Tourism New Zealand is hoping to double the number of international tourists who come here to play golf as part of a new strategy to attract higher spending visitors.

Sang-Moon Bae won the Bryon Nelson Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, beating Keegan Bradley by two strokes after blowing a four-stroke lead.

Keegan Bradley had no thoughts of a course record, or the possibility of a 59, after consecutive bogeys in the middle of his opening round at the Byron Nelson Championship.

Putting proved the key for North Harbour professional Mike Hendry as he shot seven-under 65 yesterday to lead the $40,000 Muriwai Open by one shot after the first round.

Any other PGA Tour rookie might be rattled to see Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood surrounding him on the leaderboard. Scott Gardiner was delighted, which speaks more of how he got there than where it might lead.

The union of two exclusive golf clubs could open up a large parcel of land to our biggest city's squeezed housing market. The Royal Auckland Golf Club and the neighbouring Grange Golf Club bosses agreed this month to begin talks about a possible merger.

New father Ricky Barnes birdied six of the last eight holes at rain-softened TPC Louisiana yesterday to take a one-stroke lead in the Zurich Classic.