Golf officials remain confident the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship will proceed this summer despite the two flagship events being postponed on Friday.
COVID-19 and the need to ensure public safety and concerns over quarantine requirements have forced the two flagship events to be pushed back until early next year.
The PGA Tour of Australasia and Golf Australia jointly announced the PGA Championship, slated for December 2-5 at Royal Queensland, has been rescheduled for January 13-16.
The Open has been moved from November 25-28 at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney to a date yet to be announced in late-January or February.
Both bodies said they were disappointed to make changes to the planned dates, and cited concerns over public health and the potential difficulties surrounding quarantine arrangements for Australian and international golfers as the reasons for the postponements.
The rescheduling of the events will still be welcomed by Australia’s touring professionals, who had feared both events would be scrapped for the second straight year because of the pandemic.
Neither the Open nor the Australian PGA Championship were played in 2020 for the first time since World War II.
PGA of Australia chief executive Gavin Kirkman said with growing vaccine numbers the governing bodies were optimistic the environment would change substantially by early next year.
“These decisions are not taken lightly when we are talking about our flagship tournaments that are playing opportunities for our members,” Kirkman said.
“But as much as the number of COVID-19 cases is a big concern, it’s also the quarantine requirements that make it difficult to run golf tournaments.
“Not all countries require international visitors to quarantine – America for example – and that puts Australia at a disadvantage in an international sport.”
Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland said, in addition to quarantine issues, public health considerations were a primary driver for the deferment.
“Unfortunately, it is not a simple matter of the coordination of international players,” Sutherland said.
“The uncertainty of the quarantine requirements for any players coming from across state borders needed to be considered.
“But the public health considerations, including the uncertainty about lockdowns and living restrictions make it very difficult to plan for an event with any certainty.”
Sutherland said the quarantine issue was likely to remain a barrier for the successful delivery of any national or international golf event at this time.
“Golfers are sole traders, they are not earning anything if they sit in quarantine for a fortnight,” he said.
“We’re not only talking about international players; most of the best Australian players also base themselves overseas during the year.
“Given all the uncertainty at the moment, we want to ensure the safest and best possible experience for the players and fans, and this gives us some time to create that.”
AAP
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