New Zealand’s Michael Hendry is aiming to win his third consecutive Holden NZ PGA Championship this week.
New Zealand’s Michael Hendry is aiming to win his third consecutive Holden NZ PGA Championship this week.
Being played at Remuera Golf Club in Auckland the tournament
tees off on Thursday with Hendry chasing his third Holden NZ PGA Championship
title and a slice of history.
If Hendry achieves the feat he will be the first player to
do so since Australian Legend and Open Champion Kel Nagle won the title in
1973, 1974 and 1975.
"It would be awesome," said Hendry who won the tournament
when it was played at The Hills in 2012 and 2013 before it took a year’s
hiatus.
"I am working towards some goals and I am pretty happy with
where I am at, in the journey towards those goals, in terms of where I want my
game to be."
"It would be great to really have that form kick in and take
another one away this week."
Hendry is confident his preparation leading into this week
will hold him in good stead despite his
limited experience playing the Remuera layout.
"It’s odd, living in Auckland and never having played here
before," added Hendry.
"But at the end of the day it’s just like any other golf
tournament where you turn up and don’t particularly know the course."
"Sometimes that is an advantage because you don’t see the
trouble, which other people do if they have played lots of times."
The Holden NZ PGA Championship will be Hendry’s third
tournament of the year, with his best finish so far being T12 at the Victorian
PGA Championship in February.
"I have been working quite hard on my game and am excited
about the things I have seen in practice so I think there are some really good
things around the corner."
"I have planned my year so far to work towards some goals
and peak for this week and next week."
Inspired by the Black Caps beating the Aussies in the ICC
Cricket World Cup, Hendry hopes to see Kiwis win the next two weeks on the PGA
Tour of Australasia.
"It was so cool to see the boys take it to the Aussies on
Saturday, it was awesome," added Hendry who represented New Zealand at the Under
19 Cricket World Cup before giving up a promising cricket career in 2005.
"The NZ PGA is a major New Zealand championship and being a
Kiwi we all want to win the big ones at home. It would be nice to make sure a
New Zealander wins the next two weeks."
"It’s really cool how well New Zealand sport is going at the
moment. I think it’s testament to the things that have been put in behind the
scenes for all sports by the government."
The Holden NZ PGA
Championship is being contested at Remuera Golf Club in Auckland from 5-8
March.
A prize purse of NZ$125,000 is being played for, with the winner also receiving
Official World Golf Ranking Points and becoming fully exempt on to the PGA Tour
of Australasia for the remainder of this season plus a further two years.
Spectators are welcome and tickets can be purchased via Ticketek. Free entry is provided to
children on Saturday 7 th March and Sunday 8 th March.