Golf: Campbell drawcard for new tournament

Michael Campbell

New Zealand Golf is keen to stage a tournament featuring Michael Campbell in January to fill the gap left with the move of the New Zealand Open to November 2006.

The change of date has been caused by the cancellation of the Heineken Open in Australia and the difficulty of attracting a strong field of Europeans to Gulf Harbour as a solo event.

New Zealand Golf chief executive Larry Graham was upbeat yesterday about the November date, but conceded that golf fans, who were looking forward to seeing their own US Open champion competing in his home Open in January, would be disappointed.

"We're pretty keen to give the New Zealand public some sort of event at the end of January," he said.

"Hopefully, Michael Campbell would be available and it could be a celebration of New Zealand golf."

Graham said he was discussing the format with Greg Turner, whose company is promoting a professional circuit, and there had been a positive response.

A charity pro-am format was a possibility and it could be staged anywhere in the country, which would make Campbell's home-town of Wellington a contender.

Gulf Harbour and New Zealand Golf came to an agreement recently that the NZ Open would be staged on the Whangaparaoa course for the next four years, a logical step after the success of this year's event.

Peter Wall, spokesman for the owners of the course, said yesterday that the change of date would be no problem.

"It works fine with us," he said.

"We had to postpone some corporate events with the January-February date, but November will allow us to produce the course in superb condition. Maybe there'll also be a bit more wind for the players to cope with."

Graham inherited the sponsorship deals for this year's Open from previous promoters IMG and there was a deficit of around $600,000 because of the extra costs involved in staging a premier tournament co-sanctioned by the European and Australasian tours.

Since then, the naming sponsor, Holden, has stepped aside and Graham has been chasing a major sponsor. He conceded yesterday that, although there were ongoing discussions, a deal was some way off.

"It's only in the last three weeks that we learnt that the Heineken tournament was definitely off and that Dubai had been given the date," he said.

"November is better for sponsors because it fits into the time when corporates are wanting to reward their customers.

"The change to November 2006 has given us extra time and I am confident we will be able to attract good sponsorship."

It is not the first time that the NZ Open has switched between the beginning and end of the year.

Date changes meant there was no Open in 1990, two in 1995 and none in 1999.