Rory McIlroy wants players and caddies to be tested for coronavirus

Rory McIlroy revealed he wanted every player and caddie on the PGA Tour to be tested for coronavirus just moments before the PGA Tour decided to pull the plug on The Players Championship after day one. 

McIlroy made his comments after carding a level-par 72 at TPC Sawgrass where he birdied the final three holes, only to then learn the tournament was going to be cancelled due to the coronavirus disease that is rapidly spreading around the world. 

"We need to shut it down then," said McIlroy. "More than anything else, we need to get … everyone needs to get tested.

"I don't know, I saw that obviously there's commercial labs now are testing at some capacity, I guess, but I think for us to keep playing on tour, all the tour players and people that are involved need to get tested and make sure that no one's got it, because bviously everyone knows you can have it and not have symptoms and pass it on to someone that's more susceptible to getting very ill from it."

The PGA Tour decided to cancel the tournament late Thursday night, having initially claimed the tournament would continue but without spectators. 

RELATED: 2020 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Tournaments have also been cancelled over the next few weeks up to the Texas Open, but no comment has yet been made on what will happen at golf's first major of the year, The Masters from April 9 to 12. 

Prior to learning about the cancellation of the tournament, McIlroy was quizzed what he made of the prospect of playing golf without fans.

"It could become the new norm, who knows?" he said. "It's going to get worse before it gets better. You look at the trends and you look at everything that's happening across the rest of the world, it's [the coronavirus] in its infancy here in the United States.

"I think it's a hard one because you look at volunteers out here and a lot of volunteers are in their 60s and 70s and retired, and you don't want someone that's got the virus that passes it on to them and then they're susceptible.

"My mother's got respiratory issues and I certainly don't want to get something and pass it on to her and all of a sudden there's some sort of complication."

As for whether the PGA Tour should follow the lead of other sports that have shut down, McIlroy he would be happy with whatever decision was made. 

"The tour is [working] with the best health officials and CDC and WHO, whoever it is that they're dealing with, and if they think that it's safe for play to go ahead, but with no spectators, then I guess who am I to say any different."