Oz officials ban cameras

Australian Masters organisers out to prevent crowd distractions

Last updated: 11th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Oz officials ban cameras

World number one Woods was swamped by fans in Shanghai

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Organisers of the Australian Masters have issued a ban on the use of cameras of mobile phones at the event in a bid to prevent a repeat of the distractions which angered Tiger Woods in China last week.

The world number one is the star attraction at this week's event in Melbourne as he prepares to make his first appearance on Australian soil for 11 years.

It is understood Woods is being paid in the region of $3million to play in the European Tour co-sanctioned event and huge galleries are expected at Kingston Heath Golf Club to watch him.

All four days of the tournament have sold out and organisers have already moved to tighten security as a result of Woods' presence.

They have also now banned cameras and mobile phones as they attempt to ensure the American does not have to deal with distractions caused by inconsiderate spectators as was the case at the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Woods was left infuriated when a camera clicked as he was teeing off at the seventh hole of his final round with his shot subsequently finding a bunker.

He was reported as having shouted "I just can't get a swing" and swearing under his breath.

Concern

The presence of a sell-out crowd, and many first-time golf watchers at Kingston Heath, has left organisers somewhat concerned about crowd behaviour with so many people likely to be vying for a glimpse of Woods in action.

"We are worried a little bit," tournament director Marcus Gale told ABC radio. "Tiger hasn't been here since the 1998 Presidents Cup and what he's done between now and then is unprecedented.

"I think he's won 13 of his 14 majors in that time. People are going to be keen to see him.

"We've briefed our security. We've briefed our volunteers and we encourage people to respect the integrity of the play, which is obviously paramount to the success of the tournament."

However, Gale insisted he did not expect the same kind of problems as experienced in Shanghai, adding: "We're certainly not China.

"We'll have an educated crowd as far as golf goes for the main part, but it's something we'll look to manage as best we can.

"Woods has played in Australia on only three occasions, most recently when he was part of the US team which lost the 1998 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Comments (2)

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Amanda Leeming says...

I have been to the Volvo Matchplay and Volvo Masters in Spain for a few years running and cameras and mobiles have always been banned - Im shocked that the WGC-HSBC allowed cameras or phones in.

Posted 08:17 10th November 2009

Neil Hargrave says...

Tiger you should be used to it by now. I didnt see Els swearing under his breath after dumping it in the water on 18.You should maybe quit the swearing after each poor shot,it looks like you are about to cry.You are a great golfer , but you aren´t an 18 year old anymore. Learn from Ernie and get it sorted.

Posted 20:36 9th November 2009
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