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West Australian Ryan Peake has completed a remarkable story of redemption with a pulsating one-stroke win at the 104th New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
Trailing Korean star Guntaek Koh by four strokes at the start of the final round at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, Peake needed to make a 10-foot putt for par on the 72nd hole to avoid a playoff with fellow Australian Jack Thompson (63), Japan’s Kazuki Higa (66) and South African Ian Snyman (66).
The 31-year-old went bogey-free for his final 55 holes and shot 5-under 66 on Sunday to finish atop the leaderboard at 23-under par, in so doing becoming the first lefthander to win the NZ Open since Sir Bob Charles in 1973.
Sixty-two years after Charles become the first New Zealander to win The Open Championship, as champion, Peake will now contest the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July and is now in contention to claim the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
Given his back-story that includes amateur golf alongside Cameron Smith and a five-year stint in jail for assault while a member of the Rebels bikie gang, Peake did not have the necessary visa to travel to New Zealand until the start of the week.
He arrived in Queenstown on Tuesday, played 36 holes on Wednesday and leaves with another extraordinary chapter added to his story.
“I’ve just changed my life,” Peake said post-round.
“This is what I do. I want to be here and just play golf. The story is what it is but I’m just out here playing golf.”
It was while he was incarcerated that renowned coach Ritchie Smith reached out and asked whether Peake wanted to play competitive golf again.
He wondered whether he was a charity case, but also knew Smith enough to know he wouldn’t waste time on an assignment he saw no future in.
It was a heart-to-heart at the end of 2024 that reaffirmed to Peake that while a win had proved elusive, they were on a path towards something special.
“I always knew I could do it; it was just a matter of time of when I was going to do it,” he added.
“Elvis Smylie was in the same predicament not too long ago and our coach, Ritchie Smith, said it was going to switch and that you’ve just got to commit to it.
“He had the same chat with me when I missed the cut at the Aussie Open and the Aussie PGA.
“We set out some goals of how we wanted to finish off the rest of the year and along with my family, my team, everyone believed. But most of all I believed as well.”
Given the play of Koh over the previous 36 holes, Peake’s belief in his chances of winning had to have been tested early on Sunday.
A birdie at the fifth hole lifted Peake into a tie for second but still three shots off the lead, that deficit trimmed to two by the seventh hole.
Koh moved three shots clear again with birdie at the par-4 eighth but Peake stayed in the frame with crucial birdies at nine and 12 to join Koh at 22-under and tied for the lead.
Three bogeys in succession by Koh from the 13th hole dramatically changed the complexion of the tournament, Peake suddenly sharing top spot with Thompson, Snyman and Higa with two holes to play.
Thompson and Snyman both missed birdie chances at the final hole in the groups ahead, leaving Peake to two-putt for birdie from the back fringe at the par-5 17th to move one clear, his first putt coming to rest just two feet to the left of the cup.
It meant that par at a par-3 finisher framed by water would seal victory, only for Peake to add to the tension when he missed the green to the right with his tee shot.
Left with a testing chip across the green towards water on the far side, Peake came up short with his chip. He then showed remarkable composure to hole the putt for par and add his name to the New Zealand Open’s remarkable history.
That history will continue to be written in Queenstown, with Millbrook Resort confirmed as the host venue for at least the next seven years at the tournament presentation.
Relentless Korean Guntaek Koh produced the shot of the day on the way to building a four-shot lead after the third round of the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport at Millbrook Resort.
The overnight leader’s 5-under-par 66 on Saturday was highlighted by an eagle at the short par-4 12th hole, a blind wedge shot from 66 metres that took two bounces before spinning back into the cup.
At 22-under-par after 54 holes, it will be Koh’s tournament to lose on the final day on Millbrook’s composite course as he tries to become the event’s second consecutive Asian winner.
The closest challenger to the four-time winner on the Korean Tour is West Australian left-hander Ryan Peake, who made up two shots on the leader with a 64 on Saturday and has the biggest day of his career ahead on Sunday.
Japan’s Kazumi Higa eagled the par-five first and 17th holes to climb to a share of third with a 9-under-par 62.
He is joined in the group five shots behind by South African Ian Snyman (66), China’s Bobby Bai (67) and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit No.1 Elvis Smylie, who made up plenty of late ground with a back nine of 29 in a 6-under 66.
