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Golf Australia has announced the appointment of World Sport Group as the new promoter of the Australian Open for the next 6 years. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The 2009 Australian Open will be held from 3-6 December at the New South Wales Golf Club at La Perouse and features Australian golf icon Greg Norman. This prestigious national open is also part of the recently launched OneAsia series of elite tournaments.

World Sport Group has in turn, contracted Australia’s leading golf promoter, TRP Sports as event organiser for the same period. The Australian Open boasts a prize of US$1,500,000. South African Tim Clark is the defending champion. Past winners include Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Gary Player. Network Ten is the broadcast partner of the event.

Golf Australia Chief Executive Stephen Pitt said, “We are pleased to have joined forces with World Sport Group who will assist us in taking the tournament to viewers around the world. I am also pleased to be able to announce the appointment of TRP Sports as tournament organisers of the Australian Open, working in conjunction with Golf Australia’s Tournament Director Trevor Herden. In addition, we are naturally delighted Greg will be with us again at NSW and the championship promises to be a true spectacle.”

World Sport Group COO Andrew Georgiou said, “We are delighted to be working with Golf Australia, the owners of the Australian Open. With their support and the support of the PGA of Australia, China Golf Association, Korea Golf Association and Korea Golf Tour, we are ready to build this event into a truly international tournament. The unique opportunities being presented by OneAsia together with World Sport Group’s unparalleled pan-Asian reach, we are very excited about the future of the Australian Open.”

TRP Sports MD Tony Roosenburg said his organisation was thrilled to be running their first Australian Open. “I am proud to have been appointed as tournament organisers of The Australian Open. My company is now in the unique position of organising the two major golf tournaments in Australia and I strongly believe this will be beneficial for both events in relation to the raising of sponsorship funds and the further development of the newly formed OneAsia, together with World Sport Group,” Roosenburg said.

(Source: sportzpower.com)