코로나19로 2021년 2월 호주 골프대회 취소 발표
LET, 제프 킹 모터스 ALC와 여자 NSW오픈 취소 [안내 영문 전문포함]
2021년 2월에 열릴 예정이던 유럽여자프로골프 투어(LET) 대회 2개가 취소됐다.
LET는 홈페이지에 11월 4일자로 “2021년 2월 호주에서 열리기로 돼 있던 제프 킹 모터스 호주 레이디스 클래식과 여자 뉴사우스 웨일스오픈을 취소하기로 했다”고 발표했다.
이는 코로나19 확산 우려 및 이에 따른 여행 제한 조치 때문에 내려진 조치다.
2021년 1, 2월에 호주와 뉴질랜드에서 열릴 예정이던 국제 스포츠 대회는 이미 몇 차례 취소된 바 있다.
2021년 1월 뉴질랜드에서 열릴 예정이던 남녀 프로테니스 투어 대회가 코로나19 여파로 취소됐고, 2월로 예정됐던 미국여자프로골프(LPGA) 투어 빅오픈과 호주 PGA 챔피언십, 호주 남녀 오픈 골프대회 등이 모두 열리지 못하게 됐다.
다음은 LET의 대회취소 영어 안내문 전문이다.
COVID Claims 2021 Ladies Classic, Women’s Open [영어 전문]
Next Year’s editions of the Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic – Bonville and the Worrells Women’s NSW Open have fallen victim to travel restrictions surrounding COVID-19.
With Australia’s borders effectively closed until at least mid-2021, Golf NSW in conjunction with the Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) and the Ladies European Tour (LET) made the difficult decision to cancel the twin championships for next year.
– Dissapointment
Stuart Fraser, CEO of Golf NSW, said with international participation impossible the decision to cancel was inevitable.
“It is disappointing for all involved. We rely on international players for the success of both these tournaments, and with travel to our shores out of the question, we had no alternative.
“Regional NSW has played host to these two significant events in past years, and we will sorely miss the excitement they generate.
“When border restrictions ease, we will be working with the LET and ALPG to ensure the tournaments return in 2022,” Mr Fraser said.
ALPG CEO Karen Lunn echoed Mr Fraser’s comments.
“It’s extremely disappointing when we have worked so hard to build these events to the point that they have both found a regular slot on the ALPG and LET’s annual tournament schedules,” Ms Lunn said.
Having marked the beginning of the LET schedule for the past three years, the Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic and the WorrellsWomen’s NSW Open were significant events for both local athletes and the visiting contingent of European stars.
– Breakout Win
Earlier this year, teen sensation Stephanie Kyriacou romped to an eight-shot victory in the Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic at Bonville. She immediately turned professional then embarked on a whirlwind run on Tour, making the cut in her first Major Championship at the AIG Women’s Open followed by top-five finishes in the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and France.
With only four events left to play in the 2020 LET season, Kyriacou currently sits in seventh place on the Race to Costa del Sol, and just one spot behind England’s Alice Hewson in the race for ‘Rookie of the Year’ spoils.
Another popular destination amongst the LET membership, the Worrells Women’s NSW Open has been a fixture on the LET for the past three years, with the 2020 edition at Dubbo Golf Club also yielding a teenage winner, Sweden’s Julia Engstrom.
The Dubbo crown was Engstrom’s maiden title down-under. The Swedish star has since gone on to snare even more silverware at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, where she recorded a hole-in-one in the process.
– Return
Despite the loss of the two events for 2021, CEO of the Ladies European Tour, Alexandra Armas said the organisations remained hopeful of seeing the tournaments back on the calendar in 2022.
“We are disappointed to announce the decision to postpone both popular tournaments as we look to confirm our 2021 schedule.
“Our players have become used to starting their season in Australia, so it was an extremely difficult decision for us to break an established tradition.”
“We have a long-standing relationship with the ALPG and are building a strong foundation for the future with Golf NSW, which we will continue to nurture for many years to come. We look forward to building on the success of this year and returning in 2022,” Ms Armas added.
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