E&OE..........................................................................................................................
(Tape begins)...and a marvellous event at what is a marvellous
golf course. I know that all who are going to play here over the
next four days will enjoy what is a superb location and a really
delightful course.
This represents the last tournament in the current season and it
is certainly a sign of the way in which, increasingly, Australia
is improving and establishing its reputation as a major location
for the holding of major golf tournaments. Later this year, of course,
we will have the privilege of hosting the first ever President's
Cup outside of the United States. It is just another incidence of
the growing standing of Australia in the world of international
sport.
We have been able to attract to this ANZ tournament the participation
of a very high calibre group of players. That, of course, has been
evident in the various open men's and women's championships
that have been held in different locations and in different golf
courses around Australia over the past few months. The names of
those who have won have become household names in a nation that,
of course, is notorious for the love that the men and women of this
country have for sport.
Golf is a sport which is played with great skill by many Australians
and over the years we have produced some of the most famous names
in world golf. Of course, it is also a pursuit that is indulged
in less conspicuously, but with no less enjoyment, by hundreds of
thousands of Australians of all ages. In many respects, the climate
of Australia and the quality of the golf courses that are available
to the general population in Australia are such that there is probably
no country in the world in which the playing and enjoyment of golf
by the general population is more achievable, more affordable and
more embarked upon than Australia. Whenever you talk in the most
casual way about golf to people from other countries, they marvel
at the facilities that exist here and the fact that they are within
the reach of the average man and woman in a way that simply isn't
present in many other countries.
I want to congratulate Royal Canberra on hosting this event. I
want to wish all of those who play in today's event and in
the subsequent days' events the best of good fortune. I know
that there are several here I met this morning who are very much
in the running for the incentive of $500,000, which is a very considerable
incentive, that lies at the end of this particular competition.
I know that there will be one or two extraordinarily happy players
when this tournament is over.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for having me along. I have very
much pleasure in unveiling this, I am sure, magnificent looking
trophy. Thank you very much.