GOLF/New Zealand and South Africa: Armed police officers accompanied Tiger Woods yesterday as he shot a six-under-par 65 in the pro-am on the eve of the New Zealand Open.

Guards have also been placed on roads and bridges leading to the links course in Paraparaumu, north of the New Zealand capital, Wellington, after a letter threatening to disrupt the event and containing cyanide was sent to the US embassy.

Tournament organiser David Pool said security had already been increased since the September 11th attacks.

"Since September 11th, obviously we sat down with police and reviewed our security requirements, so we'd already beefed them up quite substantially," Pool told reporters.

"The latest threat has obviously caused us to review them yet again and the police are taking the appropriate measures to make it a safe environment for people to come out and watch the golf."

Pelting rain interrupted the pro-am and further showers and northerly winds were forecast for today. Woods will tee off with defending champion David Smail of New Zealand and 1995 winner Peter O'Malley of Australia.

"The whole idea of having a links course is you've got to have a bit of wind," Woods said. "If the weather they say is coming in, it's going to be a bit of a challenge."

O'Malley said he was looking forward to the challenge.

"There's obviously lots of distractions going around but you've just got to try to block it out," he said.

"The hardest thing will be if he putts first and people just start running to the next tee. That's where you get a bit of noise. But you've just got to back off and do your own thing."

Meanwhile, South African duo Retief Goosen and Ernie Els, with Scotland's Paul Lawrie, are expected to lead the field as the European Tour's first tournament of 2002 tees off in Durban today.

The £500,000 sterling South African Open at the Durban Country Club comes less than two months after the "Goose" and Els won the World Cup for South Africa in Japan in mid-November.

Goosen captured his first major title last year when he won the US Open after a play-off, while Els closed his account with a victory at the South African Players Championship in Cape Town. Both players are now ranked in the top 10 with Els at five and Goosen at nine.

Lawrie, however, had beaten Els with one shot to win the Dunhill Links tournament in Scotland in October, his first victory since winning the British Open in 1999.

This week, a confident Els said he was hoping to open his New Year's account on a high note.

"This is our national open and it means a lot to me," said Els who won the South African Open when it was last held here in 1998.

Ireland will be represented by British Amateur champion Michael Hoey and South Africa-based James Loughnane.