Golf: Women's pro golf tourney for capital

WELLINGTON - Wellington will next year host New Zealand's first professional women's golf tournament since 1975.

The $650,000 New Zealand Classic tournament will be held at the Hutt Golf Club from March 8 to 11. It will be co-sanctioned by the Ladies' European Tour and the Australian Ladies' PGA.

The tournament is the brainchild of Wellington golfer Lynnette Brooky, who left last week for her sixth season in Europe, and her manager, Gail Allport.

Brooky has long pushed for a full professional order-of-merit tournament in New Zealand and hopes to use her contacts to attract some of the sport's big names.

Allport said she was "99 per cent sure" former world No 1 Laura Davies would come to the tournament, and Australian Jane Crafter is also expected.

Davies has won 13 times on the LPGA Tour, including three majors - the 1994 and 1996 LPGA Championships and the 1987 United States Women's Open.

The 36-year-old Englishwomen teamed with John Daly to win the J.C. Penney Classic last year.

Crafter won the 1978 New Zealand amateur championships before turning professional in 1981. She has won two tournaments on the LPGA Tour.

Wellington businessman Frank Burgess, who will promote the tournament, is in Europe trying to sign players from the LET and LPGA Tours.

The last professional women's tournament held in New Zealand was at the Grange in Auckland in 1975.

The chief executive of Women's Golf New Zealand, Janet Mackay, was delighted with the news, but said her organisation would probably be involved only in a supporting role. "It's a brilliant opportunity ... to bring some top players into the country and capitalise on their profile and skills," she said.

Mackay would also like to see some of New Zealand's top amateurs playing in the tournament, as happens in the Australian Women's Open.

Brooky, who won the 1998 Austrian Open and was sixth in this year's Australian Open, will act as host of the tournament as well as playing. Australian company Tuohey Associates will manage it.

The event slots in nicely with Australian and European events, coming two weeks after the Australian Open, which is normally attended by all the leading players.

Allport, who will caddy for Brooky in Europe again this season, said the tournament was the fruition of a 10-year dream.

- NZPA