Sydney resident Lucas Parsons will attempt to retain his local hero status when he defends his title in the Greg Norman Holden International at The Lakes Golf Club this week.
The 31 year old former Challenge Tour player, who lives close to the environs of the course, won the event 12 months ago thanks to an excellent closing 67 which gave him a 19 under par total of 273 and a four shot victory over his fellow countryman Peter Senior.
Parsons will face a strong challenge in the tournament's second year as a co-sanctioned event between the Australasian and European Tours for included in the field are three major winners, Nick Faldo, Wayne Grady, and the 1998 champion Greg Norman himself, as well as a host of title winners from various tours.
A fourth major winner, Australian Steve Elkington, was also due to compete but withdrew on the eve of the event after doctors advised him not to fly because of an ear infection.
Still in the starting line-up however are current Volvo Order of Merit leader Pierre Fulke and Ryder Cup player Sergio Garcia, who will be making his first appearance on the 2001 European Tour International Schedule.
The Lakes holds a special place in the affections of Greg Norman, the Great White Shark having triumphed there in both the 1978 Festival of Sydney Open and the 1980 Australian Open.
Norman has been instrumental in encouraging the development of young talent in his native land and he will be especially pleased to see the progress of players such as Adam Scott, the 20 year old who won his maiden European Tour title three weeks ago in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Houghton GC in South Africa.
For Scott, of course, the return to The Lakes will be extra special for it was in last year's second round that the Antipodean carded a superb course record ten under par 63, a round which featured six birdies in a row from the eighth followed by an eagle three at the 14th.
"After shooting 75 in the first round I really wasn't thinking about much else when I started out apart from making the cut,'' said Scott. "Even when the putts started dropping I still had one eye on the scoreboard, but then everything I hit started to go in. It was a great feeling."
All competitors will find a course quite often at the mercy of the wind. The water which gives the layout its name is primarily in evidence on the back nine. It is a golfing test which demands precision and patience off the tee and deft second shots to find the greens.
