The NSW PGA Championship is off to a slow start with the weather postponing the first round of the tournament at Wollongong Golf Club.
PGA Tour of Australasia officials were faced with inclement weather and a waterlogged course when play was set to get underway at the NSW PGA Championship at 7am this morning.
Play was suspended throughout the morning with a view to getting play underway in the afternoon but persistent showers meant that surface water on the course was not able to subside making it difficult to get the course back in Championship condition.
Graeme Scott, Tournament Director for the PGA Tour of Australasia made the decision to cancel today’s play at 12pm resulting in round one getting started at 7am on Friday 4thNovember.
“We were always hopeful of getting round one underway today and tried everything in our power to do so but unfortunately the weather was not cooperative,” said Scott.
“With the weather conditions this morning we reached a conclusion that it was not going to be possible to get the course in Championship condition in time to complete enough of the round this afternoon while maintaining the integrity of the game,”
“While not ideal, this was the best solution to the issue and will allow for the tournament to be completed in the best possible conditions for all players in the field.”
The impact of this decision is that the tournament will now be reduced from 72 to 54 holes with a cut to 50 plus ties after the second round on Saturday. The tournament winner will still be credited with an official victory with all prize money counting towards the Order of Merit.
While the PGA Tour of Australasia and Wollongong Golf Course green keeping staff was hard at work the delay meant a lot of restless players waiting to hear what the outcome would be.
“With the weather the way it is there was no way that the course would be playable today so I think the right decision was made,” said Peter O’Malley; a five time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia and three time winner on the European Tour.
“It is disappointing not to be able to get out on course but this is the life of a Tour Professional and there isn’t much you can do about the weather,” he added.
The delayed start means another anxious night for Sydney Rooser’s Captain Braith Anasta who will tee up as an amateur at the NSW PGA Championship, his first outing in a professional tournament.
The tournament will be played at Wollongong Golf Club from Thursday 3rd November to Sunday 6th November 2011.
The field will by vying for their share of the $100,000 prize purse plus exemptions into some of the biggest tournaments on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
For the full PGA Tour of Australasia tournament schedule including dates, venues and prizemoney click here