Greg Norman has announced that his Australian event, the Greg Norman Holden International, will become a truly international tournament, being co-sanctioned between the Australasian and European Tours starting in the year 2000.
Norman committed an additional Aus$1 million to bring the total prize money for the event to Aus$2 million, making the Greg Norman Holden International Australia’’s richest tournament and one of the richest sanctioned events outside Europe. It will be played at The Lakes Golf Club, Sydney, on February 3-6.
Greg Norman said: “We wanted to put Australian golf on the world map. We are at risk of being overpowered by the US Tour, as it grows in wealth we are finding it more and more difficult to secure international players and gain exposure for our local sponsors. We feel that this is one way of strengthening the Australasian Tour, by giving our young golfers greater opportunities in the international arena and by attracting world class players.
“Holden is the biggest supporter of golf in Australia. We owe it to Holden and the likes of Tourism NSW, Carlton & United Breweries, Qantas and Dunlop, to strengthen the Australian Tour and provide better international opportunities for our young Pros.”
Ross McKenzie, Holden’’s Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, stated: “These steps will take the Greg Norman Holden International into another league and is in keeping with our policy of providing the best product on the Australian market.”
Ken Schofield, Executive Director of the European Tour, congratulated Greg Norman and Holden for their vision in the development of the Greg Norman Holden International, “as it further enhanced the reputation of international golf.”
Schofield said: “We are delighted that the Greg Norman Holden International will not only extend our superb relationship with the PGA Tour of Australasia, but also further enhance the reputation of international golf.
“It is particularly appropriate that we should co-sanction this tournament with the PGA Tour of Australasia because few players in the history of the game have achieved more in increasing the global reputation of golf than Greg Norman. His commitment to the globalisation of the game has unquestionably brought new challenges for all involved in golf – on and off the fairways.
“Greg was a Member of the European Tour at the time of our original golden era and he finished number one in the European Tour Order of Merit in 1982 when competing alongside the rising talent of Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam, to name only a few.
“Greg’’s victories in the 1986 and 1993 Open Championship are, perhaps, his finest feats in terms of the record books, but his astonishing achievement in so far winning no fewer than 75 titles world-wide emphasises his enormous capacity to perform at a consistently high level on the international stage.
“We congratulate Greg and all at Great White Shark Enterprises for their vision in the development of the Greg Norman Holden International, and we now look forward to beginning a new Millennium with successive tournaments co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and the European Tour.”
It has been written that The Lakes has a special place in Australian golf. From its very beginnings back in 1928 it has been an innovator amongst clubs in Australia with a lay out almost every golfer has wanted to play. The very best of the game’’s players have trodden its fairways at one time or another, and it has hosted many outstanding Championships.
The Festival of Sydney Open was played on the course in 1978 and the then “new young lion” of Australian golf, Greg Norman, was filmed by a BBC TV crew on his way to a new course record of 64 which included seven birdies and one eagle. Norman conquered the layout again in 1980, beating a strong international field to win the Australian Open.
The course is quite often at the mercy of the wind. The water is well in evidence on the homeward stretch, with the picturesque and innocent looking lakes thirsting for miss-hit golf balls. It demands patience and precision from the tee, and deft second shot accuracy to find the greens.
Michael Long, of New Zealand, won the 1999 Greg Norman Holden International at The Lakes with a total of 283 – one ahead of compatriot Michael Campbell and two in front of Bernhard Langer. Norman won his own title at The Australian in 1998.
