The Australian PGA Championship will change into a three-round, 54-hole shootout as torrential rain and a flooded golf course compelled Friday’s play to be deserted with no single shot hit.
Royal Queensland was ravaged by in a single day flooding because the course couldn’t longer deal with the just about 250mm of rain it had copped within the final week, and issues solely received worse because the downpours continued till a last announcement was made at 11.30am native time.
The primary teams had been meant to tee off at 6am native time (7am AEDT), however they may now begin their second rounds on the identical time on Saturday.
The second spherical might be performed as regular tomorrow earlier than a reduce is made, and the highest half of the sector combat for the title on Sunday.
Bunkers, corresponding to beside the inexperienced on the 18th, and fairways, notably the primary, are engulfed by puddles leaving greenskeepers with an enormous clean-up job.
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PGA Tour of Australasia’s Tournaments Director Nick Dastey confirmed that Saturday’s play would be the second spherical solely.
“It takes the complete day to get that play achieved. We’ll be by way of till about six o’clock tomorrow evening, like as we speak would have been,” he stated.
“Will probably be a 54-hole occasion with the ultimate spherical on Sunday. But to find out whether or not that might be two or three balls, however most probably a one tee begin on Sunday with championship ending on the anticipated time for a 54-hole occasion.
“The golf course shouldn’t be getting an opportunity to dry out and get to place the place we might take a look at any affordable play on the market, the place it’s a good an equitable state of affairs for all of the gamers.”
There’s extra rain forecast in Brisbane on Friday, however the weekend is predicted to remain dry in promising indicators.
Match organisers opted towards extending to play to Monday to maintain it as a 72-hole occasion as a result of Australian Open beginning in Melbourne on Thursday and gamers needing time to journey, and play observe rounds at Kingston Heath and Victoria in preparation.
“The course workers have achieved an unbelievable job,” Dastey stated. “They’ve been working all through the evening for the final 4 or 5 days.
“The quantity of occasions they’ve pumped water out of bunkers after which one other downpour comes and go once more. We have now to be conscious of what we’re placing everybody engaged on the match by way of as properly.”
At current, among the fairways are so moist that there isn’t a spot the place a participant might take aid from informal water.
The greens have stayed in wonderful situation, however the surrounds are sodden.
The primary three holes have the wettest fairways on the course, in response to Dastey, however the again 9 is holding up properly.
FIRST ROUND RECAP
Following a busy first spherical, Elvis Smylie has the solo lead due to a formidable -6 with a trio of Europeans in Cristobel Del Photo voltaic, Victor Perez and Joel Girrbach simply behind him on -5.
The 23-year-old Smylie regarded as if he’d give away his lead on the ultimate gap of the spherical when he discovered two totally different bunkers on consecutive photographs, however he saved his composure to coolly gap his fourth shot out of the bunker for a birdie on the par 5 ninth.
Cam Smith carded -4 within the opening spherical after a late flurry along with his taking part in companions Jason Day (-4) and Min Woo Lee (-3) each proper within the thick of issues.
The celebrity group of Smith, Day and Lee had been initially all the way down to tee off at 12:10am AEDT however as a result of delay, will now probably begin their second rounds fairly late within the day, and are unlikely to complete their second spherical as we speak.
NOTABLE TEE TIMES – ROUND 2, SATURDAY (ALL TIMES AEDT)
7:10am – Victor Perez, Cam Davis, Lucas Herbert
12.10pm – Min Woo Lee, Cam Smith, Jason Day
12.20pm – Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Marc Leishman, Harry Higgs
12.40pm – Elvis Smylie, Dan Gale, Adrien Saddier
HOW TO WATCH
Watch all of the BMW Australian PGA Championship motion on Kayo and Foxtel, with each large second broadcast on channel Fox Sports activities 503.
Protection will start at 12:00pm AEDT day by day!
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