Golf: Doomed tournament's director silent

Instead, the co-host of the planned New Zealand Women's Classic golf tournament is having to field the fallout.

A brief e-mail is the only contact embarrassed co-host Gail Allport has had with tournament director Frank Burgess as his ambitious New Zealand Women's Golf Classic crumbles around him.

The $650,000 Hutt Valley event appears doomed and Allport has been left to face the music as Burgess is unable to be contacted.

In the latest blow for the event, Hutt Golf Club president Brian Gillespie has confirmed that the club has suspended its preparations for the proposed February 22-25 tournament.

That comes after former world No 1 Laura Davies, of England, became the latest big-name withdrawal late last week after revelations surfaced that the tournament's purse had been slashed by $150,000 to $500,000.

Ladies European Tour chief executive Tim Howland then confirmed it would no longer co-sanction the tournament, just days after co-promoter Bob Tuohy from Australian-based Tuohy Associates distanced himself from the event.

The Tour is considering taking legal action against Burgess after the promoter allegedly revealed that he did not have the necessary funding to stage the event despite earlier assurances to Howland.

Burgess was not returning calls yesterday and has ignored attempts to contact him over the past fortnight. He has not returned any of Allport's calls either, sending only the e-mail message on Saturday.

"Other than a short, very personal e-mail from Frank Burgess apologising, there are no answers," Allport said. "I'd say it probably came down to finances, but he [Burgess] is up north. He is not returning our [telephone] messages and is obviously not talking [to the media].

"I haven't heard him cancel the tournament and he is the only one that can do that. But I'd have to say, 'no, the tournament won't go ahead'.

"I can't talk for him, but I guess over the next few days things will, no doubt, come out."

The seemingly inevitable cancellation of the tournament has caused Allport and Wellington professional Lynnette Brooky considerable embarrassment.

Allport caddies for Brooky on the European Tour and the pair worked hard to lure a world-class field to Wellington on Burgess' behalf during Brooky's recently completed campaign.

"We, along with many others, are feeling very let down right now ... it's kind of painful," Allport said. "We didn't have anything to do with the inner workings of the tournament, but it is embarrassing for us because Europe is where Lynnette plays.

"We've worked so long to bring a tournament here to show the world what we [in New Zealand] have to offer, but he's been unable to keep his end of the scales up. It's one hell of a Christmas present, I can tell you."

Gillespie said the tournament's probable demise was a blow for the club but he would not elaborate on the club's reasons for suspending its preparations.

Allport still hopes some of the confirmed European stars will play in Wellington.

The Classic was to have been the first event of the European Tour season, but the Australian Ladies Masters, scheduled a week after the proposed Hutt event, will now enjoy that honour.

"A lot of the [European] girls have non-refundable airline tickets so hopefully we can run some pro-ams or something," Allport said.

"It's just so damn disappointing."

- NZPA