Bali volcano eruption forces LPGA players out of Toto Japan Classic
Beatriz Recari and Azahara Munoz had to pull out of this week's LPGA Toto Japan Classic for a unique reason: a volcanic eruption.
The Spaniards, along with Jessica Korda and So Yeon Ryu, flew to the Indonesian island of Bali for the Lexus Cup, an exhibition event. They all planned to leave on Tuesday night, with Recari and Munoz off to Japan for a Friday first-round tee time. However, when Mount Barujari began to erupt, the area airport was closed, stranding the players.
In an effort to give the players the maximum amount of time to get to the event, the LPGA and Japan LPGA, joint hosts of the event, paired Recari and Munoz in the final tee time on Friday. However, when the airport was again closed on Thursday, the players were forced to withdraw from the event.
The airport is still closed. Sorry to say I will definitely not make it to @LPGA #TotoJapanClassic.I was really looking forward to it!!😓
— Azahara Munoz (@AzaharaGOLF) November 5, 2015
Though the players have been stuck at a paradise resort, missing the event has potential ramifications for Recari, who enters this week 71st in the LPGA's Race to the CME Globe points race. The top 72 players get into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, with only this week's event and the limited-field Lorena Ochoa Invitational leading into the final event of the year.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
