Golf: Open organisers chase elite company for Tiger

New Zealand Golf Open organisers flew off to Chicago yesterday chasing more big names to tee off with Tiger Woods at Paraparaumu Beach next year.

Paraparaumu, north of Wellington, will host the golfing great in January and organisers want several of the game's elite to chase Tiger's tail.

Wellington-born Steve Williams, caddie to Woods, will host the organisers, Alan James and David Poole. James is a partner in the company staging the Open and Poole is financial backer FR Partners' representative. James said the purpose of his visit, which coincides with USPGA event the Western Open, was to gain insight into what NZ Open management would need to do to run a successful tournament.

But James confirmed several player agents would be approached during the Western and given contracts to sign for the New Zealand event.

Top of the list of players the delegation is understood to be meeting are prominent Ryder Cup representative Steve Stricker and British multi-major winner Nick Faldo.

Woods drained tournament coffers earlier this year when organisers paid $4.6 million in appearance fees to the world No 1.

Also high on James' hitlist are three New Zealand players, Craig Perks, Frank Nobilo and Grant Waite, who have entered the Western. The Kiwi contingent are expected to confirm their availability for the tournament.

World No. 16 Michael Campbell is a certain starter. He has pledged his long-term support for the Open.

"I am mainly going away to see if we can get some more players and see how the tournament is run, how the crowd is controlled, security and shuttle buses run," James said.

"Steve ... said [the Western] is a good one to watch."

James was coy on what players he would talk to during his trip, but confirmed meetings had been pre-arranged with several player agents and senior PGA officials.

Leading players teeing off in the oldest PGA Tour event include world No. 2 Phil Mickelson, Fijian Vijay Singh (No. 4) and Canadian Mike Weir (No. 10).

James, who will also visit the British Open this month, will spend five weeks targeting players on his hitlist. He said Woods was already proving a big selling point.

"He holds all the ranking points. When Campbell finished second to Tiger he went from 19 to 12th in the world, so that's huge and the reason why they follow Tiger in tournaments," he said.

Paraparaumu club members were told last week that the club had officially signed an agreement with Open 2002 management to host Woods from January 10-13.

Members will be offered discounted tickets.

- NZPA