The third edition of the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic has been reduced to 54-holes after bad weather caused almost 10 hours of play to be lost over the last three days, organisers said Saturday.
With thunderstorms and threats of bad lighting forcing play to be suspended twice, officials were left with no choice but to abandon play for the day.
“The tournament has been affected by several lengthy delays and suspensions due to inclement weather throughout the week,” said Fritz Katzengruber, Tournament Director, Asian Tour.
“As a result of the delays and the disruptions that we have suffered, we have taken the decision to reduce the tournament to 54 holes.”
Malaysia’s Shaaban Hussin only managed to finish his second round with a flawless five-under-par 65 and was among 12 players yet to tee off.
He will head into the final round with a one-shot lead over American David Lipsky, Japan’s Daisuke Kataoka and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant who are a further shot back on matching 132s.
Shaaban appeared undeterred by the changes, and said he was ready for the week’s challenges.
“I think for professional golfers like us, we should be prepared for anything that may happen during the tournament. I just have to focus on my game,” said the Malaysian.
Lipsky, who is searching for his second Asian Tour win in two months, is also focused on another grandstand finish despite the reduction in the number of holes.
“Ideally, I would like to play 72 holes but we’ve no control over the weather and I’m just going out there to prove that I can play my best this week.”
