NEW ZEALAND HONOURS SIR BOB CHARLES

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Sir Bob Charles has been awarded New Zealand's highest civil honour.

The 74-year-old Charles was admitted to the Order of New Zealand, an honour restricted to 20 living New Zealanders.

Charles was the first left-hander to win one of golf's major tournaments. He captured the 1963 Open after a 36-hole play-off against American Phil Rodgers.

Charles finished his career with 66 victories and was a six-time winner on the US PGA Tour.

He was knighted for services to golf in 1999 and has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

JAMES BYRNE TO PLAY IN NE ALLIANCE NEXT WEEK

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
British amateur championship beaten finalist James Byrne, home on holiday at Banchory from Arizona State University, is to play in next Wednesday's North-east Alliance competition at Newburgh on Ythan Golf Club, Aberdeenshire.

He will play in a threesome at the end of the field with fellow Scotland internationals Philip McLean (Peterhead) and Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh).

Byrne smashed the Newburgh course record with an 11-under-par round of 61 on his way to winning the 2008 North-east District Open by eight shots with an 11-under-par total of 277.
James' target for 2011 will be to win a place in the GB and I team to play the United States in the Walker Cup match at Royal Aberdeen GC in September.
Prospects are rated as "promising" for the resumpton of the 2010-11 NE Alliance season after its scheduled and also enforced midwinter break. The last competition before the bad weather arrived was at Edzell Golf Club on November 17.
+Craibstone Golf Centre was on the fixture list as the venue for January 5 but the NE Alliance's acting joint secretaries, Dave Wilson and Dave Mackay, decided that Newburgh's seaside links had a better chance of beating the weather and also the lay-out lends itself to a two-tee start, which Craibstone doesn't, an important factor when they are trying to get a field of 108 round 18 holes in something like only seven hours of daylight.
Craibstone will now stage the March 2 Alliance fixture which was scheduled for Newburgh.

+The North-east Alliance mobile phone (07801 819746) will be "live" between 10am and 4pm next Tuesday, should any competitors wish to cancel their reserved tee times and free them up for others who will otherwise not get a game.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR PROVISIONAL 2011 SCHEDULE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Tour today announced a provisional schedule of five tournaments for its 2011 Asian Development Tour.
After the successful launch of Asia ’s secondary circuit this year which rewarded the top three players with Asian Tour cards, the Asian Development Tour will maintain a minimum five tournaments in 2011, with several other events in the pipeline.
The inaugural US$75,000 Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters (February 3 to 6) will tee off the new season, followed by another new tournament, the US$70,000 Clearwater Classic in Perak , Malaysia from April 28-May 1.
Chinese Taipei will also launch a new event, the US$130,000 Transcend Championship while the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship and Bali Open in Indonesia will return next year.
Discussions are on-going with other event promoters and sponsors for events to be added onto the Schedule in the coming weeks.
Designed along the same structure as the Nationwide Tour in the United States and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is proving to be a good launch pad for aspiring stars to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf.
Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School which will take place in Hua Hin , Thailand in January, players will earn the opportunity to play and qualify for the Asian Development Tour.
The leading three players on the Asian Development Tour in 2011 will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for themselves. The Asian Tour recently announced a provisional 25-event Schedule for 2011 on its main Tour.
Provisional Asian Development Tour Schedule 2011
Feb 3-6: Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters, Kurmitola Golf Club, Dhaka , US$75,000.
Apr 28-May 1: Clearwater Classic, Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort, Perak , Malaysia , US$70,000.
May 25-28: Transcend Championship, Course TBA, US$130,000.
Nov 3-6: Bali Open , New Kuta Golf Resort, Bali , US$60,000.


Dates TBA: Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship, North Bay Golf and Country Club, Taipei , US$90,000