The Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch says it has made no pitch to host the New Zealand Open but would consider it as an option if asked.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Golf chief executive Dean Murphy is confident there will be an Open next year but said there was still a lot to work through, and could not confirm where and when it would take place.
Murphy confirmed he met Arrowtown businessman Michael Hill yesterday but said it was just a routine meeting and negotiations would continue.
Hill, who owns The Hills course where the Open has been held for the past three years, announced last week he is seeking a $500,000 funding backstop to safeguard the Open on the course and he has also launched a "Save Our Open" campaign on The Hills website.
The Clearwater course in Christchurch has hosted the New Zealand PGA tournament but once the club lost its key sponsor, HSBC Bank, last year the tournament was scaled back markedly.
This had led to speculation the club would make a bid for the New Zealand Open with the help of the Christchurch City Council.
Clearwater general manager Steve Power said the club had not submitted a proposal to New Zealand Golf about hosting the tournament.
But he said if the club was asked to host the tournament it would like to have a look at that option.
The club had not looked at the cost of hosting the Open, and he would not comment on whether the club had been in negotiation with the Christchurch City Council about financial aid to host the event.
Murphy said negotiations were continuing with Hill but said there was still a lot to be finalised.
He said there would definitely be an Open next year as there had been for 102 years but there were a lot of things to work through.
"We are still working through a lot and it all takes time. As soon as we know then we'll say.
"But until then I can't really say anything," Murphy said.
"It really is a whole bunch of things we have to work through."
He had no comment to make on Hill starting his website campaign and seeking a funding backstop.
Initially, after this year's tournament in late January, officials were confident they would announce in April where and when the 2011 tournament would take place.
But that date has slipped back as the OneAsia tour becomes an option, and the commitment to the Nationwide Tour, the second-ranked tour in the United States, remains in doubt.
The 11-tournament OneAsia tour would appear to fit in nicely with a future New Zealand Open and would attract quality Asian and Australian golfers.
But it has a minimum purse of US$1 million, which Open organisers may struggle to find - hence Hill's plea for more money.
The Indonesian Open, the latest stop on the OneAsia tour, starts later this week.
The Australian Open and the Australian PGA to be played in December, are also part of the tour.
