring thousands of folks together, so we’ll only have essential personnel on hand,” wouldn’t be so bold as it would be sensible.

As of right now – and this is fluid, as it should be – the Caps are due to host Detroit on Thursday night. Fans will, for now, be welcome. What’s the major question? Can they get the power play going? There’s no way those gates can be open.

Yet find some good sense among these “leaders” in sports. On Friday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, issued a series of “aggressive recommendations” designed at limiting the spread of the virus, including canceling non-essential events such as concerts and sporting events.

The response of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors: ignore the recommendations, open their doors for games Saturday and Tuesday, but also post signs warning fans: “[A]ttending tonight’s game could increase your risk of contracting coronavirus. By entering the arena, you voluntarily assume all risks and agree that you will not hold GSW Arena LLC, the NBA or any of their respective affiliates or employees liable for any resulting illness or injury.”

But make sure you pick up a Steph Curry jersey before you’re bedridden, right?

On Wednesday, San Francisco banned such gatherings. That’s what it took for the Warriors to comply.

How isolated are the people making these decisions, the people who are ignoring some edicts while issuing their own? How can they say they’re taking precautions by closing locker rooms to non-essential personnel such as media but simultaneously encourage 20,000 people to gather in close quarters?

Gobert’s diagnosis makes it stark and simple. But why, even before that, wasn’t every single owner of every single NHL and NBA team thinking of it this way: What if they welcome fans to a game Thursday night, and next week they find out one of those fans carried the virus?

The NBA, by suspending the season, has shut down this question – mercifully, logically, inevitably. The NHL, for now, ventures forward, both as a league and as individual teams, which presumably want to be good citizens in their communities. Those teams have an opportunity to help contain what is now a pandemic, regardless of what their league advises. Instead, at the moment, they just might help it spread. Carry that on your conscience. Hope the revenue and the two points in the standings were worth it.

As public health officials and local governments escalated recommendations and orders against large gatherings, sporting events became the most prominent and most prevalent casualties, leaving Americans without one of their primary communal experiences as spring dawns amid a pandemic.

As the NCAA announced an unprecedented measure, the NBA became the first U.S. sports league to halt its season since the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In a startling scene, Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder players skulked off the Chesapeake Energy Center court in Oklahoma City shortly before tip-off after league officials alerted the teams of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s positive test.

After more than half an hour, the arena public address announcer made an announcement to the crowd.

“Fans, due to unforeseen circumstances, the game tonight has been postponed,” the public address announcer said. “You’re all safe. Take your time in leaving the arena tonight and do so in an orderly fashion. Thank you for coming out tonight. We’re all safe. . . . Please drive home safely. Goodnight fans.”

“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of [Wednesday’s] schedule until further notice,” the league said in a statement. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”

The NBA’s stunning development overtook another momentous decision earlier in the day. NCAA President Mark Emmert’s announcement Wednesday afternoon that all of the organization’s winter sports championships will be played in mostly empty venues. Widely referred to as March Madness, the men’s basketball tournament is one of the most popular events on the sports calendar, an enduring tradition that prompts alums and fans to make road trips, gather in bars during daylight hours and wager among friends.

Scheduled to begin Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, the games will take place “with only essential staff and limited family attendance,” Emmert said in a statement. The women’s tournament will begin similarly Friday and Saturday at 16 campus sites. Both will still be aired on television, but an eerie quiet will replace the usual raucous screams and flipping cheerleaders.

“While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how covid-19 is progressing in the United States,” Emmert said in a statement. “This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”

Before Gobert’s positive test, the NBA’s Board of Governors held a conference call Wednesday to discuss the league’s coronavirus response options but reached no consensus as to whether games should proceed like normal, held without fans in attendance or suspended or delayed, according to people with knowledge of the call.

