PGA Legends Tour players teed off at out-of-the-way Tokarahi golf course yesterday.
Day one of the two-day $20,000 Legends Pro-Am (NZ) in rural North Otago was a community affair. Golfers dined at a wild food festival last night, where the venison, wild pork, lamb, and blue cod and grouper was sourced and prepared by local people.
The 10-hole course, and now 55-member club, opened in 1967 as just a ‘‘rough old paddock'', Tokarahi Golf Club president Richard Watson said.
As golfers warmed up, taking their practice swings in a nearby paddock full of thistle yesterday morning, Mr Watson said the event, in its second year, remained true to its home-grown roots.
‘‘[It is] totally home-grown, and that's what they like, fellas that come from the city. This is a novelty,'' he said.
The pros - 40 in total, with half coming from across the Ditch - were whittled down to 30 after yesterday's round and would be joined by 90 amateurs, from Christchurch to Tuatapere, for the second and final day of play.
Wayne Davies (66), of Christchurch, said for such an isolated course, Tokarahi had an excellent reputation. He knew people who had ‘‘raved'' about it after playing courses from Invercargill to Christchurch.
Davies was among the oldest pros on the course yesterday.
‘‘The aim is, I'll break my age [in scoring],'' he said.
Krishna Singh (54), of Fiji, whose brother, Vijay Singh, was a former world No1 and who still plays on the PGA Tour, called the course ‘‘fabulous''.
‘‘It's unbelievable what this little community does,'' he said.‘‘Last year we came, we played for $10,000, and they said they'd get us $20,000 this year - and they did it.
‘‘We're so happy they've got a tournament here in a place like this. It's so beautiful.''
The winner of the inaugural event, Mike Harwood (57), of Melbourne, praised the devotion of those in the community who kept the course running in such a fine fashion.
‘‘The people in the area are quite passionate about the event. I think they were quite shocked when we said, ‘Yeah, we'll come and play'.''
