Kiwis Can Fly: NZ Open finally airborne

BY Liz White | ALPG Tour | 2009 New Zealand Women's Open | Preview | 27 Jan 2009

It’s taken five long years but an ambition of the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Association is about to be realised.

And it’s hard to keep the smile off Warren Sevil’s face.

As head of the ALPGA, Sevil has worked long and hard to get a Women’s New Zealand Open off the ground.

Five years ago he thought it was a done deal.

“Everything was in place and this bloke, the money that he said he had, he didn’t have any of it, and then he ended up in jail for five years,” he said.

“So that was the start of it and every other year there has just been talk about it.”

This year, Sevil, the New Zealand Golf Association and Australian promoter Bob Tuohy, the man behind the hugely successful ANZ Ladies Masters, decided to stop the talk and do something about it.

With just $300,000 in their pocket they launched the first ever New Zealand Open, to be played at Christchurch’s Clearwater Resort, with a purse of just $150,000.

The purse is not enough to gain co-sanction status with the Ladies European Tour, it doesn’t even have a sponsor, but Sevil says you have to start somewhere.

“They have never had a New Zealand Open and a lot of people are having a look at whether they can do something for the future,” he said.

“I’ll be really excited once it is happening and just hope that it builds from there.”

Sevil is grateful for the support he has received from the players and he takes a shot at the men.

“It would be the strongest field that has ever played for $150,000,” he said.

“You would never get that in the men’s game but women are a different kettle of fish.”

“They are easy going and they just want to play and for the Europeans it is the perfect time.”

“It gives them the chance to get some tournaments under their belt before the major events, the ANZ Ladies Masters and the Australian open which are co-sanctioned events.”

“You would never get the European’s number one man playing in a $150,000 event, they wouldn’t even get them playing in a $1 million event unless they get that plus appearance money, it’s ridiculous. Women are so much more real.”

The event has had a lot of support from the players, including current Ladies European Tour money list winner, Gwladys Nocera.

“It is going to be fun. We have been waiting to have a tournament in New Zealand for years and it is nice to have one, so I am really excited,” she said.

Even if she doesn’t know much about the Clearwater Resort, or Christchurch, for that matter.

“I know it can be windy and that is it.”

Queensland’s Katherine Hull, a runner-up at last week’s New South Wales Open is also looking forward to the first ever Open at Clearwater.

“I’ve heard it is very good I haven’t played it and obviously all the Kiwis are excited to have an Open for the first time,” she said.

“I think it is great that we can fit it in the schedule and that all the European Players are supporting it.”

Hull said the inclusion of the New Zealand Open into a four tournaments Australian season is critical for the survival of golf in this part of the world.

“I think it is huge for women’s golf in Australia and I am really happy to be a part of it,” she said.

“I think hopefully we can increase participation at a junior level and amateur level because golf has kind of taken a hit I guess in the last five years and any publicity that we get for tournaments I think helps the overall aspect of the game.

“Golf tends to miss out on a lot of publicity for a nation that is as good as we are at all sports I would love to see golf get even better.”

As usual, Britain’s Laura Davies has put her support behind the event, and for that Warren Sevil is forever grateful. So much so, that three weeks ago the ALPG board decided to award Davies life membership of the local golf association.

“I called Laura six months ago and told her it was definitely on and she said of course I’ll go,” he said.

“There’s no-one else in the history of golf, men or women, who do the things that Laura has done.”

The tournament boasts several of Australia’s leading players including Nikki Garrett, Sarah Kemp, Sarah-Jane Smith and the winner of last week’s NSW Open, Sarah Oh. New Zealand also have a Sarah of their own playing, the talented Sarah Nicholson.

Disappointingly the Kiwi number one, Lynn Brooky hasn’t flown home to be a part of this new event.

The New Zealand Open is a 54-hole championship and starts on Friday.