The leading New Zealander is Sam Jones who charged to a share of seventh, seven shots behind, thanks to a composite course record round of 10-under 61.
He was close to finishing his round when Koh was getting his underway with a three-shot lead, the Korean quickly extending his advantage with birdies at the first, second and third holes.
Although he had two bogeys, he turned in 3-under 33 and was as many as six shots in front before his lead dwindled slightly with six consecutive pars coming home after the eagle on 12.
“I was concerned about how much backspin I’m going to have after the shot, but it just went perfectly,” Koh said of his second hole-out in as many days.
“It’s great that I have a four-shot lead, but this course itself is very scoreable. I need to keep focused on what I’m doing and just make sure I just stay consistent to what I’m doing.”
Despite climbing to second and being bogey-free for 39 holes, Peake is seeking more consistency from his driver. He headed to the driving range post-round looking for some solutions after hitting just three out of 14 fairways today.
“It’s not the flight I want. I’m not getting the distance that I want and I’m just not finding a lot of these fairways,” Peake said.
“When you get in some of this long rough, it’s hard to get it close and give yourself reasonable birdie opportunities.
“I’m doing well to make a score from where I am; I just need to start hitting some fairways.”
The winner of two events on his home tour this season, Smylie was stuck in neutral on the front nine but erupted with four birdies and an eagle on the back nine, turning a 10-shot deficit to the leader into a more manageable six.
He’s confident that he’s close enough to chase down Koh.
“It’d be special to be able to come back from how many shots I am behind the leader, but I know that I can do that and it’s definitely motivating,” the Australian PGA champion, another of the lefthanders on the leaderboard, said.
Jones’s brilliant 61 included eight birdies plus an eagle on the par-5 17th hole where his second shot with a 7-iron finished four metres from the cup and he rolled in the slightly uphill putt.
He admitted his low round was something of a surprise.
“It’s been a bit rough out there the first couple of days. Struggled a little bit on the greens, haven’t been swinging it great but that’s golf,” Jones said.
“I was just pretty grateful to be teeing it up today. I was right on the cut-line yesterday.”
Fellow Kiwi Mark Brown also made a sizeable move on day three, a 65 lifting him inside the top 20 ahead of what is potentially his final round at the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
“I will have to play myself in, not take up an invite. So tomorrow could be my last time at the New Zealand Open,” said Brown, who was runner-up in 2014, the first year of the Pro-Am format.
He has no serious thoughts of playing the PGA TOUR Champions like countryman Steve Alker, but may head to the European Staysure Tour.
“I get a one-year exemption on the (European) seniors tour courtesy of winning on the tour, so I may take up that option more for experience and travel to Europe with my wife,” he said.
While the home crowd hoped for a big Saturday charge from Millbrook member Ben Campbell and former champion Michael Hendry, the duo lost ground on the lead.
They are both at 10-under, and 12 shots back, after Campbell carded 69 and Hendry 71.
Photo: Photosport
The NZ Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
James Marchesani has been waiting for his ball-striking to match his putting on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and it’s finally happened over the first two rounds of the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
With impressive rounds of 63-65 at Millbrook Resort, the Victorian holds second spot on the leaderboard at 14-under-par, three behind Korean Guntaek Koh, who matched the course record on the Remarkables layout today, shooting a 10-under-par 61.
Marchesani is a shot clear of China’s Bobby Bai (65-64), while first-time Millbrook visitor, West Australian Ryan Peake (67-64), is in a share of fourth at 11-under with two Asian Tour regulars, American John Catlin (67-64) and South African Ian Snyman (66-65).
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit No.1 Elvis Smylie (66-66) is lurking, equal seventh at 10-under.
After some equipment adjustments pre-event, Marchesani didn’t miss a green in regulation on Thursday and was almost as clinical in day two.
He made his way to 16-under-par after 35 holes, only to slip up with a double-bogey six on his closing hole on the Remarkables course, one of two in use over the 36 holes.
The 31-year-old, who had just four pars in his second round to sit alongside an eagle, eight birdies and two bogeys, is ready for what could be a career-defining weekend.
He has come close before to winning on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia but has had to settle for four top-three placings.
“The game’s felt close,” Marchesani said.
“I probably haven’t driven it as well as I would’ve liked the last couple of months and was able to get in here earlier than I was meant to and do a bit of work with the Callaway boys on Monday.
