Do not expect any other star golfers to play in next year's New Zealand Open, says New Zealand professional Greg Turner.
Turner, twice Open champion, is at odds with the tournament organisers over ticket prices.
He said yesterday that he would be surprised if Tiger Woods had anyone apart from New Zealand No 1 Michael Campbell as opposition from the top 50 in the world.
Lee Westwood has been mooted as one of about 40 foreign professionals whom organisers have said they are targeting.
"Put it this way - [Westwood] didn't come to play the world matchplay in Australia at the same time last year for $US5 million, did he?" Turner said.
"Like most other players, he doesn't like to play much at that time of the year anyway."
An Open spokesman, Peter Hallwright, would not confirm that Westwood was being targeted. However, tournament director Phil Aickin said he was optimistic that further big names, including Kiwi Frank Nobilo, would be signed.
He was one of the players Open2002 managing director David Pool had not given up hope on, Hallwright said.
"But it's just that funny time of the year. We always have this problem and we probably won't know till later [who will sign]."
Turner said Open organisers had gone to the extraordinary length of offering packages to players, including cash.
He said he had not made a final decision on whether to end his boycott of the Open in protest at a tenfold ticket price rise.
However, he said he had new concerns relating to the organisation of the tournament.
"They are talking staging costs of $10 or $15 million, but if they asked my opinion on cutting costs, I would ask 'do you really think you need 15,000 grandstand seats?'
"The people who come out are going to watch Tiger, not me or anyone else, and they are not going to be able to do that in a grandstand and watch them flash past."
Turner questioned where the profits were going.
"The figures are 22,000 [spectators] plus 8000 corporates a day.
"If they are right on those figures, that's $10 million in gate-takings for a start.
"They are going to rake in $25 million - where's that all going?"
- NZPA
