The news coming from Australia is not at all reassuring. Uncertainty continues around the tour being carried out by the Ladies European Tour in those distant lands. If last week the Australian WPGA Championship, which was to be held in Brisbane from 6 to 9 March, was cancelled, it has now been announced that the Australian Women’s Classic, the second of this triple stop in the Oceanic continent, is reduced to 54 holes.
The decision was made this Monday after a thorough review of the course by the officials of the European and Australian circuits. The reason is the same that led to the suspension of the first tournament. Cyclone Alfred is hitting the east coast of Australia hard. In fact, its arrival has been delayed more than expected. Initially, it seemed it would arrive on Thursday, but it did not make landfall until Saturday, and heavy rains and winds are expected to continue over the coming days.
For this reason, the reduction to 54 holes is only the first of the decisions made regarding the tournament. Right now, no one can guarantee that it will take place, which would obviously be a significant setback for the golfers who have travelled to Australia to play three tournaments and now find themselves without one and with the second in serious jeopardy.
The decision to reduce the tournament to 54 holes, meaning it starts on Friday instead of Thursday, is to give more time to the staff of the Coffs Harbour Golf Club, halfway between Brisbane and Sydney, to carry out the necessary conditioning tasks to prepare the course for the competition. Obviously, the success of these tasks will depend entirely on how long Cyclone Alfred impacts the area.
Let us remember that there are six Spanish players in Australia waiting for news: María Hernández, Luna Sobrón, Marta Martín, Nuria Iturrioz, Ana Peláez, and Blanca Fernández. Next week, a third tournament is theoretically scheduled to take place in Australia, the Ford Women’s NSW Open in Sydney, hopefully without any unpleasant surprises.
