Lonard, Gow to play New South Wales Open

BY iseekgolf.com | Von Nida Tour | 2004 New South Wales Open | General | 27 Oct 2004

One of Australia’s favourite golfing sons, Peter Lonard, will get a warm welcome home from western Sydney when he tees up alongside his good mate Paul Gow in next month’s $100,000 New South Wales Open Championship at Liverpool Golf Club.

Lonard will no doubt use the von Nida tour event as the perfect warm-up for the following week when he defends his Australian Open title at The Australian Golf Club.

New South Wales Golf Association officials are planning a marquis three-ball, with Lonard and Gow expected to have star amateur and former rugby league international Paul “Fatty” Vautin playing beside them in their three-ball for the first two days.

No doubt Lonard and Gow would love to add their names to a trophy which includes golfing legends like Jim Ferrier (five time winner), Norman von Nida (six times), Frank Phillips (five times), Kel Nagle (twice), Billy Dunk (twice), Greg Norman (four times), Craig Parry (twice) and Jack Newton.

Lonard has had a season punctuated by injury and frustration in 2004 but will be buoyed by a return to his home city, where his career began and where he tasted so much success in pro-ams in the formative years of his career.

The former Oatlands club professional is a close mate of Gow’s and that friendship should see huge crowds pack the Liverpool course to watch them in action together.

Gow still jokes that he was given the job of being ’big brother’ for Lonard to show him the ropes in his first year on the US Tour in 2002.

“The only problem was, he knew more about tour life than I did,” Gow jokes.

However, neither Lonard nor Gow will have things their own way at Liverpool.

1983 Australian Open champion Peter Fowler has entered and will no doubt look to adding this famous trophy to his haul of past victories. Gavin Coles, 2002 winner of the Jacobs Creek Open has also entered.

Former US Amateur champion Nick Flanagan will make his Australian professional debut when he plays at the New South Wales Open.

Well-performed amateur stars James Nitties and Andrew McKenzie will also begin their assault on the professional ranks by playing at Liverpool .

McKenzie almost pulled off a major upset last year when as an amateur he played alongside seasoned professionals Carmichael and Peter O’Malley in the final group.

McKenzie finished 14-under par and was only beaten a shot, although he outgunned O’Malley on that final day to finish a shot ahead of him.

McKenzie has since gained plenty of experience playing amateur golf in the United States and would love to match the exploits of his Federal Golf Club mate Carmichael in 2004.

Source – NSWGA