NBA games continued with fans present Wednesday night, although the Golden State Warriors will host the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center on Thursday with no fans present after the city of San Francisco instituted a ban on all gatherings of more than 1,000 people. On Tuesday, the Warriors played on in front of a crowd despite local officials recommending against doing so.

“Everybody’s lives will be affected by this,” Warriors Coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “We have to figure out what that means for us. Right now, it means playing a game without fans. . . . It’s a much bigger issue than just our concerns about playing basketball.”

Major League Baseball has yet to face sweeping decisions about the fate of its hallowed Opening Day later this month, but the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants will be forced to postpone or relocate games scheduled at their home stadiums this month or play them without fans after government officials in those locales Wednesday banned large public gatherings.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, banned public gatherings of more than 250 people for the three counties that form the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area through the end of March, while San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, set the limit at 1,000 for a period of two weeks.

The NHL mostly sat idle. The San Jose Sharks announced they would play home games without fans after Santa Clara County banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people. The league announced late Wednesday that it was “aware of the NBA’s decision tonight to indefinitely suspend its season due to a player testing positive for the coronavirus. The NHL is continuing to consult with medical experts and is evaluating the options. We expect to have a fourth update [Thursday].”

The decisions came on that a day that began with Anthony Fauci, head of the infectious diseases division at the National Institutes of Health, telling a congressional hearing that large gatherings should be prohibited.

The NCAA last week formed an advisory panel of experts and epidemiologists, and from there the NCAA’s outlook evolved rapidly. In an interview Saturday on CBS, NCAA Senior Vice President for Basketball Dan Gavitt said the NCAA is “definitively planning on running the tournament at all 14 sites with fans from the First Four in Dayton to the Final Four in Atlanta.” On Monday, one member of the panel told The Post they agreed with Gavitt’s assessment.

Three days later, it dramatically altered its most lucrative and marquee event.

Wednesday afternoon, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said his state, which will host multiple tournament sites, would turn a strong recommendation not to hold indoor sporting events with spectators into an order.

DeWine issued a strong recommendation Tuesday for indoor sporting events to be played in empty arenas “other than the athletes, parents, and others essential to the game.” He said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that recommendation will become an order.

“The reason we’re doing the things we’re doing is we have the potential of becoming Italy,” DeWine said. “What we want to do is take action now to avoid that.”

Italy’s government placed the entire country on lockdown Monday. Eleven days prior, it had fewer confirmed cases of coronavirus than the United States has now.

The Mid-American Conference closed its men’s and women’s tournaments, which started Wednesday at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, the same arena scheduled to host next week’s NCAA tournament games, to the public after DeWine’s recommendation. DeWine suggested legal reasons made the order an imperative for other leagues.

“Different organizations need an order from the government,” DeWine said. “It’s better for us to make their life easier.”

Before Gobert’s test introduced the virus into the players’ population, one probable consideration was insurance contracts. Most contracts include a “force majeure” clause that protect against unforeseeable events out of the insured’s control. But it is legally murky whether a government recommendation would trigger the clause, while an order certainly would. Leagues, teams and the NCAA will lose money regardless, but they could have lost more by following recommendations rather than orders.

As the NCAA made its announcement, some conferences moved ahead with tournaments as scheduled. The ACC held a game with a crowded arena in Greensboro, North Carolina, as Emmert’s announcement came out, and later said it would play two games Wednesday night with fans in attendance but would not allow the public in for the remainder of the tournament.

The SEC announced its tournament in Nashville would continue Wednesday night with spectators as scheduled, but that it would reevaluate Thursday. The Big Ten, which played tournament games with fans in attendance, announced later Wednesday that it would play the remainder of its tournament without them. The Big 12 said it would allocate each team in its event 125 tickets apiece, beginning with Thursday’s games.

Next week’s NCAA events will be broadcast as previously scheduled on CBS and multiple Turner cable channels.

“We support the NCAA’s decision to proceed without fans at the tournament venues,” the networks said in a joint statement. “We will continue with our plans to fully produce and cover the entire event.”

