Off the tee: Evergreens have plenty to offer

Dean Sipson, who struck a blow for older golfers by earning New Zealand honours last year, will take on his contemporaries at Pukekohe today.

The North Harbour number one, whose team won the national interprovincial title at Titirangi in November, is in a big field contesting the national mid-amateur championship, which is restricted to players older than 30.

Sipson, who had a spell in the professional ranks, won the inaugural mid-amateur contest three years ago at Hamilton when New Zealand Golf recognised the need to provide incentive for older players in a game increasingly dominated by teenagers.

The concept is well established in North America, where it provides an alternative for those not in the university system.

It had a slow start here as older players took time to catch on.

But Phil Aickin, who organises this year's event for NZ Golf, has been heartened by the 87 entries received from a wide range of players.

In the field will be former New Zealand representative Glen Goldfinch from The Grange Club, who won the title in 2004, and Martin Tumata from Onewhero, who is the defending champion.

One of the incentives originally offered to the winner is an automatic place in the field for the New Zealand Open. Sipson took that opportunity at The Grange in 2004 but Goldfinch opted out last year.

Because of the change of date of the Open, Tumata will be offered this year's spot while the winner at Pukekohe will have automatic entry to the final qualifying tournament.

The field will play 36 holes today and will qualify in four groups of 16 for matchplay tomorrow and Sunday. The top 16 will play for the title.

Pukekohe will offer a good test, particularly if there is no heavy rain to take the sting out of the course.

American golfers have not always been the keenest of travellers outside their homeland, but the tournament staged at the Clearwater course outside Christchurch for the past four years has rewarded those who have made the trip.

What started as the Clearwater Classic and is now the NZPGA tournament is jointly sanctioned by the American Nationwide and Australasian tours, and 78 spots are reserved for Nationwide players, who are chasing a place on the rich USPGA tour.

The purse of US$600,000 ($908,000) is one of the better rewards on a tour where the winnings are a fraction of those offered on the big tour. At the end of the year even a modest placing Downunder can secure a top 20 place on the money list and automatic promotion.

Ryan Palmer in 2003 is the only American to win at Clearwater, and the victory paved the way to the USPGA tour, where he won the Funai Classic the following year. He has continued to prosper ever since.

Aussie Peter O'Malley, who won in 2002 and last year, has opted to stick with his career in Europe, but Gavin Coles, winner in 2004, is on the big tour, though surviving on a medical extension this season.

Of those who qualified automatically from the Nationwide last year, all but a handful played at Clearwater. Big-hitting Bubba Watson finished 47th, but the money he won Downunder allowed him to squeak in as the last qualifier.

The trick is not to be back at Clearwater too soon. Of those who jumped to the big tour after the 2004 season, nine, including Kiwi Michael Long, survived only one season at the top level.

Logan Holzer is the only survivor from last year's winning team in the Auckland squad selected to defend the Southland Invitational title on March 4 and 5.

Holzer, who took a break from representative play for most of last season, is teamed with Leighton James, Ben Davies, Fraser Wilkin and Jason Mann.