Macau open for golfing business

After just nine holes of a practice round at the Macau Golf and Country Club, former European Ryder Cup captain and major winner Ian Woosnam admitted he would be lucky to make the cut at this weekend's Venetian Macau Open.

"That would be a major achievement for me," grinned Woosnam as he nursed a cup of coffee after his brief - and first - look at the picturesque Coloane course, which plays host to the US$750,000 Asian Tour event.

The prize money is not huge, but organisers are celebrating the fact that it is the first time the event is being backed by a major casino in Macau.

There is a belief that it could be the start of something good.

It certainly is for drawcard Woosnam, a former world number one, who had just switched off the television back home in Jersey in the Channel Islands after watching Europe's class of 2012 win the Ryder Cup, when he got a call from Macau asking if he would be willing to play in this tournament.

"It was raining and miserable outside and it was really a no-brainer that I should accept the invite, even though it was short notice," Woosnam said.

"This is my first visit to Macau and it looks great. It is sunny and the course, what little I saw of it, is beautiful."