Drawcards Kyriacou and Kemp test positive to Covid-19 and forced to withdraw

Rising star Steph Kyriacou was “devastated” after she and drawcard Sarah Kemp tested positive to Covid-19 on the eve of the inaugural Karrie Webb Cup with the men’s Australian PGA field also hit by withdrawals.

Tour officials were forced to hasilty change groups for the opening day of the twin tournaments on Thursday in Brisbane after the raft of positives results reduced the already small WPGA field.

Kyriacou, who recently earned her USLPGA tour card, returned a positive rapid antigen test result before a positive PCR test outcome on Wednesday afternoon confirmed she was out of the new event’s first staging.

“I was really looking forward to playing this week and getting back into tournament golf,” Kyriacou said.

“It’s pretty devastating not to be able to play in the WPGA Championship but unfortunately it is out of my control.”

Kemp – who is triple-vaccinated – also returned two positive RATs on Wednesday morning and as a PCR result won’t be known prior to the commencement of the tournament was been forced to withdraw.

“Obviously we are devastated for both Steph and Sarah that they will not be able to contest the inaugural Fortinet Australian WPGA Championship,” WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO Karen Lunn said.

“I know both were so excited for the opportunity to play on Aussie soil again and compete for the Karrie Webb Cup but this is the unfortunate reality that we are currently living through.

“We have seen sports the world over suffer at the hands of Covid but we have every confidence that we will stage a wonderful tournament and that we will see a worthy winner crowned on Sunday.”

“I was only saying on Tuesday how much winning this week would mean to me so to have to now withdraw is extremely disappointing,” said Kemp, who was keen to be the first player to lift the Karrie Webb Cup.

“It was disappointing when my results came back positive this morning and given how little time there is before the start of the tournament there wasn’t really any other option.”

Already without another major drawcard Hannah Green, who withdrew last week due to border restrictions and quarantine requirements, the Royal Queensland event could ill-afford to lose two more profile players in a field totalling just 24.

The men’s field for the men’s Australian PGA was changed on Wednesday when Matt Guyatt and Zach Kelly withdrew as a result of Covid results.

PGA chief executive Gavin Kirkman said was the “reality of sport in 2022”.

“It’s happened in so many other sports as well as in golf if you look back to the terrible Jon Rahm situation last year, and we can’t expect to be immune from it here,” he said.

“We’re doing our absolute utmost to make it a Covid-safe tournament, and the systems and processes that we have in place are actually working so we’re going to have a good week.

“But we feel for the players who’ve had to withdraw and it’s the players’ health and safety that is our utmost concern this week.”

The tournaments were both set to begin on Thursday.