Feast of golf

Press, 20 February 1986, Page 48

Feast of golf

PA Wellington A virtual festival of golf will be held in the Wellington area in April. The New Zealand Golf Association’s council confirmed yesterday that the inaugural Freyberg Masters tournament will be held at Paraparaumu from April 7-11, followed by a test between New Zealand and Australia, at Heretaunga, and the New Zealand Amateur championships at the Hutt club. Auckland will be the top seed of the 14 five-a-side teams in this year’s Masters. From 1987, seeding will be based on performances in the previous year. There has been an unprecedented response from associations seeking to host the 1987 Freyberg tournament. The top four players from each of the Sloan Morpeth and under-26 teams will meet their Australian counterparts in the test series, and it is intended that the eight golfers from across the Tasman will stay on for the amateur championships. Goldie Wardell, who was named manager of the New Zealand team, said the selection of the home side would be made during the Southland Invitation tournament on March 15-16. “It is hoped that the Sloan Morpeth and under-26 teams will play in the North Island championships in Gisborne at Easter as a lead-up to the test series,” said Mr Wardell. “Unfortunately, the Gisborne tournament cannot be regarded as a trial as it is after the Southland tourney.