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The announcement regarding the scheduled
February tournament was made Thursday (Australia time). The
tournament is held at the 13th Beach Golf Links in Barwon Heads,
Victoria, near Melbourne.
The men and women compete for identical prize money, teeing off
in alternating groups -- a rarity among top golf events.
Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland said, "We're
very proud of how far the Vic Open came since the mixed concept
was put together, and we're more than aware of how popular this
event has become. We've tried to make it happen, but the call
had to be made. ...
"We've taken advice from the relevant domestic government
authorities and looked at the contingencies including the
creation of a 'bubble,' but they are not viable. It left us in a
position where our field strength would have been severely
compromised."
A longtime PGA Tour of Australasia event, the Vic Open added a
women's division in 2019, the same year it also became
co-sanctioned by the European Tour.
The past two men's winners were Scotland's David Law in 2019 and
Australia's Min Woo Lee in 2020. France's Celine Boutier (2019)
and South Korea's Hee Young Park (2020) were the past two
women's winners.
--Field Level Media
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