A bear sighting yesterday prompted organizers of a golf tournament in Japan to cancel the opening day — the second time an ursine invader has halted play in the past two months.
The bear was spotted in the morning near the first tee at the Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament at Sendai Classic Golf Club in northern Japan on the professional JLPGA Tour.
The pro-am competition scheduled for the same day was canceled, with organizers later deciding to scrap today’s opening day of the tournament.
Organizers said that they would decide later whether to play or cancel the rest of the competition, which has a total prize money of ￥100 million (US$670,000).
“On Wednesday, a bear sighting on the course was reported and the pro-am tournament was canceled to protect the safety of the participants, players and staff,” a statement on the tournament Web site said. “To ensure safety and to consider future measures, we have decided to cancel Thursday’s opening day. We will announce details of the tournament from Friday onwards as soon as they have been decided.”
In May, the final round of the Twinfield Ladies on the women’s second-tier Step Up tour in central Japan was canceled after a bear was spotted on the course.
Human encounters with bears reached record levels in Japan last year, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April last year.
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