Next year's Australian Ladies Classic has been cancelled ©Golf Australia

Next year's Australian Ladies Classic and Women’s NSW Open have been cancelled by the Ladies European Tour (LET) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian Ladies Classic, scheduled to take place at Bonville Golf Club in New South Wales from February 18 to 21, is usually the start of the LET season.

Competition in the Women's NSW Open is normally held soon after.

Both tournaments have been cancelled but are set to return in 2022. 

"We are disappointed to announce our decision to postpone both popular tournaments for the coming year as we look to confirm our 2021 schedule," said LET chief executive Alexandra Armas.

"Our players have become used to starting their season in Australia, so it was an extremely difficult decision for us to break an established Tour tradition.

"We have a long-standing relationship with Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) and are building a strong foundation for the future with Golf NSW, which we will continue to nurture for many years to come. 

"We look forward to building on the success of this year and returning in 2022."

This year's LET season has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, which caused the suspension of the majority of sport in March.

The Women's NSW Open has fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic ©Golf Australia
The Women's NSW Open has fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic ©Golf Australia

Some tournaments have taken place since, including the Scottish Open, Czech Ladies Open and Swiss Ladies Open. 

The Evian Championship and Women's British Open were also held in conjunction with the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour. 

There is currently a low number of COVID-19 cases in Australia, but strict travel restrictions remain in place. 

Two men's events set to be hosted by the country, the 2020 Australian Professional Golf Association Championship and the 2020 Men’s Australian Open, have already been cancelled. 

"It’s extremely disappointing when all tournament stakeholders have worked so hard to build these events to the point that they have both found a regular slot on the ALPG and LET’s annual tournament schedules," said ALPG chief executive Karen Lunn. 

"Their continued success is very much dependent on the support of our leading Australian players and our overseas guests from the LET who come from all corners of the globe. 

"While this has been an incredibly difficult decision, logistically there are just too many variables and challenges to move forward as planned."