“I found a little bit with a driver, which has been nice.
“The putting’s been really good the last sort of six months. I sort of knew if I could get a lot of looks, the hole’s going to start looking pretty big, which it has.”
But it’s Hendry and Geary who are sure to have the most support from the local crowd on Saturday as they continue to try to become the first New Zealanders in eight years to win their national open.
As the last winner, Hendry is the perfect man to offer a reason why the home players have been experiencing a title drought in Queenstown.
“After winning a major this is my next tournament that I want to win,” the 45-year-old said.
“All the Kiwis come into this week feeling that way and that is potentially why we haven’t had a winner in a while because we want it more than the other guys.
“They can cruise around doing their thing while we are fighting for every little bit to try and win it.”\
Like his regular roommate, Geary has also had two 66s to start the week, hitting a purple patch on the back nine Friday afternoon when he grabbed four consecutive birdies.
“I had a good hot streak there for seven or eight holes,” the Vic Open champion from a fortnight ago said.
“I knew I needed to stay in touch somewhat and what I was doing at even-par or 1-under wasn’t going to cut it.
“I’m happy with how it’s turned out. It could have been a little worse.”
The next best Kiwi after 36 holes is Daniel Hillier (68-65), who is 9-under, while hometown favourite Ben Campbell (67-67) is one shot further back.
Koh’s 61 featured a hole-out for eagle on the 398-metre par-4 ninth, nine birdies and a solitary bogey.
“My iron play worked really well today and helped me to attack the greens,” Koh said.
“I’ve been working hard on my game and this week it’s paid off.”
First-time Millbrook visitor Peake’s share of fourth at 11-under-par continues his steady summer which has included four top-10 finishes on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
A win here would be huge for the West Australian who doesn’t have status on any overseas tour and would automatically become an Asian Tour member and earn a trip to The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
“Subconsciously everyone knows what’s on the line this week, but for myself, I’ve just got to stay in the moment,” Peake said.
“My goal just basically was to get here, make sure I make the cut and give myself a reasonable chance come the weekend.
“I’ve kind of set myself up decent enough to do that.”
Another big move on Friday came from Australian David Micheluzzi, the DP World Tour member pouring in nine birdies in an 8-under-par 63 on the Remarkables course.
At 9-under overall, he’s eight shots from the lead.
“There was glimpses yesterday. I just got off to a very slow start,” Micheluzzi said.
“The last 20 holes I’ve played very solid. Played them in 10-under, so I’ll take that.”
Among those who missed the halfway cut, which came at 5-under-par, were last week’s Webex Players Series Sydney winner Nick Voke (73-66), defending champion Takahiro Hataji (69-73), and Kiwi Danny Lee (75-69) in his first NZ Open as a professional.
Eight-time PGA TOUR Champions winner Steven Alker (70-67) birdied his last three holes to make it to the weekend play by a shot.
Photo: Photosport
The NZ Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
As Elvis Smylie closes in on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, coach Ritchie Smith shares how a team of people applied the finishing touches to an elite young talent.
Elvis is obviously an exceptional talent. He and his previous team had done a lot of great work but when we started to work together 12 months ago, we took a more collaborative approach.
One key area that we wanted to address as a team was his relationship with the ground and building a solid foundation.
Part of that was coaching – his awareness of the ground and how you use it. How his body relates to that ground and how his body relates to the different segments of the golf swing.
That entailed work with physiotherapist Marty McInnes and strength and conditioning coach Luke Mackey because previously Elvis had some instability through the swing and associated pain.
To achieve that we needed a single message being fed through each person and to be quite assertive in what was required.
Elvis responded really well to that and trusted in what we were telling him. That transferred to some really good results at the start of the summer and wins at the WA Open and Australian PGA Championship.
He is now hitting at 17 miles an hour faster and his body is healthier.
Yes, that has something to do with coaching, but it is more to do with the collaborative nature of his entire team in working towards a single outcome.
Based at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, Ritchie Smith was named the 2024 PGA National Coach of the Year – High Performance, the third time he has won that award. Ritchie’s athletes include Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Min Woo Lee and Elvis Smylie.
Australia’s Harrison Crowe rediscovered some of his form from the end of 2024 to grab the outright lead after the opening round of the 2025 New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport at Millbrook Resort today.
