Officials will not bend to demands to pay defending champion Craig Parry an appearance fee to contest the New Zealand Open golf championship in January 2003.

Parry wanted US$35,000 (AUD$62,200) to play the tournament in Auckland on January 16-19, a request the New Zealand Golf Association will not agree to.

Parry has threatened to skip the tournament and play in Hawaii instead, something officials are willing to wear, although they haven't given up hope of enticing him to Auckland.

NZGA chief executive Peter Dale said the matter of appearance fees was one of principle and he would not make an exception for Parry.

World No 1 Tiger Woods was paid a reported fee to $5 million to play the New Zealand Open at Paraparaumu this year, but that sum was met by the corporate sector as the NZGA loosened its control over the championship in a one-off arrangement.

Parry's triumph at the 2002 New Zealand Open opened doors for him and gained him entry to the US$5 million NEC Invitational, which he subsequently won.

Parry's discontent with the tournament organisers was aired for the first time today in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

He told the newspaper his manager Tony Bouffler had on four occasions contacted NZ Open organisers IMG and the NZGA about his attendance at next year's tournament.

Source - NZGA

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