For first- and second-round sites next weekend, the arenas will remain the same. But for the four regional sites and the Final Four in Atlanta, Emmert told the Associated Press, the NCAA will seek to move the events from cavernous football stadiums to more intimate venues.

In the sports world, some of the biggest dominoes fell Wednesday, one in dramatic and shocking fashion. There will probable be more to come.

“This seems difficult for people,” DeWine said. “But we know what’s coming. We know what’s around the corner. . . . Everything looks the same, but it’s really not.”

The decision was made following consultation between the Indian Golf Union , the tournament’s co-sanctioning partners – the Asian Tour and the European Tour – and the tournament title sponsor Hero MotoCorp Ltd, after the latest public health travel advisories announced by the Indian government.

All parties are looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the year, but there are no definitive plans at this stage.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour said: “In these difficult global circumstances, we fully understand and appreciate the recent restrictions introduced in respect of travel into India. As these new measures now prevent many members of both Tours being able to play in the tournament, everyone involved in the staging of the Hero Indian Open felt it was the correct decision to postpone the tournament.

“I would like to thank Dr Pawan Munjal and everyone at Hero MotoCorp in addition to the Indian Golf Union for their continued support, and we look forward to returning to India in due course.”

Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO, said: “With these new travel regulations now in place, there has been a significant impact on the ability of our members, officials and service teams of both Tours to make their entry into India for the tournament.

“We will continue to take advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and local health authorities while monitoring the situation in relation to the possibility of rescheduling the event later in the year.”

Others though are least surprised.

The 21-year-old wonder kid from Jeju island surpassed Justin Thomas atop the ranking following his third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a week after securing his breakthrough PGA TOUR triumph at The Honda Classic.

Inevitably, Im’s red-hot form will make him one of the favourites at the TOUR’s flagship event at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass where he hopes to emulate compatriots K.J. Choi and Si Woo Kim who tasted victories in 2011 and 2017 respectively.

Other leading Asians in this week’s US$15 million showpiece include Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama, Korea’s Byeong Hun An, Sung Kang and Si Woo Kim, Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan and Thai duo Jazz Janewattananond and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

“It’s really cool. I can’t believe I’m No. 1 right now. It makes me really happy,” said Im, who will have the company of Gary Woodland and Bryson DeChambeau in the opening two rounds at THE PLAYERS.

Im’s stock has risen sharply since he became the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year after winning twice on the development circuit. Seven top-10s saw him become the 2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and he cemented his status as one of the game’s rising stars with a magnificent debut at the Presidents Cup in Australia last December where he delivered 3.5 points for the International Team which included a 4&3 drubbing of Woodland in the Singles.

Thomas, the 2017 FedExCup champion, has played enough with Im to know the Korean is the real deal.

“He’s unbelievable. I remember the first time I played with him at THE CJ Cup (in Korea), it was really windy, as is often is there, and the way he was hitting his drives, we’d have this huge crosswind and he would hit this little low bullet hold and when it would be the other way he would do the same thing, we’d have a downwind into the green he’d throw an iron straight up into the air,” said Thomas.

“I’ve never seen somebody that young with so many shots. I know it took me a while to learn all those and feel comfortable doing them in a golf tournament, for one, but he obviously is very comfortable doing it, and he definitely plays enough to get comfortable with it in a tournament.

“It’s impressive. I think every person that I know that has played with him for the first time walks off and is like, wow, he’s good. He knows what he’s doing. He can make his way around a golf course, and yeah, I don’t think we’re — anybody who’s played with him, I don’t think we’re surprised that he’s won, and I’m sure he’s going to win a lot more times.”

Im missed the cut by one shot at THE PLAYERS last year, shooting rounds of 73 and 71 which included a hole-in-one on the par-3, 13^th hole and a double bogey at the signature par-3, 17^th hole on day two.

