Rain has caused the Australian PGA Championship to be reduced to 54 holes. The heavy downpour at Royal Queensland made it impossible for any play on Friday, leading to the second round being canceled without a single shot played.
The Brisbane area has been drenched with about 250mm of rain in the past week, leaving the course soaked and unplayable. On Friday, officials decided to cut the tournament short, planning for the second round on Saturday and wrapping up with a final round on Sunday.
“Continued downpours throughout the morning have left a number of fairways at Royal Queensland Golf Club saturated,” said Jose Maria Zamora. He also mentioned that they aim to start again early on Saturday morning.
Weather Woes:
With another big tournament, the ISPA HANDA Australian Open, happening next week over two courses, extending this one into Monday wasn’t an option. Fans might wonder why everything seems to happen all at once!
Zamora added that they want this event to end as planned by Sunday while considering next week’s logistics. Meanwhile, local hero Elvis Smylie is still holding onto his lead after Thursday’s first round.
Elvis Smylie scored eight birdies against two bogeys for a six-under 65, keeping him ahead by one stroke over four players who each shot 66. Among those chasing him are Joel Girrbach from Switzerland and Australians Matias Sanchez and Cristobal Del Solar from Chile.
Five more Aussies are just behind in a group of eight players sitting at four under par—only two strokes off the lead—including famous names like Jason Day, Cameron Smith, and Marc Leishman.
With only 36 holes remaining this weekend instead of 72, it’s going to be an exciting race to see who becomes the 2024 Australian PGA champion! What do you think? Will Elvis keep his lead or will someone else take over?
