Golf: Bad back flares again for Smail

SYDNEY - New Zealand Open golf champion David Smail chose to treat his troublesome back rather than play in yesterday's pro-am as he prepares for the $A550,000 ($689,655) Canon Challenge, which begins in Sydney today.

Smail struggled with a back injury in the final round of his triumph at the New Zealand Open in Auckland last weekend and the problem flared again upon his arrival in Sydney on Tuesday.

It meant the 30-year-old spent more time on the massage table than practising on the tight, hilly Castle Hill Country Club yesterday.

Tournament organisers said Smail was confident the injury would not prevent his teeing off alongside well-performed New South Wales playing partners Peter Lonard and Peter O'Malley.

"I think I'll start no matter what, but I don't want to ruin the rest of the Aussie tour," Smail said.

"The final nine holes last Sunday were a bit of a struggle, it was hard work. I'll go back to the physio and hopefully they can pull off a miracle."

Between his two massage sessions yesterday, Smail had a small spell on the practice putting green and shook the hands of fellow-professionals.

"It's nice to have the players come up to you and say well done," he said of his first professional win.

Smail heads an 11-strong New Zealand challenge. Steve Alker, Michael Long, Richard Lee, Marcus Wheelhouse, Matthew Lane, Paul Devenport, Carl Brooking, Mark Brown, Saali Herewini and Les Miller will also chase the $A99,000 first-place cheque.

The tournament is marked by the return to the Australasian Tour of three well-performed Australians.

Defending champion Paul Gow will interrupt his debut year on the US PGA Tour to return to Sydney.

Also back are two-time Australian Open winner Aaron Baddeley and Perth left-hander Nick O'Hern, fresh from a $A280,000 payday for reaching the quarter-final of the world matchplay championship at Melbourne earlier this month.

- NZPA