The deflation-racked Japanese economy has forced organizers of the men's pro golf tour to drop one event off its calendar, making it the smallest since its inauguration in 1973.
The number of Tour events on the 2003 schedule, issued Tuesday by the Japan Golf Tour Organization, dropped to 28 after the Dydo-Drinco Shizuoka Open was scratched with the total prize money being reduced to 3.1 billion yen, the lowest since 1989.
The 2003 season will begin with the Token Home Mate Cup in Mie Prefecture from April 3-6 as the contraction moved the Tour's season opener to April for the first time.