Mareeba Mitsubishi Classic will definitely tee off as planned

WHILE other sporting codes are struggling with some mass cancellations of events amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a Tablelands golf club has confirmed that a major competition will go ahead this weekend with a free car still on the line.

Mareeba club captain Mick Degura said the club have been in contact with the FNQ Golf Association and are following a number of guidelines to allow the Mareeba Mitsubishi Classic to go ahead unhindered.

They have asked players to keep their distance, avoid handshakes, carry hand sanitiser if possible and leave the flag in, with Mr Degura adding they don’t expect too many spectators.

“Golf, being an outside sport and no-contact, it’s believed if you follow good hygiene measures – it should be low risk,” he said.

“In this current circumstance we’re lucky that our chosen sport is outside and non-contact.”

The Federal Government’s ban on mass gatherings – 100 in enclosed spaces and 500 outdoors – as well as uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has led the cancellation or postponement of most sports, as well as major competitions.

But golf is one of the few still going ahead across the Far North, with hundreds of people hitting courses across the region for a swing.

Some of the 85 nominated golfers will make the trip over the range from Cairns, Mossman and Gordonvale. The event is considered “one of the first big events on the FNQ golf calendar,” Degura said.