Officials for the Australasian PGA Tour and DP World Tour made the announcement more than five hours after the first group was scheduled to tee off at Royal Queensland.
The decision came after an additional 25 millimeters of rain overnight added to the 200 millimeters that had already drenched the course earlier in the week. As heavy rain resumed Friday morning, officials decided to abandon the day's play and reduce the event to three rounds.
After Thursday's opening round, 22-year-old Australian Elvis Smylie, the son of former tennis pro Liz Smylie, led with a 6-under 65. He held a one-shot advantage over Frenchman Victor Perez, Australian Matias Sanchez, Switzerland's Joel Girrbach, and Chile's Cristobal Del Solar, who surged late with birdies on four of his last five holes.
Local stars and major champions Cameron Smith and Jason Day, competing in his first Australian event in seven years, were two shots back after carding 67s. Defending champion Min Woo Lee, who won at Royal Queensland last year, shot 68 and trailed by three strokes.
The Australian PGA marks the start of the 2025 European Tour season and will be followed by the Australian Open at Melbourne a week later.
Sebastian Garcia held a two-shot advantage with three holes remaining before play was halted by lightning on the opening day of the DP World Tour season at the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Henrik Stenson has applied to regain his membership on the DP World Tour, following his relegation from LIV Golf at the end of the 2025 season.
Aaron Rai secured his second Rolex Series title at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, outlasting Tommy Fleetwood in a dramatic play-off on Sunday.
Aaron Rai carries a narrow one-stroke advantage into the final round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he chases his first DP World Tour victory in five years.
