The PGA Tour which has been dormant since March 12 swings back into action this week on June 11, 2020 at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas.

As one of the first major sporting events to return after three months of live action idled due to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, sports fans are anxiously awaiting it to kick off.

However, nothing will be quite the same as the event will be closed to public and there will be mandatory testing for all players and caddies. They will not be granted access to the court until a negative test result is returned.

Before the March shutdown, McIlroy was having a standout season. Coming back, he said his game is as good as can be expected after such a long competition layoff.

"The thing I missed the most was the competition," McIlroy said. "I tried to play with high-caliber players and see where I measured up with them.

"I feel like my game is pretty sharp. I'm as sharp as I can be coming in here... the first couple of days here will be the real test. I'll learn a lot about myself and my game in those first couple of days."

At the same time, McIlroy expects a strange atmosphere without fans lining the course, as spectators are not scheduled to attend a PGA event until next month at the Memorial tournament.

"It'll be a little eerie, you're not getting claps or feedback from good shots," McIlroy said. "At the same time, it's what we have to do. It's what we're going to have to live with for the foreseeable future."

The PGA Tour said on Tuesday that in honor of George Floyd, a moment of silence will be observed during the 8:46 a.m. tee times throughout the July 11-14 tournament. The 8:46 a.m. symbolizes the eight minutes and 46 seconds in which a police officer kneeled on Floyd's neck.

McIlroy called the decision "a wonderful gesture" and noted his own golf idol was black, Tiger Woods.

"It didn't matter what color his skin was, what his beliefs were. Tiger was my hero, and he's been a lot of kids' heroes over the years," he said.

"We've been very lucky to have him in our game. I think that there should be more people like him in golf."

"There are so many people that are involved with the game, and as long as we continue to give people from different backgrounds opportunities to be in golf, that can only be a good thing."

(With input from agencies)

(Cover image: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks on during a practice round prior to the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, June 10, 2020. /VCG)