The current COVID-19 situation has forced several changes to Golf Australia’s 2021-22 national championships season.
The Australian Amateur, our premier national amateur championship, will move from its traditional January timeslot to March. With the continued momentum of the Covid-19 vaccination program, we are optimistic that the environment will change substantially next year to ensure players can enter our flagship amateur event without the concern of border closures.
Golf Australia’s general manager of events & operations, Therese Magdulski said: “It is really important to us to ensure our best amateur golfers have the chance to contest the nation’s pinnacle national championship without the fear of being impeded by travel restrictions.
By delaying it two months, whilst it is unlikely we’ll get our international participants in 2022, we believe this push will reduce the risk of compromising the event and will give it the best chance of allowing players from all states the opportunity to enter.
The Australian Junior Amateur and both the Interstate Teams competitions will remain at their traditional April and May dates, as Golf Australia is confident that by that time, border closures will be unlikely.
Regrettably however, the Australian Senior Amateur to be held in October at Glenelg in South Australia and the Australian Mid-Amateur scheduled in November at Bribie Island in Queensland have been cancelled.
With the events only weeks away the current border restrictions and the inability of many players to contest the national championships, which in turn impact the events’ integrity, were drivers of the decision.
“We want to provide a true national championship environment for players and host venues,” Magdulski said.
“Having limited or local fields contest the events would not provide a genuine national championship experience.”
Whilst postponements were explored, scheduling challenges made it impossible to contest the events within the next few months and delaying them significantly into 2022 was considered unsuitable.
Golf Australia is grateful to Glenelg and Bribie Island Golf Clubs in having agreed to host the 2021 Australian Senior and Mid-Amateur and looks forward to returning to the venues soon.
With the cancellation of the Australian Senior Amateur, the 2021 National Senior Order of Merit will be cancelled. Given the 2021 Australian Amateur and Australian Junior were both played earlier in the year, the national Orders of Merit for men and women and juniors will be awarded at their conclusion at the end of October.
The final dates and venues for Golf Australia’s 2022 national amateur championships will be announced in the coming months. National championships are a vital component of our high performance pathway in developing stars to inspire the next generation, along with showcasing the highest level of amateur talent across all ages.
Many have long histories, with the Australian Amateurs dating back to 1894, with all national championships continuing to evolve to ensure they remain contemporary and support growing the game.
