Jewel in tour's crown teeing off

Sir Bob Charles during the pro am at Carrus Open golf tournament played at the Tauranga Golf Club. Photo/John Borren

Watching Sir Bob Charles play golf is one of those special pleasures you know has to be treasured as time ticks on. Just like seeing Sir Paul McCartney play live or the latest movie starring Morgan Freeman, it is an absolute privilege to see him in action.

Charles was the star attraction at the picturesque Tauranga Golf Club yesterday as he played 18 holes in the pro-am to kick-start the 2015 Carrus Open.

The fit and agile 79-year-old immediately showed his class by nearly holing his second to the par-4 second hole for a tap-in birdie. He seemed genuinely pleased to be back at the course where he won the Spalding Masters in 1969, including a rare hole-in-one at the fifth hole.

Most of New Zealand's best young professionals are playing at Tauranga this week and they can only imagine what it would be like to have a career as successful as Charles'.

He was the first left-hander to win a major (the Open Championship in 1963) and won 68 professional tournaments, including six on the USPGA Tour and 28 on the US Champions Tour.

Charles has lent his name to New Zealand's only professional golf tour since 2008 and this year has been renamed as the Jennian Homes Charles Tour.

Tauranga's Carrus Open is the jewel in the tour's crown with a purse of $50,000 and from early today the attention will focus on defending champion Mark Brown.

The Tauranga-based 40-year-old is chasing a third Carrus Open title, after shooting the magical number of 59 on his way to victory last year.

"We always love playing in New Zealand on the Charles Tour and to be coming back from overseas to play in my home town just adds to it," Brown said after jetting in from Korea.

The course is in glorious condition and unless the wind picks up Brown is predicting low scores will again make for a great spectacle for Western Bay golf fans.

"There will no doubt be some low scores once again this year. The two times I have won scores have been -17 and -18, so I expect something similar this week."

Brown is joined by former winners in Josh Geary (2006, 2008 and 2013), Ben Campbell (2010), Jim Cusdin (2011) and Mark Purser (2007) in the quality field, with much local interest in the performances of teenage amateurs Harry Hillier and Alannah Campbell from Omanu.

A two-tee start is in place for the first two rounds, with play commencing at 7.15am and 11.15am, then one-tee starts from 9.30am for the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

Brown is off at 8.20am (11th tee) today, with Geary at 12.20pm (1st tee), Campbell at 7.45am (1st tee) and Hillier at 11.40am (1st tee).

-Draws rounds one and two: www.bopgolf.co.nz