While the FedExCup Playoffs, which rewards the season-long champion with a cool US$15 million, are still some five months away, Im, who is nicknamed “The Machine” is ready to bulldoze his way to more success.

“Hopefully I can maintain my position at the top. I don’t feel any added pressure. I’ve been playing well and I want to keep that momentum going,” said Im, who prefers to travel from hotel to hotel when he is competing on TOUR instead of opting for a home base in the U.S.

Im ground out a one-stroke win at The Honda two weeks ago and came close to a second straight victory at Bay Hill, finishing third and two back after battling for the tournament on the back nine on Sunday. The ever-smiling Korean is motivated as well by the support he has received from back home.

“The messages started flooding in (after Sunday),” he said. “I also got a lot of calls from people I know. It was really awesome to have so much support.”

He became only the third player in the FedExCup era (2007-present) to take over the No. 1 position before turning 22, joining the likes of Jordan Spieth and Joaquin Niemann in the exclusive club.

Ultimately, Im is dreaming of holding aloft the FedExCup at the season-finale TOUR Championship in Atlanta in August to put yet another exclamation mark to his stunning rise on the PGA TOUR.

The messages were distinctly mixed as senior Japanese officials said one thing and then quite the opposite about the impact of the new coronavirus. Tokyo 2020 executive board member Haruyuki Takashashi told Reuters and the Wall Street Journal Tuesday the financial damage from canceling the Games would be too great and that a postponement of one or two years would be the “most feasible” option if the virus prevents organizers from going ahead this summer.

On Wednesday, Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto told a parliamentary committee that canceling or postponing the Games was “inconceivable,” although she said the International Olympic Committee would make the final decision.

Even as coronavirus fears mount around the globe, IOC officials have been adamant that the Tokyo Games will take place as scheduled this summer. The IOC said it intends to follow advice from the World Health Organization, and IOC President Thomas Bach said the words cancellation and postponement were not even mentioned at an executive board meeting last week in Lausanne.

The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to begin on July 24.

“The decision is: The Games go ahead,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said last week. “That was made some time ago. We see no reason to change that decision. All the advice we have at the moment is, the Games are going ahead, from all the competent authorities.”

On Wednesday Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori said his team was not considering changing plans for the games and claimed Takahashi had apologized for the comments.

But no sooner had those comments been reported, Takahashi doubled-down on his fears for the Olympics taking place as scheduled, telling Kyodo News that he would consider proposing a postponement when the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee meets at the end of this month. “In light of the reality, we need to respond accordingly,” he said.

Takahashi is one voice on the influential executive board. There are 24 others, and he’s the only one who’s publicly urged a postponement.

Experts say a delay of one or two years would pose logistical problems in terms of the global sporting calendar but would fit in with U.S. broadcasters who provide much of the IOC’s funding and have freer summer schedules.

It would also wreak havoc on the schedules for athletes, who’ve been targeting the summer of 2020 and built their lives and training schedules around peaking competitively this year.

U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky, who figures to be one of the biggest American stars in Tokyo, said she’s been following coronavirus headlines closely and remaining diligent about washing her hands and limiting her visits to crowded places. She trains at Stanford University, which has canceled in-person classes for the remainder of the quarter and moved all instruction online.

“In terms of how it affects the next couple of months, we’re all preparing like everything will go on as scheduled,” Ledecky said in an interview last week. “I trust USOPC, USA Swimming and everybody above them – IOC, CDC, World Health Organization – to make the right decisions. We’ll just follow their guidance and be flexible if we need to be.”

“Everyone’s always like, ‘This is going to be the year when he starts to break down,’ ” first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said last week in West Palm Beach, Fla. “And every year, you get to the second half, and you’re like, ‘Is he going to win the Cy Young again?’ He’s the Tom Brady of baseball.”

