Sir Bob Charles is the star attraction at the Tauranga Golf Club today. Photo/File
Sir Bob Charles is the star attraction at the Tauranga Golf Club today. Photo/File
The first left hander to ever win a golfing major will tee off today at Tauranga Golf Club in the pro-am event of the 2015 Carrus Open.
New Zealand great Sir Bob Charles hits off at 12pm to launch the first event on the newly re-named Jennian Homes Charles Tour.
The 79-year-old made history when he won the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and Annes and he also won the Spalding Masters at Tauranga Golf Club in the 1970s.
The Carrus Open starts tomorrow and runs through until Sunday, with a top quality field of New Zealand's professional men and women golfers, plus the nation's top amateurs including Omanu's Alanna Campbell.
Tauranga-based defending champion Mark Brown heads the quality field that includes several Western Bay pros, with three time winner Josh Geary always a crowd favourite.
After shooting the magical number of 59 on his way to victory at the Carrus Open last year, adding to the title he won in 2012, Brown is hopeful of winning the lion's share of the $50,000 purse in his home town.
"We always love playing in New Zealand on the Charles Tour and to be coming back from overseas to play in my home town just adds to it," Brown said.
"There will no doubt be some low scores once again this year. The two times I have won scores have been -17 and -18 so I expect something similar this week."
Other previous winners teeing it up alongside Brown this week are Ben Campbell (2010), Jim Cusdin (2011) and Mark Purser (2007).
There is a two-tee start for the first two rounds, with play commencing at 7.15am and 11.30am, then off one tee from 9.30am for the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday.
