The annual competition will now be held from Sunday March 7 to Tuesday March 9.

The club came to the difficult decision after considering how many yearly entrants come from the greater Sydney area.

Even though public health orders won't prohibit the club from holding the event, club secretary Michelle Carroll felt the decision is in the best interest of the region.

"We have over 100 entrants from Greater Sydney. That undeniably brings about an increased risk of coronavirus entering the Orange community," Carroll said.

The health and safety of the Orange community is the number one priority for Duntryleague Golf Club during this very challenging COVID-19 world we now find ourselves in."

2021 is the 11th year of the Mercedes-Benz Duntryleague Classic, a three-day Stableford golf event that traditionally attracts over 150 players to Orange from across NSW, QLD, ACT and Victoria.

All 3 days are played at Duntryleague Golf Course with a seven-course degustation dinner and a Gala Presentation dinner also being part of the popular event.

Club president John Cook echoed the thoughts of Carroll, suggesting the long-term safety of the town and the club takes priority,

"We are committed to holding the Mercedes-Benz Duntryleague Classic in 2021, however we are committed to holding it in the safest possible way," Cook said.

The current COVID situation in Sydney, where many of our players come from is still too volatile in our opinion to warrant the risk.

We sincerely hope that an extra six weeks will allow things to settle back down so we can progress with the tournament with confidence."

All players have been offered the choice to attend the event in March, or receive a full refund

"We feel this is the most responsible thing we can do for our community," Carroll said.