Quality field to revive Open
THE Women's Australian Open championship is no longer on its deathbed.After two years in suspension, the tournament will be revived next February with at least $500,000 in prizemoney and a European Tour co-sanction which will ensure a world-class field.
Golf Australia announced yesterday that the sponsor of the men's Open, financial services group MFS, had played saviour by committing to a four-year multi-million-dollar sponsorship of the women's event.
The championship will be held at Royal Sydney Golf Club from February 1-4, strategically scheduled to fall the week after the Australian Open tennis and the week before the richest women's golf event in the country, the Ladies' Masters.
New executive chairman of the Australian Opens, Paul McNamee, promised to bring the same carnival atmosphere to the women's event that he will initiate with the men's event at the same course in November.
His plans include a twilight schedule to allow spectators to attend after work on the first two days of the tournament.
McNamee cannot yet guarantee that seven-time major winner, Queenslander Karrie Webb, will compete but he and other officials are "hopeful" of her attendance.
Webb, who has won the Masters title five times, has been very loyal to local tournaments despite her international success over the past decade.
Her manager, Tony Bouffler, said she would not consider her schedule for the summer until after this year's major tournaments conclude with the British Open in August.
McNamee will accompany Masters promoter Bob Tuohy to the British Open to make a joint sales pitch to the world's leading female players.
Drawcards Annika Sorenstam of Sweden and England's Laura Davies are former winners of the Masters title. Korean-born teenager Helen Oh is the first automatic qualifier for the Open after winning the Australian amateur title in Perth last weekend.
"I don't care what sport it is, the Australian Open title is a most prestigious title to win," McNamee said.
"It's just been asleep for a couple of years."
The revival of the women's Open is the second step in McNamee's long-term strategy to re-invigorate professional golf in Australia.
It comes just weeks after he announced that Greg Norman would return to the men's Open for the first time in five years.
"We have 44 women on golf tours around the world but there hasn't been a women's Open for two years. That was something that needed to be corrected," McNamee said.
"Men can't compete with women in the glamour stakes and we need to be contemporary and fashionable because we are competing with reality television."
McNamee is negotiating with the Seven Network to telecast the tournament.
He said the decision to hold both championships at one course would help Golf Australia reduce the cost of staging the events, and was a strategy he was keen to pursue.
"Logistically, that works very well in getting costs down, and that's been one of the obstacles to the growth of professional events here," McNamee said.
Golf Australia announced yesterday that the sponsor of the men's Open, financial services group MFS, had played saviour by committing to a four-year multi-million-dollar sponsorship of the women's event.
The championship will be held at Royal Sydney Golf Club from February 1-4, strategically scheduled to fall the week after the Australian Open tennis and the week before the richest women's golf event in the country, the Ladies' Masters.
New executive chairman of the Australian Opens, Paul McNamee, promised to bring the same carnival atmosphere to the women's event that he will initiate with the men's event at the same course in November.
His plans include a twilight schedule to allow spectators to attend after work on the first two days of the tournament.
McNamee cannot yet guarantee that seven-time major winner, Queenslander Karrie Webb, will compete but he and other officials are "hopeful" of her attendance.
Webb, who has won the Masters title five times, has been very loyal to local tournaments despite her international success over the past decade.
Her manager, Tony Bouffler, said she would not consider her schedule for the summer until after this year's major tournaments conclude with the British Open in August.
McNamee will accompany Masters promoter Bob Tuohy to the British Open to make a joint sales pitch to the world's leading female players.
Drawcards Annika Sorenstam of Sweden and England's Laura Davies are former winners of the Masters title. Korean-born teenager Helen Oh is the first automatic qualifier for the Open after winning the Australian amateur title in Perth last weekend.
"I don't care what sport it is, the Australian Open title is a most prestigious title to win," McNamee said.
"It's just been asleep for a couple of years."
The revival of the women's Open is the second step in McNamee's long-term strategy to re-invigorate professional golf in Australia.
It comes just weeks after he announced that Greg Norman would return to the men's Open for the first time in five years.
"We have 44 women on golf tours around the world but there hasn't been a women's Open for two years. That was something that needed to be corrected," McNamee said.
"Men can't compete with women in the glamour stakes and we need to be contemporary and fashionable because we are competing with reality television."
McNamee is negotiating with the Seven Network to telecast the tournament.
He said the decision to hold both championships at one course would help Golf Australia reduce the cost of staging the events, and was a strategy he was keen to pursue.
"Logistically, that works very well in getting costs down, and that's been one of the obstacles to the growth of professional events here," McNamee said.
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