Talented line-up for women's tourney

GOLF: The Wanganui Golf Club's new clubhouse was in its infancy in 2001 when the club's women applied to Women's Golf NZ to hold either the 2004 Amateur or inter-provincial tournaments.
The October application was sent to New Zealand just six months after fire destroyed the Wanganui clubhouse and ruined plans to host the Junior Tasman Trophy event between Australia and New Zealand.
Happily the club was granted the 2004 Lion Foundation Amateur women's championship ? even though club captain Caroline Scott admits the club's preference was for the inter-provincial teams event which went to Manawatu. But they are not complaining. From next Monday a talented field of most of the best women golfers in New Zealand, three Australians and one Phillippines golfer will take on the extended 5519-metre Wanganui golf Club layout in the 2004 Amateur.
The event starts with the foursomes on Monday, December 6, followed by 36 holes of qualifying stroke-play, and then the match-play event culminating in a 36-hole final on Friday, December 10.
And Scott hopes a Kiwi can make that final. The last New Zealander to win was Arrowtown's Wendy Hawkes in 2001, but rarely in recent years has a Kiwi done the trick.
In fact the last time the Amateur was held at Belmont, in 1994, the final went to Australia's Jo-Anne Atkin, who beat Lisa Aldridge (then Palmerston North). "Each association gets its chance to hold the Amateur and inter-provincial, and these days with 14 associations you only get the chance once every 14 years," Scott said. "Every club in the association can apply for the events.
"So we applied for both tournaments, working on the assumption that if you applied for only one and didn't get it, you would have to wait another 14 years."
Belmont has been extended from its usual 5300-metres by using the men's white tees on the following holes ? the fourth, eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th.
This decision was made by Women's Golf NZ's tournament director Denise Langdon earlier this year when she inspected the course in February.
"She's tried to sort out a mixture of long par fours and short par fives, and then short par fours and long par fives," Scott said. "But she's left holes like the (par four) sixth as it is off the ladies' normal yellow tee ? at 278 metres she wants the girls to have a go at driving the green."
Scott is confident the required green speed of 2.3m to 3.2m on the stimp metre will also reached.
"Our greenkeeper Barry (Shannon) is pretty good at that sort of thing. And our greens are some of the quickest in the association anyway."
The club's tournament committee, with responsibilities in parentheses, is: Scott (tournament captain), Carolyn Stent (secretary-treasurer), Jocelyn Symes (golf course), Naomi Forsyth (house convenor), Caro Hutchins (players' convenor), Pat Follows (marketing and programmes), Doreen Wink (caddies convenor), and Peter Hankins (rules convenor).
Around 40 volunteers will assist on the course every day of the tournament.
Practice day is Sunday, foursomes on Monday, and the championship proper starts on Tuesday.
One unfortunate aspect of the championship? No Wanganui Golf Club player is involved.
The last Wanganui winner was Mrs Jackson Ball, at Manawatu in 1948.
The club's present top player is Caroline Scott ? and she's very busy running the tournament.
One last point: Entrance is free.