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The tournament was scheduled to take place on
the Gold Coast in December but organisers said they had made the
"difficult decision" to push it back to Feb. 18-21 after
consulting government and stakeholders.
"We have investigated numerous contingency plans to be able to
stage the event in December, including players entering a hub
and competing while serving a strict quarantine period,” PGA
Tour of Australasia Tournaments Director Nick Dastey said.
A final call will be made on the tournament in December,
depending on the health situation.
"At that time we will determine whether the event will proceed
in February or, as a last resort, cancelled," PGA of Australia
Chief Executive Gavin Kirkman said.
Queensland state has recorded only a handful of COVID-19 cases
in recent days but remains closed off to much of the country to
curb the risk of the virus spreading.
Australia's strict international border controls are also a
major obstacle for overseas-based players to enter the country
and compete.
Organisers said they planned to hold the tournament twice in
2021.
The decision follows the postponement in July of the 2020
Australian Open, the country's oldest and most prestigious golf
event, to early next year.
Organisers are yet to settle on a date for the event, which was
to have been held at Melbourne's Kingston Heath Golf Club in
late-2020.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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