CHENNAI: The Chennai Open Golf Championship has been postponed indefinitely thanks to the continuing onslaught of the Northeast Monsoon. This brings us to the question of postponement. Does the 2017 edition stand cancelled? Or could there be two editions of the Chennai Open in 2018?
There are three scenarios possible. There is only one more unoccupied week in the calendar (November last), but rearranging the event so soon is a logistical nightmare. That’s even before we get to the point that the monsoon, if anything, could get worse.
PGTI director, Uttam Singh Mundy, says it could well be postponed until early next year. “Maybe early next year,” was his reply to a query on when the four-round event could be held. Here’s when things get interesting. If the 2017 edition, as expected, gets pushed to early 2018 (the calendar typically begins in the third week of Jan after two Qualifying School events), the city may not get to host another one in October or November. “Maybe only one (event),” was Mundy’s response when asked whether there could be two meets in 2018.
Sunshine on Thursday raised hopes of the competition being held on time but the city was again battered in the night. The Madras Gymkhana Club Guindy Golf Annexe, the venue of the tournament, received around 20 cm of rainfall and that was enough for PGTI to pull the plug on the scheduled start (Nov 7).
“The Chennai Open golf tournament originally scheduled to be held from November 7 has been postponed,” a press release said. “The Guindy Golf Course (...) is under water including the elevated greens at the moment and the forecast is for very heavy rain over the next couple of days. The course authorities need at least 5-6 clear days to get the golf course into playing condition.”