Golf: Double act to pay tribute to NZ legend

By IAN HEPENSTALL


A top-ranking father-and-son duo will feature in a tribute to golf legend Sir Bob Charles at next month's New Zealand Open.

Dave Stockton jnr will join his more illustrious father for the 87th Open, at the Grange from January 15 to 18.

Charles will be making his final Open appearance, 50 years after his first win in the event.

Stockton jnr, who has been on the US PGA Tour for nine years, confirmed his entry yesterday.

He will join his father, Dave Stockton snr, and fellow American senior player Jay Sigel as guests in the field.

Stockton jnr has been a respected PGA Tour player without scaling the heights of his father, who has had 24 victories, including two majors, and won more than $20 million.

His son recently missed retaining his tour card at the qualifying school.

The 35-year-old Californian gained his full tour card in 1993 after two victories on the Nationwide Tour, and has had 14 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour.

The highlight was the 1995 Greater Hartford Open, where he shared second with Kirk Triplett and New Zealander Grant Waite.

He finished third at the same tournament in 1994, and also finished third in the 1996 Buick Open.

After a form slump, Stockton was forced to perform at the cut-throat qualifying school to retain his full status.

His father, a long-time friend of Charles, came to New Zealand in 1998 for a senior skins game at the opening of the Charles-designed Formosa Country Club course in Auckland.

Stockton snr, a professional for 39 years, has had 10 wins on the PGA Tour - including two US PGA Championships - and 14 victories on the Champions Tour in the past 12 years.

He is remembered for his US PGA victory in 1970, when he held off challenges from Bob Murphy and Arnold Palmer to win by two shots.

He repeated his PGA success in 1976 when he holed a clutch putt on the final green to beat Ray Floyd and Don January by one shot.

The Stocktons set a record in 1996 when three members of the family played on different tours at the same time.

Dave snr was in the Champions Tour, Dave jnr at the Doral-Ryder Open on the PGA Tour and younger son Ronnie in the Nationwide Tour.

Stockton snr has not slowed with age, making more than $600,000 this year.

Sigel had a remarkable career as an amateur, winning the US Amateur title (twice) and the British Amateur title. He was the leading amateur in three Masters, the 1980 British Open and the 1984 US Open.

He also was in the Walker Cup team for 15 years, and in seven American Eisenhower Trophy teams.

But he concentrated on his career in the insurance industry until he turned professional 10 years ago to take on the Champions Tour.

In his first year, he had a win and was Rookie of the Year.

Sigel has won seven times since, making more than $15 million in the past 10 years.