THE SIDELINES : Australia PGA Fines U.S. Player

American Mark Calcavecchia will be fined for making a late withdrawal from this week’s $800,000 Johnnie Walker Classic and will lose $48,000 in appearance fees, the Australian PGA announced today.

Calcavecchia withdrew from the tournament, which begins Thursday at Royal Melbourne, on Monday morning and flew back to the United States, according to Australian PGA tour operations director Graeme Nightingale.

“This is a clear case of a breach of the PGA laws, and Calcavecchia will be fined accordingly,” Nightingale said. “A player of his stature can’t be allowed to renege on his contract at virtually the last minute.”

Calcavecchia, the British Open champion, finished fourth in the Australian Open last weekend.