Barty to dust cobwebs off golf clubs at NZ Open

[ad_1] Ash Barty will take a no-stress angle into her high-profile pro-am pairing with good mate and DP World Tour participant Anthony Quayle on the NZ Open.

The professional-am element of the $1.69 million match at Millbrook Resort now attracts comparisons with the storied occasions at Pebble Seaside and St Andrews.

Eleven-time world browsing champion Kelly Slater is a high-profile addition to this 12 months's subject, which additionally consists of the likes of Barty, former Australian Check cricket captain Ricky Ponting, his long-time NZ adversary Stephen Fleming and ex-All Blacks greats Jeff Wilson and Israel Dagg.

Since retiring from tennis to deal with her younger household, former tennis world primary Barty has had little time to dedicate to golf, one other of her sporting loves.

<img alt="Surfer Kelly Slater and retired tennis star Ash Barty stand on a putting green as Slater points out a line for a putt." class="Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq" sizes="100vw" src="https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/70ea7063dc11b3d4df689adcedc30108?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=3200&cropW=4267&xPos=267&yPos=0&width=862&height=647" loading="lazy" data-component="Image" data-lazy="true"/> Kelly Slater and Ash Barty throughout the Ambassadors placing competitors on the The a hundred and fifth New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort on Tuesday. ( AAP: Photosport/Michael Thomas )

However the former Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open champion may be very a lot trying ahead to teaming up with Quayle this week the place she is going to play off a handicap of 4.

"It is a stunning place to go to, an attractive place to play golf, so it will be good to mud the cobwebs off the golf equipment," the 29-year-old mentioned.

"I've performed two rounds of golf in two years so the shape is fairly scarce.

"The great factor is I am contemporary and there aren't any demons … so what may presumably go incorrect?"

Barty reached out to Quayle a few months in the past and he was more than pleased to signal on as her taking part in associate within the pro-am.

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"It is type of all labored out very well," he mentioned.

"For such an unimaginable athlete, every time I've requested her how her lead-in to this occasion has been she's like 'Oh, it is simply horrible, the sport's horrible, I simply have not performed sufficient'.

"After which I used to be watching her hit a couple of putts with a customized Wimbledon Odyssey putter.

"She holed about eight in a row and I am like, 'I do not know what you are speaking about. You would be a little bit of an over-achiever right here'."