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The Australian Masters was first held in 1979 and has been
won in the past by major champions Tiger Woods, Bernhard Langer,
Greg Norman, Adam Scott and Justin Rose but organizers IMG said
the event needed an overhaul and would not be staged this year.
"As part of IMG's ongoing evolution of its golf events business,
the company is in the process of re-imagining its Australian
Masters event to ensure the delivery of a world-class
experience," David Rollo, vice president and director of golf
for IMG Australia and New Zealand said in a statement carried
widely in Australian media.
"To best execute a change of this scale, IMG today announced
that the Australian Masters will not be played in 2016.
"IMG will unveil its new plans for the event in the coming
months."
The A$750,000 ($574,000) Masters was last held in November at
the Huntingdale Golf Club and won by Australian Peter Senior,
who, at 56, became the oldest winner in the event's history.
World number six Scott finished fifth behind Senior and his
appearances in recent years had helped boost a tournament which
fell off the European Tour schedule in 2009.
Scott was meant to be joined in the field by multiple major
winner Ernie Els last year but the South African, currently
ranked 219 in the world, opted to stay home with family.
Meanwhile, the Australian Open has been able to attract the top
names in the game, including Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth in
recent years.
The Masters void leaves 14 events on the 2016 PGA Tour of
Australasia calendar this year with the seventh stop scheduled
for Papua New Guinea next month.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by John
O'Brien)
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