Adam Scott now finds himself among a growing group of golfers who will retain a victory trophy for two years.

This was after Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia made the decision on October 16th to cancel both events, and also including the Women’s Australian Open.

All three events were first due to be held around late November and early December but then moved to February, 2021.

But the impacts of COVID-19, particularly assembling international fields and ensuring the safety of players, spectators and officials, forced the hand of organizers.

“It’s unprecedented and a real blow for Australian golf and its fans,” said PGA of Australia chief executive Gavin Kirkman last month after what he called “months of exhaustive consultations.”

Adam Scott sympathetic to decsion to cancell his defence of the 2019 Australian PGA title

It is the first time since 1945 that the men’s Australian Open, and won by Scott at the NSW club in 2009, has been cancelled.

Australia also has closed its international borders to most travelers as part of its effort to suppress the coronavirus pandemic, and even people moving between some of the country’s different states and regions can be subject to a mandatory two-week quarantine.

PGA officials considered a raft of options to deal with the restrictions, including players entering a hub and competing while serving a strict quarantine period, as well as restricting crowd numbers and movement. But ultimately none proved viable.

Scott was all set to defend his Australian PGA title at Royal Queensland, and to be again co-sanctioned with the European Tour, that he won by two shots last year and after first winning the event in 2013.

And now in returning to competiton this week in Houston after being forced out for a fortnight in testing positive to COVID-19, Scott has been able to address the decision to cancel the ‘Big Three’ of a ever-dwindling run of big-time ‘Down Under’ events.

“Well, it’s disappointing, but it’s sensible,” he said.

“Let’s face it, they postponed it and now it’s canceled. I don’t know, maybe it will be at the end of next year. Let’s hope that’s possible. But the way certainly under the, you know, Australian restrictions or guidelines, it’s going to be very hard to host those events. I think it’s a good thing.

“They put them off for a year and hopefully by the end of next year we can have them back as normal.”