Golf: Turner hoping for rich contest

By Graham Skellern

New Zealand's Greg Turner is flying to California on Sunday in the hope that he will meet the world's No 1 golfer Tiger Woods in a match that would be televised to more than 140 countries.

Frustratingly, Turner - now ranked 66th in the world - missed yesterday's cut-off for the new $US5 million ($9.26 million) World Golf Championship matchplay event at San Diego by one spot.

But he is the first alternate for the elite 64-strong Andersen Consulting Match Play field and he will arrive at the La Costa Resort course on Monday for a practice round - and hope one golfer has withdrawn.

If that eventuates - and there's word that the 20th-ranked Tom Lehman may not be ready after having an operation - then Turner will be drawn to play Woods in the first round of the world's richest golf tournament which begins next Thursday morning (NZ time).

The field will be closed off Tuesday morning (NZ time); if any golfer pulls out after that then his opponent will have a walkover.

"To have all of the top 64 fit for one week would be a bit unusual. I'm still pretty hopeful of getting in," Turner said from Queenstown.

"If I have to turn around and come home on Tuesday then I kiss goodbye to $12,000 - but it's worth it when you are trying to play for $US1 million (the first prize)." First round losers collecct $US25,000.

The world's 65th-ranked player, six times majors winner Nick Faldo (England), sneaked into the field after the 14th ranked Jumbo Ozaki (Japan) told the organisers he would not be playing. At this stage Faldo plays Woods.

When the new rankings were notified yesterday morning, Turner - with a third equal finish in the Australian Masters last Sunday - was just 0.6 (2.49 points to 2.43) behind an out-of-sorts Faldo, who had missed the cut in two European PGA events this year.