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| - Severe heat forecasts for next week's LPGA ANA Inspiration have prompted officials to allow caddies to use carts for the second major tournament of the coronavirus-disrupted 2020 campaign. The annual showdown at Rancho Mirage, California, was moved from April 2-5 to September 10-13 as part of the reshuffle after the LPGA shut down from mid-February to July 31. LPGA chief tour operations officer Heather Daly-Donofrio said temperatures next week for the Southern California event are expected to run from 105-115 degrees (40-46 C). "We are very conscious of the high heat -- 2020 has been the year of health and safety, and with that in mind, we will be allowing caddies to take carts for the week," Daly-Donofrio said. The event at Mission Hills Country Club will be played without spectators. The cart rule is not mandatory. Caddies, who will wear bibs instead of jumpsuits, can choose to walk and carry the golf bag as usual. Using a push cart is also an option for caddies. Players can ride in carts during practice rounds but must walk during tournament rounds. "We have consulted with our medical team and feel this is the best decision to keep our caddies safe and healthy during this extreme heat," Daly-Donofrio said. Lindsey Weaver, who chose to play without a caddie at last month's Women's British Open, will use her own push cart at Mission Hills despite the offer of a local caddie. "When the LPGA gave us the option of not using caddies, I pushed my own clubs and I've been doing it for four weeks and playing pretty well so I didn't want to change anything," Weaver said. "I've gotten comfortable with it." There will be 1,500 cooling towels for players, caddies, staff and volunteers. "It's a dry heat but it's intense," said LPGA medical director Dr. Bruce Thomas. "We normally play this event in March and early April when the weather is delightful in the desert. But early September is hot and 110 to 115 is unusually hot even for this time of year. "Caddies who are lugging around an extra 30 to 50 pounds are at greater risk. They can get into real trouble quickly." "We do not want to put the health of our caddies at risk," Daly-Donofrio said. "Will it look odd? Yes, especially for a major championship. But we're not going to sacrifice the health of our athletes or caddies for optics." js/rcw
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