The rains returned overnight in Bonville and any hopes of Sunday action faded at the Ladies European Tour’s Australian Women’s Classic.
The start was delayed initially until 10am but after several course inspections the decision was made to suspend Sunday’s round and call time on the 2024 event with just 18 holes played. The course experienced over 200mm of rain in 72-hours and conditions would prove too big an obstacle for any further action.
Tournament organisers decided to make the difficult decision and the leading trio on six-under-par after day one were named joint victors in this last leg of the Australian swing of the Ladies European Tour. Nicole Broch Estrup, Pei-Ying Tsai and Jess Whitting were awarded the joint victory although all three would have rathered win the old-fashioned way.
Denmark’s Broch Estrup, who last won on the LET in 2015, said: “I was on the range when I found out. I really wanted to go and play golf. It’s really unfortunate that we’re not playing, and we can’t do anything about the weather. I have things I want to improve so while we were waiting, I went to the range. It feels a bit weird. Hopefully, I will get another official win at some point this year, but I will take it.”
Australia’s Whitting echoed those sentiments:“I wanted a chance to go out there and prove myself, but then also this is a great outcome too because I could have gone out there and moved further down the ranks. It was out of my control, but I’m pretty excited. It’s a pretty cool thing to write down on the resume.”
Tsai of Chinese Taipei added: “It feels a little bit weird because I wanted to play today. They are both very good players. It’s a good course, so it was also very exciting. It’s good [to be a winner but it would be good to play.”
Because the Tournament only took place over 18-holes it cannot be classed as an official LET event, so no ranking points will be granted, and all prizemoney will be deemed unofficial..
Next up the LET ups sticks and heads west as the Tour rolls into South Africa for the first of two events. The Joburg Ladies Open takes place on Modderfontein GC from April 18th to 21st as Lil May Humphreys defends her title on the tough par-73 course.
Following that, Erinvale Country and Golf Estate will host the Investec South African Women’s Open as Ashleigh Buhai looks to retain her title in Cape Town.
Olivia Mehaffey and Lauren Walsh can draw a line under this week’s disrupted event and hope for better fortunes in South Africa safe in the knowledge that no ground will have been lost to the pack in the order of merit standings.
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