The Alisports LPGA tournament, won last year by
seven-times LPGA winner Kim In-kyung, had been scheduled for
Oct. 5-8.
It is the second time in three years the tournament, previously
known as the Reignwood LPGA Classic, has been scrapped.
"Unfortunately, we have just received word that the tournament
was unsuccessful in obtaining approval from the local district
government," LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said in a statement.
"The hardest part about this news is that we have a title
sponsor, a tournament operator, a TV production group and a host
venue all set to go.
"However, in China, sporting events of this nature cannot take
place without approvals at multiple levels -- and the local
approval was denied.
"This news is very disappointing, particularly in that it comes
less than a month before the event was scheduled to take place."
Whan said the LPGA expected the event to return to the schedule
in 2018.
Alisports, a division of Alibaba Group, announced in October
that it was partnering with the LPGA "to own an LPGA tournament
hosted annually in Mainland China for the next 10 years."
The tournament had been scheduled for the second week of a
seven-event South Pacific and Asia swing, which will now have
six tournaments -- one each in New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan,
Malaysia, Japan and China.
South Korean Kim won the 2016 Reignwood LPGA Classic at Pine
Valley Golf Club in Beijing, ending a drought of six years.
She followed that victory with three 2017 triumphs, including
her first major at the British Open.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; editing by
Ken Ferris)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](column_spacer.png) |
|