The Ladies European Tour has announced the cancellation of next year’s Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic and the Women’s NSW Open in light of the global pandemic and ongoing travel restrictions into Australia.
The Australian Ladies Classic, which was due to take place at Bonville Golf Club in New South Wales from February 18-21, usually marks the start of the LET season. The Women’s NSW Open has been a fixture on the LET for the past three years. Both tournaments will return in 2022 at the same dates and venues.
Alexandra Armas, Ladies European Tour CEO, said: “We are disappointed to announce our decision to postpone both popular tournaments for the coming year 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 Tour 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.”
ALPG Chief Executive Karen Lunn: “It’s extremely disappointing when all tournament stakeholders 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. Their continued success is very much dependent on the support of our leading Australian players and our overseas guests from the LET who come from all corners of the globe. While this has been an incredibly difficult decision, logistically there are just too many variables and challenges to move forward as planned.”
Golf NSW CEO Stuart Fraser added: “Whilst this outcome is obviously disappointing for all involved, the reliance on International players for the success of both these tournaments unfortunately meant there was no alternative. Regional NSW has played host to these two great events in past years and the excitement they generate will be sorely missed in 2021. Golf NSW looks forward to working with the LET and ALPG to ensure these two tournaments return to the calendar in 2022.”