The Greg Norman Holden
International will become Australia's richest golf tournament after a A$1
million (US$644,000) boost in prize money paid for by the former world
number one.
The extra prize money
lifted the prize pool to A$2 million for the Australasian tour event,
which is to also be co-sanctioned by the European tour.
Officials said it
should ensure a top field for the February 3-6 tournament at Sydney's The
Lakes course.
Norman's Australian
manager Frank Williams was quoted by local media as saying the added A$1
million came from Norman's "back pocket" and not from sponsor Holden.
The previous biggest
Australian event was the A$1.6 million Heineken Classic in Perth, which
is also co-sanctioned by the Australasian and European tours.
The International
is played the week after the Heineken Classic and Williams said he expected
many of the European tour players to make the journey across from Perth.
He said Norman felt
co-sanctioning was the only way to compete with massive prize money increases
on the US PGA Tour which have made it hard to get leading overseas players
to Australia.
"Greg felt we were
being gradually squeezed out of the world arena and the only way to stay
in was to link with the European tour," Williams was reported as saying.
