When Tropical Cyclone Alfred forced the cancellation of the WPGA Championship on the Gold Coast on Tuesday, it left many of the game’s best female players scrambling for somewhere to sit out the tempest at a safe distance.
Ladies European Tour (LET) players Kelsey Bennett (NSW), Michelle Thompson (Scotland), and LPGA veteran Sarah Kemp (NSW) have taken the unexpected twist to their Australian tour schedule in their stride. The trio decided to head to Wollongong Golf Club for some very early preparation two weeks before the 2025 Ford Women’s NSW Open.
The trio’s early appearance at the City Course comes after dashing from the Golf Coast when the co-sanctioned (WPGA & LET) was called off.
The trio aren’t the only players arriving early, with several others already happily ensconced in the City earlier than planned. The Kiwi sister-act trio of Munchin, Wenyung, and Siyi Keh are already in town, with several more European-based players taking up the offer of settling early with their billets.
Despite being happy back in familiar surroundings, Bennett from Mollymook on the NSW south coast admitted the WPGA cancellation was a disappointing way to begin her LET rookie year.
“Losing the WPGA was definitely a letdown,” Bennett said. “I chose not to go to Morocco for the first event in February because I was keen on starting with the three tournaments here.
“Now, not having one and depending on weather, potentially not having two is obviously a massive disappointment.”
Bennett said the weather events’ unfortunate timing was very frustrating, especially after spruiking the sun and surf opportunities on the four-tournament Australian swing to her LET colleagues.
“All I do is rave about how good Australia is to the LET girls, and they come out here, and then tournaments get cancelled because of a Cyclone.
“It’s super unfortunate, but it is what it is. We’re all in the same boat, but sometimes it’s just hard to swallow.”
Despite the setback, Bennett is looking forward to competing at Wollongong, a course she’s familiar with from her junior days.
“I think it’s awesome. I’ve played here for a few years growing up as a junior, so I’ve got a good little advantage.
When asked how she thought her playing partners would handle the course, Bennett was optimistic; however, she identified some potential pitfalls.
“I think they’re gonna love it. The course looks mint, but the most challenging thing will be the small greens, and then you’ve got the thick grass around if you miss the green.
“I think that could be where some girls slip up during the week.”
“I am so looking forward to playing well there. Hopefully I will go alright.”
Thomson, like Bennett, was disappointed no golf got to be played this week on the Gold Coast. She was happy, however, to be well away from the tempest about to be delivered by the cyclone.
“I’m just happy to be here and looking forward to Wollongong going ahead,” Thomson said. “Disappointed that Sanctuary Cove didn’t happen, but I’m happy everyone is out safe and sound.”
Thomson said the decision to head directly to Wollongong was easy, especially with the better weather and access to the course.
“We were looking for somewhere warm with no rain and a bit less windy, plus we wanted to come down for a good look anyway.
“I’ve never played here before so I am looking forward to it, it does remind me a little bit of the courses back home.”
LPGA player Sarah Kemp, from Tuncurry on the NSW mid-north coast, is using the three-event swing to test her strength after suffering a severe leg injury last year. She said it was a shame to lose a tournament of its size because of a situation entirely out of the organisers’ control.
“it was a shame for the event I was looking for to it, especially after coming out of COVID.”
“(Cancelling) was the right thing to do to keep us safe, and now I’m looking forward to Coffs and here.”
Kemp said the Wollongong visit may not have been her first time visiting the city venue. She said although the layout seemed unfamiliar, her Dad insisted she had played here before.
“I’m not sure if my Dad is right. I told him I had never played here before, but he said, yes, you have. You shot a course record there!”
“I don’t really know if that’s true or not. I’ll need to go through the clubhouse and see if there is a course record board with my name on it.
“Either way, I’m just happy to be here, safe, and the place looks beautiful.”