As he enters the penultimate season of a seven-year, $210 million contract that has been, by almost any measure, a bargain, Scherzer is at perhaps his most interesting juncture. His finishes in the National League Cy Young voting over the first five years of the deal: fifth, first, first, second and third. His ranks among starting pitchers over that period: first in innings, first in batting average against, first in strikeouts, second in walks and hits per inning pitched, third in ERA.

And yet, everybody – and every body – has limits. Forget the stitch in his side Tuesday that limited Scherzer to long-tossing as the Washington Nationals march toward their March 26 opener. Step back and ask the big-picture question that matters most: How long can he keep this up?

“I don’t know,” Scherzer said last week. “I feel great. My body feels great. I try to do as much as I possibly can to continue to build strength and get ready for the season. There’s days where I definitely need a day here and there to let the body recover, and I give it to it. I take rest when I can get it. But if I feel good, I go hard.”

That last part rings so true: If he feels good, he goes hard. That thought kind of defines Max Scherzer. But does that commitment, that effort, mean the first five years of his contract can be replicated over the final two? Maybe that’s not a fair question.

“I don’t see how his first five years could be replicable,” General Manager Mike Rizzo said. “You have to really pick and choose who could replicate that at any age, any team, any era. You’re talking about some of the most elite performance in history.

“It’s a loaded question, because you don’t want to say, ‘He can’t replicate it,’ because it sounds like, ‘Well, man, he’s going to have a downturn.’ I think he’s going to have a hell of a season this year. He’s going to be a Cy Young candidate for the next two years. And after that, I don’t think his career is over.”

So the better question is: How can Scherzer continue to be the elite pitcher the Nationals need him to be to contend even as he approaches an advanced age? The answer lies in some combination of personality and preparation.

“The guy’s crazy,” fellow starter Stephen Strasburg said. “He really is.”

Like a fox. Take something as simple as playing catch, which Scherzer does between starts on the outfield grass. This is typical fare for a starting pitcher, whose four days off between appearances are carefully mapped out. Scherzer doubles down on any map, charting new courses as though he’s Magellan. With each simple toss in a game of catch, he signals to his partner what pitch he’s going to mimic.

“You kind of see these things, and guys might say, ‘Oh, that’s silly,’ ” Strasburg said. “But then the more you think about it, it’s like: ‘Huh. Okay. That makes sense.’ He’s reinforcing positive behavior. He’s reinforcing good execution. From afar, it’s like: ‘What’s he doing? Is he just messing around out there?’ No. He’s literally training his mind: Boom, curveball.”

Such detailed preparation has long been the backbone of Scherzer’s success and remains the reason teammates believe he won’t slow down now. Justin Verlander, Scherzer’s former teammate in Detroit who’s now with Houston, just placed second and first in the two most recent American League Cy Young votes, a period in which he posted a 2.55 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. Verlander just turned 37. Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine – all had elite seasons well after tuning 35.

“It takes a special person to do it,” Zimmerman said. “A lot of guys would break down. But he is so calculated. It’s almost like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ And then you’re like: ‘Well, wait a minute. He literally practices and does everything harder and more calculated than other people do, and he’s just a little bit better at it than everyone else. Maybe he’s got it figured out.’

“That also takes commitment. It takes sacrifices. You can’t be like, ‘I’m going to do what he does,’ and then do it five days out of the week instead of seven. He’s all-in. It’s why he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame.”

How much will the next two, or more, years enhance that Hall of Fame résumé? Despite the slight setback to his side muscles this week – “This is purely just a fatigue, endurance thing,” Scherzer told reporters in West Palm Beach on Tuesday – Scherzer is adamant that he knows how to prepare an aging body coming off an extended season.

“I understand the process,” he said last week.

And the truth is, even with the 30 extra postseason innings, he ended with 2022/3 in all for the 2019 season, a total he has exceeded five times in the regular season. He made just 27 regular season starts because of back issues, but he adjusted his offseason workout plan to account for them. Rizzo called him “a definite outlier who takes as good a care of his body as anybody I’ve ever seen.”

