By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

TWO senior professional golfers will be on Saipan this month, as they visit and test the challenging course of Coral Ocean Point.
Thomson Palik of COP said that Larry Nelson will be visiting the longest course in the NMI in terms of yardage on Jan. 17 and will be joined by fellow senior pro player Kiyoshi Murota.
Nelson designed the 7,156-yard Agingan Point-based course about 20 years ago and this will be his first visit at COP since 1992 when he competed in a COP-sponsored tournament with other professional golfers.
“We’re very happy to see the designer of our course again. It will be an honor to have such a famous and a very good pro as Larry Nelson at COP,” Palik said.
The 60-year old Nelson, who began his pro career in 1971, won ten times on the PGA Tour and had three majors.
His first major was the PGA Championships Greater Greensboro Open in 1981. Two years later, he won the US Open and in 1987 claimed another PGA Championship title in the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic.
Nelson, who started playing golf at the age of 21 after returning from military service in Vietnam, also won numerous tournaments in Japan.
When the Fort Payne, Alabama native turned 50 in 1997, he joined the Champions Tour and scored impressive wins.
Nelson was a US Ryder Cup team member in 1979, 1981 and 1987. In April last year, he was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame and was inducted in October.
Murota was Japan’s leader on the money list in the senior division last year.
The 52-year old Gunma native turned pro in 1982 and played on the Japan Golf Tour from 1988 to 1995 before taking a break. He returned in 2001.
His first Japan Tour victory was the Bridgestone Aso Open in 1991 and he went on to win 13 times in subsequent years.
Murota participated in seven PGA Tour events from 1993 to 1996 and made his debut in the Senior Tour in the Fancl Classic in 2005 ending up tied for 15th place.
“They may be playing a few rounds at COP on Jan. 18 or 19,” said Palik, who was hoping that the two senior pros can meet local golfers.
“We have yet to plan how they will be spending their visits here. But given a chance, I am sure our local golfers would love to talk with these experienced golfers. It would be fun to see them play against our local players in an exhibition game,” Palik added.