NEW ZEALAND OPEN MOVES FROM CLEARWATER TO QUEENSTOWN

  BY A CORRESPONDENT
As frustrating as it might be to lose one of the city's few big sporting events, moving the New Zealand Golf Open from Clearwater to Queenstown is a smart move.
It brings with it more money, sustainability and a better field.
Queenstown is popular with professionals and in a world where "small" $500,000 tournaments are a dime a dozen, having a point of difference is crucial in attracting a decent field.
Last year a very same-old New Zealand Open attracted a mediocre field and next year's tournament organisers should be able to improve that substantially. A change from late in the year to February-March is also a better fit.
Run in November amid the busy PGA Tour of Australasia didn't work. With the Australian Open, Australian PGA and Australian Masters all run at that time, a small tournament in New Zealand was always going to get marked as a rest weekend for the better Aussies on the tour.
New Zealand's top two ranked golfers at the time of last year's tournament, Michael Campbell and David Smail, couldn't come back anyway.
The pro-am format, although not everyone likes it, is very different, too. The 132 amateurs fork out $10,000 each for the right to play and that $1.32m goes a long way to help pay for the tournament.
The format is understood to have been behind the Japan Tour coming on board in a partnership role which will see 15 players from their tour - the third largest men's tour in the world - coming Down Under. The winner, or the leading finisher without Japan Tour exemption, will be given starts on the lucrative Japan Tour Championship and two other tournaments.
That will be a big drawcard for some and the exposure that the tournament will receive in Japan will no doubt have the minister of tourism, Prime Minister John Key, licking his lips too. The boost to tourism is the reason the Government has stumped up $900,000.
Now the men's tournament has gone, there is also a big opportunity to build the women's open tournament further in Christchurch.
In a tough economic climate, it is understood to have been difficult to find local backers for both tournaments.
In terms of quality, the women's tournament attracts a better field.
More people watched Lydia Ko win this year's tournament than followed Michael Campbell at last year's men's tournament.
That said, Ko played all three rounds at Clearwater; Campbell had the weekend off.
What New Zealand Golf needs to do is leave the tournaments where they are now. Let them develop a history and a following and create a bit of tradition around them.
That will help them naturally build and as that happens, they should draw bigger crowds, better players and more sponsorship. They've taken a punt, now they need to back it to the hilt and give both tournaments every chance to succeed.