The LPGA’s first official tournament in the Bahamas boasts an elite field, but Mother Nature has already thrown a wet blanket over this week’s event.
The $US1.3 million tournament was scheduled to run from Thursday through Sunday, but has been shortened to 54 holes and is now to start on Friday after nearly a foot of rain fell on the Ocean Club Golf Course on Tuesday night.
In the wake of violent storms, significant amounts of standing water remained on at least seven holes, with the ninth and 18th fairways completely flooded, the LPGA said on its website.
Crews began work overnight to remove the water and clear debris.
‘Mentally, you’re still in it although physically you can’t do anything today at the course,’ said Norway’s Suzann Pettersen. ‘We will play whenever we can.’
American Stacy Lewis said it was a pity the pro-am had to be cancelled, since it would have given players and officials a chance to iron out the inevitable wrinkles of a brand new tournament.
‘First-year events have some bumps and we always get through them,’ Lewis said. ‘This is no different.’
Nine of the top-10 players in the world rankings are in the field, headed by world No.1 Park In-Bee of South Korea.
World No.2 Lewis is hoping to gain ground on Park this week. The American tallied her eighth top-10 finish of the season last week at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic as Park took a week off.
Park has shot to No.1 on the strength of three tournament wins this season. World No.3 Pettersen and No.10 Cristie Kerr of the United States have one title each this year.
Jennifer Johnson is also in the field this week after becoming a first-time winner in Mobile on Sunday.
The 21-year-old American overcame a three-stroke deficit heading into the final round to finish one stroke ahead of Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum and American Jessica Korda.
By Big Pond News
