Off the tee: Charles laments 'loss' of Open

Sir Bob Charles says the New Zealand Golf Association has a duty to ensure the country's showpiece professional tournament does not become entrenched in Auckland.

Charles is upset he will not get the chance to mark his probable New Zealand Open swansong at Wellington Golf Club in January on the 50th anniversary of his open breakthrough at the Heretaunga layout.

Gulf Harbour on Auckland's Whangaparaoa Peninsula is now tipped to host the tournament as the NZGA bows to the economic reality of staging the Australasian PGA Tour's season-opening event.

NZGA executive Peter Dale has admitted the need to be close to the country's leading commercial sector meant Auckland had a mortgage on the tournament in the immediate future.

Charles understands securing television coverage and sponsorship is easier in Auckland but the 67-year-old said the NZGA must not forget its members south of the Bombay Hills.

"To me it's a disappointment we don't seem to have the ability to go to other centres where we used to play, like Palmerston North, Wanganui, Christchurch and Dunedin," the 1963 British Open champion said.

"Auckland's got roughly one third of the population but you've got to think about the other two thirds at some stage."

Charles admitted he had no magic cure for the present situation, citing disappointing figures from the recent Clearwater Classic in Christchurch, co-sanctioned by the secondary US Nationwide Tour.

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One of the players world No 1 Tiger Woods leaned on for guidance in deciding whether to turn professional was the man he now routinely beats - Ernie Els.

Writer Tom Callahan describes their relationship in his book In Search of Tiger.

The most meaningful conversation came after the trophy presentation at the 1996 British Open, where Els was runner-up and Woods, 20, was the low amateur.

"I told him 18 was too young for reasons apart from golf," Els said in the book.

"I said 19 might be all right and 20 was fine. I tried to let him in on how mentally tiring this level is, travelling so much and playing so many tournaments. And at times, how vicious the game can seem."

Before Woods left Royal Lytham and St Annes, Els said to him: "I don't have to tell you, you're more than good enough to be playing out here."

Woods, who was long and wild off the tee at the time, turned professional that summer after winning his third successive US Amateur.

Els knew what was going to happen, but kept it a secret for more than a month.

As Woods announced at the Greater Milwaukee Open that he was turning pro, Callahan called Els and asked the Big Easy: "Is he ready?" There was a long pause.

"That's the dumbest question I've ever been asked," Els replied.

"Have you seen him?"

Then, Els had a question for Callahan. "What are we going to do when he finds the fairway?"

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United States captain Hal Sutton believes changes to Europe's Ryder Cup team are only going to make them tougher to beat.

"I'm sure it's going to make their team even better," Sutton said. "It's going to be easier to play our tour and still gather points to make their team."

Instead of taking 10 players from the European moneylist, Europe will take the top five from the world rankings and the next five available from the moneylist, along with two captain's picks.

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Craig Perks is the sole New Zealander lining up in this week's Colonial tournament. All the attention is sure to be on Annika Sorenstam's attempt to make critics of her lining up in the men's US PGA Tour field eat their words.