KLPGA cancels practice round after Covid-19 patient visits course

The KLPGA Tour announced Wednesday that the practice round for the BC Card Hankyung Ladies Cup at the Fortune Hills Country Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, will not take place later in the day as scheduled.

The tour learned Tuesday afternoon that an amateur who played at the course last Friday tested positive for Covid-19, and it has been informed by health authorities that a course caddie had been in close contact with the amateur player.

The tournament organizers said later Wednesday that the caddie has tested negative, and the tournament will begin on schedule Thursday.

The tour said the entire course was sanitized Tuesday, and more disinfection work will be done Wednesday.

Though the practice round wasn't rescheduled Wednesday, the event organizers are considering allowing players and their caddies to walk the course for one final look before Thursday's opening round.

After opening its season in Vietnam in December, the KLPGA Tour went on a five-month hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak. The season resumed with the first major of the season, KLPGA Championship, on May 14.

The tour has since hosted four more tournaments, including last week's Korea Women's Open Golf Championship, the season's second major. All tournaments have been played without fans.

Yonhap