Golf: Professionals playing with amateurs

TAURANGA - The inclusion of seven professionals will add spice to the New Zealand women's 72-hole strokeplay golf championship starting in Rotorua today.

Women's Golf New Zealand had been looking at the idea of including professionals in the national strokeplay field for some time.

"It has a two-fold benefit," WGNZ programme manager Jenny Sim said. "Our New Zealand professionals get the opportunity of a competitive strokeplay event before they head away on their various tours, while we believe it will provide a positive influence on our young amateurs to play alongside these players.

"It was an idea first mooted two years ago, and we hope will give an added boost for our burgeoning amateurs."

The seven professionals include four previous national amateur champions in Renee Fowler, Gina Scott, Janice Arnold and Joan Little.

They are also joined by former national amateur runner-up Sue Farron, South African Brenda Van Rensburg and American Leanne Quinn.

There are eight former national winners in the 90-strong field, including Fowler, Debbie Smith, of Nelson, Tracey Bishop, of Lower Hutt, Brenda Ormsby, of Rotorua, Liz Douglas, of Christchurch, Lisa Herbert, of Palmerston North, Wendy Hawkes, of Arrowtown, and Jan Storey, of Waiterimu.

The championships form the final trial before the New Zealand team are named to defend the Queen Sirikit Cup title in Taiwan from May 12 to 14.

None of the team who won the title on home soil at Paraparaumu Beach last year will be back, with Tina Howard involved in United States college competition, Fowler and team reserve Catherine Knight, of Christchurch, now professional, and Herbert - formerly Aldridge - unavailable.

Four members of New Zealand's 1999 Tasman Cup team will compete at Rotorua, including Herbert, Hawkes, Claire Dury, of Palmerston North, and Anita Boon, of Muriwai.

There will be plenty of interest in the return of seven-time national champion Ormsby, playing on her home course.

Ormsby, aged 41, who has won four national strokeplay and three national amateur titles, took a break from representative play last year after representing New Zealand at the world championship in 1998.

She won the strokeplay title in 1980, 1982, 1986 and 1998 and had amateur wins in 1980, 1981 and 1996.

Ormsby will not only have to overcome a talented New Zealand field - one-third of the 90 starters are on handicaps of four or less - but international opposition including teams from Malaysia, Fiji and Australia.

The Malaysia team include Ai Lian Lim, runner-up to Hawkes in last year's national amateur final in Christchurch, while the Australians have sent outstanding juniors Carlie Butler and Nikki Campbell, who were beaten semifinalists to Hawkes and Lim last year.

United States-based sisters Julia and Miriam Kraschinski and Wellington's Aimee Cho have returned for the championships.

Julia Kraschinski is on scholarship at Arizona State University, while Cho and Miriam Kraschinski attend golfing academies in Florida.

The championships begin with 18 holes today, 36 tomorrow and the final 18 holes on Sunday.

- NZPA