A young New Zealand left-hander created plenty of attention from Canterbury golf fans when he began his professional career more than 50 years ago.

That golfer was Sir Bob Charles, and next week another exciting young kiwi lefthander will be hoping to encourage the same level of support from Canterbury followers when she steps out for her professional golf debut at home in the Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open.

Cathryn Bristow heads a strong contingent of New Zealanders in the $415,000 tournament at the new Pegasus Golf Club, co-sanctioned by the Australian Ladies Professional Golf and the Ladies European Tour for the first time.

The 25 year old turned heads late last year when she became just the third New Zealander to qualify for the American LPGA circuit, to follow in the footsteps of Marilyn Smith and Marnie McGuire on to the golf’s biggest tour.

She is one of nine New Zealand professionals in the field including Sarah Nicholson (Wellington), Stacey Tate (North Harbour) and Wendy Hawkes (Auckland).

Bristow, a member of New Zealand Golf’s team at the Espirito Santo world amateur championship in 2008, played the inaugural women’s open last year and this year is confident she can be competitive in the paid ranks.

“Playing well at the New Zealand Open is important because it is co-sanctioned with the European Tour but more importantly it is about the opportunity of playing in front of family and friends,” Bristow said. “It is pretty exciting for us Kiwis to be able to play here because most of the time we have to go overseas, so for me it is personal.

“I am proud to be a New Zealander and I want to play well at home and represent my country in a positive way.”

The graduate from the University of Oregon said the collegiate game in the US has toughened her up for the rigours of professional life.

“I came from here where it is small and it would be easy to think you are a great player, to competing with 10,000 girls who are just as good, if not better than you.

“Immediately you become a nobody – if you really want it you have to work hard. From a competitive standpoint it is a massive advantage to play there. I see girls on the tours now and I know I can beat them and compete with them, so it is not as overwhelming to jump into this (professional) environment for me.

“The key for my success this year is to work on the little things I need to improve on. Not to worry about the prize at the end of the road but the things I need to do to get there.”

Bristow has started professional golf in encouraging fashion with two top-10 finishes in Australia. She was tied for seventh at the New South Wales Open and the Moss Vale Ladies Classic and also tied for 13th at the Royal Canberra Classic.

Nicholson has also impressed with her return to the professional game after time out back in New Zealand. She led the New South Wales Open after an opening round 66 and went on to finish in a share of seventh, and has finished all four tournaments across the Tasman in the top-15.

The New Zealand professionals to compete at the Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open are: Cathryn Bristow, Susan Farron, Angela Hawkes, Wendy Hawkes, Liz McKinnon, Phillis Meti, Sarah Nicholson, Kerrin Starr, Stacey Tate.