GOLF: The Johnnie Walker Classic, a tournament set apart these days by having an all-male field, has begun with what will be one of the strongest entries on the European Tour this year.

Ernie Els is the defending champion, and with the likes of Thomas Bjorn, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Colin Montgomerie, Adam Scott and Justin Rose ranged against him he will need to play well to take the €240,500 first prize.

He will not, however, have to contend with the hype that goes on whenever a woman is invited into what has previously been a male preserve. Els was content for Michelle Wie to play in the US Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii two weeks ago, but, like Montgomerie yesterday when told that Laura Davies was to play in a men's event in Australia, wondered where it was all heading.

Davies has accepted an invitation to play in the ANZ Stableford tournament at the Horizons course in Port Stephens in two weeks, so becoming the first woman to play in a European and Australasian co-sanctioned event.

It had been assumed that the European Tour had a regulation forbidding women to play, but on close scrutiny the small print makes no mention of gender.

Last year Davies, the ANZ women's champion, played in the Korean Open but missed the cut. Se Ri Pak, in an Asian Tour event, is the only womato get past the halfway stage in a men's event.

"I have no objection to lady professionals, girls, females playing in men's tournaments. But where is it all going? Where is it heading?" said Montgomerie.

"I mean, what if a woman finished, say, fifth in an event. Would she get world ranking points? No. Would she get Ryder Cup points? I don't think so, unless there is an in there for ladies to play on the Ryder Cup team. There doesn't seem to be a finite end to this. I don't really understand it."

Davies was quietly confident of doing well in the ANZ, in which she will be competing against at least three men's major winners in Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Paul Lawrie, plus the defending champion, Paul Casey.

"I think I will absolutely enjoy playing there," she said. "I know the course well and the Stableford format will be a lot of fun."

Other observations on whether there should be more "battles of the sexes" were varied and predictable at the Alpine Golf and Sports Club outside the Thai capital.

"Depends what she looks like," joked one player. "Can we get a couple of invites to their events - the ones with the big dosh?" asked another quite seriously. "The more the merrier - it makes it easier to win," stated a third.

None of those spoken to yesterday, however, echoed the feeling expressed by Vijay Singh about Sorenstam last year. "I hope she misses the cut," said the Fijian, who soon came in for massive criticism for it.