Naming games resolved in golf

By DANIEL RIORDAN

Telstra Saturn has grabbed naming rights for next month's NZ Golf Open.

Lion Nathan's Steinlager brand has had to settle for second-tier sponsorship and rival brewer Foster's has been induced to step away from the tee entirely, thus averting legal action from Lion.

Lion initially sought naming rights and signed a deal with NZ Golf's joint venture partner for the event, management company IMG.

But Foster's, the sponsor of last summer's event with its Crown Lager brand, claimed that it had the rights.

Foster's International (NZ) general manager Andrew Bonner says Lion has now called off its High Court action against his firm, NZ Golf and IMG after Foster's agreed to step aside in return for an undisclosed payment and an undertaking from Lion that it would waive its claim to naming rights.

Lion will continue its subsidiary sponsorship alongside Telstra Saturn for the 2002 and 2003 Opens.

Telstra Saturn spokesman Quentin Bright declined to reveal how much his company was paying for the sponsorship.

Foster's is understood to have paid $200,000 for the previous tournament's naming rights. Lion was prepared to pay $300,000 this summer, and it is likely that Telstra Saturn has paid more.

Mr Bright said Telstra Saturn had spent several months negotiating the naming rights and had first rights of renewal for the sponsorship when the deal just sealed ends in 2003.

The open begins at The Grange, Manukau City, on January 18.