Hamish Bidwell
It may not have attracted the kind of media attention that the likes of Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie garnered during their forays onto the PGA tour, but Susan Farron's appearance at the Hastings Golf Club Pro-Am is no less noteworthy.
The former European Ladies Tour player will be the first female player to compete in the ING-sponsored event and club general manager Ken Dungey predicts Farron will attract big galleries during the two-day tournament, which starts tomorrow.
"I think she adds a touch of interest to the event. After all, we've never had a woman in the field before," said Dungey.
"I'm sure she'll get a lot of support from the our female members and from the the female amateurs who are playing in the tournament."
Originally from Palmerston North, Farron was a New Zealand amateur representative at junior and senior level, which included an appearance at the Espirito Santos international teams tournament.
Dungey says Farron, who is now the teaching professional at the Ellerslie Racecourse driving range, will play off the men's white tees with the male professionals playing off the blues.
Meanwhile, Dungey says the bad weather should not prove too much of an impediment to the success of the tournament.
"We're expecting a few heavy showers today and then on Thursday, but the course is in excellent condition and the greens are rolling very nicely," he said.
"The forecast we have is certainly much better than for other parts of the country and by Friday we're expecting the weather to be alright. As I say, the course is in good condition and it can take a fair bit more water yet."
As part of the sponsorship package for the Pro-Am, representatives from gold-level sponsors: Best Forsyth Electrical, Pak-Line, Stortford Auto Car Sales and Mastertrade/Cory's enjoyed a complementary round at Cape Kidnappers today, following a demonstration from leading Hawke's Bay professional Richard Squire.
The players will tee off in two groups tomorrow with the first off at 8am and then everyone else will start in reverse order according to their Order of Merit seedings, meaning top seed Mahal Pearce will be the last professional off at 1pm.
Pearec, the 2003 New Zealand Open champion, scored 13-under at the Indonesian Open at the weekend.
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