“He knows who he is,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “He knows what he wants to be. . . . For him, age is just a number. He feels just about as young as anybody.”

He is not as young as anybody. The beginning of the end for Max Scherzer has to come at some point. Maybe it was Tuesday, when he played catch rather than pitched. But no one with the Nationals is willing to make that bet. The end will happen sometime, but the end is not near.

In three previous starts at THE PLAYERS Championship, Kiradech has endured painful memories with two double bogeys and one quadruple bogey blighting his challenge in the PGA TOUR’s flagship tournament.

In eight visits to the signature hole, which plays 137 yards onto an island green surrounded by water, the burly Thai is six-over-par on the 17^th hole alone.

This week, he returns to the TOUR’s US$15 million showpiece determined to tame the infamous hole and arrest a decline in form which has seen him make just two cuts from six starts this season.  

“It’s always great to be back at TPC Sawgrass for THE PLAYERS,” said Kiradech. “It’s the best tournament and as you know, we call it the fifth major and we’re just looking forward to it. I like the course. I like the environment where there are a lot of spectators and there are Thai fans too which is nice.

“The field is strong, everyone pays attention and everyone wants to have the title under their belt. It’s the same for me. If you win THE PLAYERS, you know you can win a major. TPC Sawgrass is a fantastic test. I really like it.”

He reckons the difficulty at 17 is created by the swirly winds and stadium-like setting where thousands of fans gather annually at the most popular spot at TPC Sawgrass. “You have a stadium setting around the green which blocks the wind a bit. You can’t judge the wind from the tee box,” said Kiradech.

“If it’s under normal conditions I would say it’s probably the easiest par 3 hole. But when nerves come into play too and the winds pick up, it’s such a difficult hole. It has hurt me a lot over the past few years.”

Kiradech, 30, finished T18 in the 2018 edition, thanks to a closing 67 which was preceded by three straight 71s. It could have been a much higher finish if he had not put two balls into the water on 17, leading to a quadruple seven.

He hopes quickly turn his season around where he currently lies a lowly 164^th on the FedExCup points list. The top-125 qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs and effectively retain their TOUR cards for next season.

“I would say it goes back to my body,” lamented Kiradech. “Since Augusta (Masters Tournament last April where he hurt his knee), it’s been almost one year that I can’t play my best golf and can’t bring out my A-game. I’m struggling right now but I just hope to have one good week to get my confidence back and to get my season going again.”

He will have good company this week as countryman and reigning Asian Tour No. 1 Jazz Janewattananond is in the elite field, thanks to being in the top-50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

“It’s fantastic. He’s a young and talented kid and it’s nice to see more than one Thai player in the field here. One is great but two is fantastic,” said Kiradech, who played a practice round with Jazz on Monday.

After missing the cut last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the slightly built Jazz hopes to bounce back with a strong debut appearance at THE PLAYERS.

“Everyone says it’s the fifth major,” said Jazz. “It’s a big event. It’s a tournament I’ve always wanted to play and see how hard the course is and how the players handle it. I’m excited to play the 17^th hole … hopefully I don’t put any balls in the water. Just pray to God that I’m on the green. I know it’s just a wedge (shot) but a lot of people have messed up there. Hopefully I don’t.”

While his dream is to eventually join Kiradech on the PGA TOUR, the 24-year-old Jazz knows he needs to make improvements to compete at the highest level consistently. He featured in the WGC-Mexico Championship last month, finishing T53, and will make his debut in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play later this month. 

“It’s been a great experience being here, seeing this tournament in real life. Last week was a bit shaky … it was a tough golf course. I just need to take this as a new week and learn how to play the golf course better. The set-ups are hard and you can’t go for everything. You have to pace yourself and it was the same in Mexico. Just need to pace myself better this week. I’ve learned a lot and I’m trying to get used to these type of tournaments more,” said Jazz.