TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A women's professional golf tournament in northeastern Japan will be played without spectators after a bear sighting on the course led to the postponement of the opening round, organizers said Thursday.

Originally scheduled for four days from Thursday, the Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament will be played over three rounds from Friday at Sendai Classic Golf Club in Tomiya, Miyagi Prefecture, the Japan Ladies Professional Golfers' Association said.

A pro-am competition at the club was abandoned after the bear sighting on Wednesday, with players and staff ordered to evacuate the course.

A tournament on the women's secondary tour was cut short in late May in central Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture after a bear was spotted on the course.