Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

While Sideline Sid is an avid watcher of all things sporting on TV, it was a surprise to him over the weekend when his better half was glued to the box in mid afternoon, for four consecutive days.

The reason for Mrs Sid's viewing was the appearance and subsequent performance of New Zealand's Lydia Ko at the Australian (Women's) Open Golf Championship, being beamed to our living rooms in the country from Canberra. Lydia burst onto the sports headlines around the world after an amazing ten under par on day one.

The 15-year-old New Zealander made such an impact the Golf Channel in America showed the tournament live, instead of delayed coverage as they typically do for women's golf coverage.

It takes a super-sporting feat to generate coverage in the news sections of the daily and Sunday papers in this country.

While born in South Korea, the youngster who now proudly calls New Zealand home has made an incredible impact on golf in a few short years. What is even more remarkable is that she has done it while still in the amateur ranks.

The current World Women's Amateur champion has won three professional tournaments. She has smashed all sorts of records being the youngest ever to hold the ranking of the world's number one (women) amateur golfer, the youngest to win a professional tournament and the youngest to win a prestigious LPGA tournament.

Among the many to heap praise on Lydia was one of the countries greatest professionals, who became the first Kiwi to win a PGA tournament in America.

While John Lister will be little known to many of the youngsters who play the great game today.

He was one of a galaxy of stars that used to stop off at Mount Maunganui during the 1960's and 1970's, to play in the New Zealand PGA (Professional Golfers Association) Championship.

Lister was a trailblazer along with Sir Bob Charles in international golf, with Lister becoming the first Kiwi to win a PGA event in America, annexing the Quad Cities Open at the Oakwood Country Club in Davenport, Illinois in 1976.

The arrival of the PGA at the Mount just after New Year was a big deal. With no direct bridge access from Tauranga, the Mount was more akin to a sleepy seaside town for most of the year and the arrival of the golfing stars from around the world created plenty of attention and interest.

In those far away days, there was a regular New Zealand Professional circuit that kicked off in late November with several Pro-Am's and ran until mid January.

The Western Bay hosted the PGA at the Mount and another similar professional tournament was held at the Tauranga Golf Club at Gate Pa – and for a time a Pro-Am at the Te Puke Golf Club.

Some of the great golfers of the time played at the Mount in the PGA, including Tony Jacklin, Peter Thompson and Kel Nagle, who all won Majors during their careers. Sideline Sid was member of the Mount Club and one of the many volunteers, when John Lister thrilled the large crowds that use to line the course, when he led home a star-studded field to annex the title in 1971.

The following year Masashi (Jumbo) Ozaki, who was the first of the Japanese golfers to carry their clubs on the world stage, won the Mount tournament. Jumbo was a colossus in both in height and the power that he delivered and made an indelible impression at Mount Maunganui.

A little known fact is that while he won 94 tournaments his only success outside Japan was at the New Zealand PGA.

While times have certainly changed since the heady days of big time professional tournaments in the Western Bay - the Mount Maunganui Golf course remains as one of the best links courses in the country.

Seeya at the Game.