The first round of the Akarana Open on the Charles Tour has been abandoned due to inclement weather hitting the North Island and the tournament will be reduced to a 54-hole event.
The course is currently unplayable with heavy flooding on the majority of the greens. A number of trees have also fallen on the course and the fairways, bunkers and greens are littered with a large volume of debris because of the 120kmh winds battering the area.
Due to the limited daylight hours and the requirement of a 3.30pm finish on Sunday due to players' travel arrangements to the New Zealand Amateur championships it was decided to reduce the event to 54 holes.
A 36-hole cut will be made on Saturday night ahead of the final round.
