Four of New Zealand's best players may be absent from next month's New Zealand Open but Australians will be there in force.
Nick O'Hern and Lucas Parsons are the latest Australians to confirm their appearance at the $1 million tournament, at Paraparaumu Beach on January 10-13, which will feature worldNo 1 Tiger Woods.
O'Hern is a four-time winner on the Australasian PGA Tour, while Parsons' seven tour wins include the 1995 New Zealand Open, played at Heretaunga in Upper Hutt.
United States-based Craig Parry was among the first Australians to sign up for the Open, and he has since been joined by Scott Laycock, Brett Rumford, Peter O'Malley, Craig Spence, Peter Senior, Brett Ogle, Andre Stoltz, Scott Gardiner and Ken Druce.Their presence will help offset the notable absence of New Zealand players Frank Nobilo, Grant Waite, Phil Tataurangi and Michael Long. All four are based in the US and all have cried off for various reasons.
Just who will be paired with Woods in the first two days of the Open is a teaser for the organisers. Defending champion David Smail seems sure to get the nod, following his win at the Grange last January. Last month, he and Michael Campbell played in a four with Woods and David Duval at the World Cup of Golf in Japan.
