Players scramble to relocate after Cyclone Alfred cancels LET event in Australia
Players scramble to relocate after Cyclone Alfred cancels LET event in Australia
Meghan MacLaren has seen a lot over the course of her globe-trotting professional career, but what happened this week at the Australian WPGA Championship is a new one.
Tournament officials canceled the event earlier this week due to the impending impact of Cyclone Alfred. The storm was projected to have wind gusts of up to 96 mph and is expected to hit Brisbane, Queensland's capital, on Friday morning.
Forecasters say more than 30 inches of rain could fall in some regions, making the threat of flash flooding a major concern, according to Reuters. It's been more than 50 years since the area has been hit by a cyclone.
The event was slated to take play March 6-9 at at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club on Australia's Gold Coast and kicks off a three-week stretch of Ladies European Tour events in Australia.
Instead of playing another practice round, MacLaren shared on X that she drove 12 hours away from the area, back to where she was last week to practice and prep for next week's event, the Australian Women's Classic, which is another nine hours away.
Tour officials put together a formal list of 10 clubs for players to use as a temporary home base until the next event.
'All of us in professional golf know how quickly plans can change, and that finding suitable locations to practice and play on short notice is no easy task,' said WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO Karen Lunn.
'To see the support of golf clubs and facilities and PGA members around New South Wales has helped to remind everyone just what an amazing industry we are in.
'It was obviously crushing to make the decision to cancel the Australian WPGA Championship in the interest of safety for players, staff, fans and more, especially given how amazing every element of the event looked on the ground. However, the silver lining of support and readiness to act has helped to soften the blow and will only serve to encourage our LET visitors to return again next year.'
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