VISIT OF FAMOUS GOLFER

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21863, 17 August 1936, Page 10

VISIT OF FAMOUS GOLFER

GENE SARAZEN IN THE CITY PLAYING HIS WAY ROUND WORLD Gene Sarazen, the famous golfer, arrived in Christchurch on a frying visit from Wellington yesterday morning. He will leave for the north again this evening and will sail for Australia tomorrow. Mr Sarazen, who is accompanied by Mrs Sarazen and Miss Helen Hicks, also a very well-known golfer, told “The Press” last evening that he had not intended to visit New Zealand just now. He was on his way to Australia on a round-the-world golfing trip but broke his voyage to spend a few’ days in New Zealand. He likes this country, and having seen it in the early summer of 1934 thought he would like to see it in the winter. “We upset our whole schedule to call in here,” he said, “and our days in the Dominion are really stolen off the Australians." , ’ After their visit to Australia Mr Sarazen and his party are going to South Africa, perhaps South America, and then on to India, Cairo, Italy, and back to New York, where they jvill probably arrive about January, 1937. Mr Sarazen hopes to stay in America for a while then to practise for an open championship, but in the following year he intends to be touring again and visiting New Zealand. He said he would much like to play in the New Zealand open championship and would probably time his next visit to the Dominion to coincide with that event. On his present trip to Australia he will be playing in the open championship and the Adelaide centenary open championship. Mr Sarazen takes films of places he visits for use in lecture tours in America, and he has applied to the Government here for a length of film dealing with the scenic resorts of the Dominion. If his application is granted the film he receives will become part of a composite film called “Golfing Round the World.” Mr Sarazen said the Dominion received very little advertisement in America, and he would like to do what he could to help. On his return to the United States he intends to record an account of his golfing trip round the world in a book.