New Zealand Open

Course: Paraparaumu Beach Golf Course, Paraparaumu, Wellington, New Zealand
Yardage: 6646
Par: 71  (three par-fives)

Official Tournament Website

Weather Forecast

Past Winners:
2001 - David Smail
2000 - Michael Campbell (Paraparaumu Beach)
1999 - Not Played
1998 - Matthew Lane
1997 - Greg Turner
1996 - Michael Long (Paraparaumu Beach)
1995 - Peter O'Malley (December); Lucas Parsons (January)
1994 - Craig Jones
1993 - Peter Fowler (Paraparaumu Beach)
1992 - Grant Waite  (Paraparaumu Beach)

Outright plays:

Craig Parry 25/1 e.w. @ Ladbrokes  [5 places option] (0.5 units)
Small and stocky, Parry should be the perfect links player and he is. He is also back in form after a very disappointing 2001 season. He finished 7th in the Invensys Classic in October to end a run of four missed cuts and then finished 3rd and 9th in the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open at the end of last year. Should contend for a place finish and it is no certainty that Tiger will win, particularly if the wind blows.

Greg Turner 40/1 e.w. @ Sporting Odds (0.5 units)
Another reason why Tiger may not win is that the home players have a stranglehold on this championship, so there should be at least one Kiwi selection. In the last five years, Turner has played in his national championship four times, winning once and never finishing out of the top-10 - and on two of those occasions this event was played at Paraparaumu Beach. Another good links player who should contend.

Craig Perks 50/1 e.w. @ Sporting Odds (0.5 units)
A less familiar home player is Perks who has struggled to make an impact on the PGA Tour. However he did finish 2nd in the Honda Classic last year and 6th in the NCR Classic two months ago. Perks left New Zealand at 18 to play college golf and has only ever played once Australasian Tour event, the 2000 New Zealand Open on this course. On that occasion he lost in a playoff to Michael Campbell. That's impressive enough to gain the 3rd selection spot.

72-hole plays:

Marcus Cain to beat Gareth Paddison +135 @ Camelot
Very attractive price to back Cain who won the 1999 ANZ Tour Championship, finished in the top-20 in the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship at the end of last year and was 15th two years ago on this course. Much is expected of the young Paddison, particularly following his 3rd place finish in the Australian PGA Championship, but this is only his 7th Tour start, he has failed to really impress on the other occasions and this is an attractive price.

Craig Parry to beat Peter O'Malley -125 @ Centrebet (0.5 units)
O'Malley may have good form on this course (2nd in 1996, 11th in 2000), these are two players who finished the 2001 season in opposing fashion. O'Malley had a stellar season in Europe, winning the English Open, but he finished 58th in the limited field Volvo Masters and then missed the cut in both the Australasian Tour events. Parry, by contrast, had a poor season, but closed the season with 7th in the Invensys Classic and top-10 in both the Australasian Tour events.

Craig Perks to beat Peter O'Malley +125 @ Camelot
Opposing O'Malley at a good price with another of the outright selections. Like Parry, Perks had an indifferent season, but ended it with a top-10 in the NCR Classic. And he did play rather well the last time he was at Paraparaumu Beach.

Mid-point update:

Cain/Paddison WON by 1
Parry/O'Malley Leads by 5
Perks/O'Malley Trails by 1

Parry 3rd
Turner mc
Perks 28th

Happy with that start

Final Update:

Matchups: 3-0-0; +3.10 units

Parry/O'Malley WON by 12
Perks/O'Malley WON by 2

Outrights: 1-2; +6.50 units

Parry 1st 
Perks 17th

I am beginning to really like this event! Picked Smail 100/1 last year and now Parry 25/1 this year