Clearwater general manager Mike Sharp says his course has no intention of poaching the New Zealand Open from The Hills.
Sharp said the board at the picturesque club on the outskirts of Christchurch had not even discussed the possibility of bidding to host the Open.
The wait goes on to find out where the tournament will be held next year, with New Zealand Golf still negotiating with its promoters and sanctioning partners.
It still seems most likely the Open will return to The Hills, but there continues to be speculation that Cape Kidnappers, in Hawke's Bay, and now Clearwater are keen on a slice of the action.
"At this stage, you know as much as I do," Sharp told the Otago Daily Times from Christchurch yesterday.
"Various channels are speculating that Clearwater might be an option to host the New Zealand Open, but the truth is we haven't discussed it with anybody.
"We haven't discussed it with New Zealand Golf, and we haven't discussed it with Tuohy and Associates, the event organisers.
" It's very much early days."
Clearwater was designed by John Darby, who also worked on The Hills, Millbrook and Jacks Point.
The course, featuring a flat parkland style with lakes and streams dotted around the 18 holes, has become the regular host of the New Zealand PGA, and that is why it has not previously considered hosting the Open.
"We're the home of the PGA and we've staged that for the last eight or nine years. That's our flagship event," Sharp said.
"We'd be happy to talk to the powers that be but our board hasn't made any decision with respect to the Open."
The PGA at Clearwater used to be of a similar status to the Open - both were part of the Nationwide Tour last year - but lost its naming sponsor and was held with a vastly reduced purse this summer.
The reduction in status did not necessarily mean Clearwater would seek to lift its profile by going after the Open, Sharp said.
"Not at all. We just haven't even looked at the New Zealand Open."
However, if New Zealand Golf was to consider Clearwater as a host, Sharp had "no doubts at all" the course and its facilities would be up to scratch.
Hills owner Michael Hill was in the United States last week, attending the Masters.
But Hills general manager Sam Gent said her boss was simply "flying the New Zealand flag" and he was leaving Open negotiations with the Nationwide Tour to New Zealand Golf.
Gent did not know when an announcement on the tournament's future was expected, but she hoped it would not drag on as sponsorship was going to be harder to find next year because of the Rugby World Cup.
