Australian Masters wants to keep coveted spot on schedule
The 2011 Presidents Cup will be held at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia from 17-20 November. While it marks the second time the team golf event has been played in
Australia, the only question remaining is which event will precede it.
If the schedule goes unchanged, it will be the Australian Masters, which attracted Tiger Woods for the second-straight year this year, occupying the slot one week before the Presidents
Cup. But this is not a given.
The Australasian Tour is reportedly considering moving the tournament next year to make room for either the Australian Open, played in Sydney, or the Australian PGA Championship, played
in Coolum.
Next year, the Australian Masters will return to Kingston Heath, the site where Woods last had a victory at the 2009 tournament. This year, he finished in fourth place at the Royal Victoria
Golf Club. IMG, who runs the tournament, wants it to stay where it is.
"We would like this date. It's critical to us," Mark Steinberg, head of IMG's global golf division and also Woods’ agent, told reporters. "We feel like we took on the risk by moving to
this date a few years ago, going up against some big events, and we made it successful. We feel we deserve to keep the date, now that it's a coveted date for next year."
Last year, the tournament was held the same week as the Hong Kong Open, a European Tour event, and was played alongside the Singapore Open this year.
If the tournament gets moved, it is unlikely Woods would play the week leading into the Presidents Cup. It seems he wants the tournament to keep its date.
"I think it would not only be a great tournament, but great preparation for all the American players to come down and play," said Woods.
The Australasian Tour is scheduled to meet on 8 December to determine which tournament will get the spot.
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