The opening day of a golf tournament in Japan was called off when a bear was spotted on the course — the second such incident within two months.
The bear was spotted near the first tee at the Sendai Classic Golf Club on Wednesday, causing the pro-am competition scheduled for that day to be canceled.
The Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament, a JLPGA Tour event, had been scheduled to begin on Thursday but was canceled a result of the bear’s presence. The tournament had originally been scheduled to last for four days.
“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,” organizers wrote on the tournament website. “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 onward as soon as they have been decided.”
Organizers later decided the Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament would go ahead as planned Friday, but without spectators.
The incident follows a bear sighting at the Golf Club Twin Fields in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in May that led to the final round of the Twinfield Ladies on the women’s second-tier Step Up tour being canceled.