With nine birdies and an eagle, the Sydneysider shot a round of 9-under-par 62, his only mishap coming on the par-4 13th hole of the Remarkables course, one of two in use over the first two rounds, when his tee shot flew out of bounds, leading to a double-bogey.
Crowe, the winner of the NSW Open as an amateur in 2022 but still chasing a first big win as a professional, leads James Marchesani (Vic), who played the Coronet course, by a shot.
Two other Australians, Lucas Herbert (Vic) and Kevin Yuan (NSW), as well as Korean Guntaek Koh, are two strokes behind in a share of third at 7-under.
The leading New Zealanders, Josh Geary and Michael Hendry, are tied for ninth at 5-under-par four shots from the lead, with Ben Campbell in a share of 23rd at 4-under.
Crowe was one of the form players in the big events at the end of 2024 on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australia, rattling off a T7 at the Ford NSW Open, T8 at the BMW Australian PGA Championship and T5 at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
However since his Christmas-New Year break, the 23-year-old has missed three consecutive halfway cuts.
“I definitely had a lot of things going my way today, and I think to shoot those rounds you have to,” Crowe said.
“I had the putter going, so it was nice to keep the momentum going after that one mistake.
“It’s starting to feel like that (the end of 2024) again. It’s been a bit of a slow start this year after a Christmas break, and it was nice to have a few things going my way today.”
Herbert, one of the pre-tournament favourites, was happy with the new putter in his bag, although a miss from three metres on his final hole prevented him for finishing in a share of second with Marchesani, who birdied the par-5 closer.
The Ford NSW Open champion is part of a Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit dogfight this week and has an early advantage over OOM No.1 Elvis Smylie, who shot a 4-under 67 on the Remarkables course.
“I felt like I’d struggled with the putter for a while and I felt like I putted okay today without being amazing, but it wasn’t bad either,” the Ripper GC squad member said.
“I hit a lot of good putts and just couldn’t get as many to go in as I would’ve liked. But look, it’s probably going to be a week of low scoring, so it was good to get off to a hot start and not feel like we’re chasing from a long way back.”
In the morning groups which were greeted my almost still conditions, Josh Geary brought the good form from his Vic Open win at 13th Beach Golf Links earlier this month to the Remarkables course which he toured in 5-under 66.
The highlight of his day were three straight birdies from the sixth to the eighth.
“I’ve been here enough. I know what to do if the weather stays calm,” Geary said.
“You’ve just got to keep your foot down and make a lot of birdies. I’d assume that’s how it’s going to go.”
Fellow Kiwi Hendry made his way to 6-under late in the afternoon before slipping up with his first bogey of the day, at the par-4 17th on the Remarkables. The former champion still content, however, with his start.
“I’m hitting it really well off the so as long as I can keep that going, I shouldn’t put myself in too much trouble and then hopefully it’s just about making some putts,” Hendry said.
Out in the second group of the day, West Australian Brett Rumford avoided a potential disaster before he even teed off to turn in a bogey-free 66 as he tries not only to contend for the title but also to keep his game in shape for seniors tour golf which looms in three years’ time.
Even with his vast experience, Rumford almost made a huge mistake when he came within a couple of minutes of missing his 7.40am tee time, thinking he was due off at 7.50am.
“That would’ve flustered me, I’m sure, back in my prime,” Rumford said.
“That definitely would’ve got on my nerves, would’ve blamed my caddie, would’ve blamed this and that. I would’ve blamed the world for it. But now it’s just ‘oh great’.
Defending champion Takahiro Hataji started with a 2-under-par 70.
Photo: Photosport
The NZ Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Her face is everywhere this week but Hannah Green wants to make sure her name is up in lights in golf’s showpiece events in 2025 as she defends her HSBC Women’s World Championship title in Singapore.
A happy hunting ground given its proximity to her home in Perth and the results it has yielded in past seasons, Green arrived in Singapore to see her face plastered on posters throughout the city, in the hotel and, of course, at Sentosa Golf Club where she stormed home to win 12 months ago.
It was the first of three LPGA Tour wins on the season for Green who quickly elevated her status to one of the best players in the women’s game.
Acknowledging the seemingly insurmountable lead Nelly Korda has at the top of the Rolex Women’s World Ranking, Green wants to push higher than her current position as world No.6 through a strong season in the majors.
A major championship winner at the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the reigning Greg Norman Medal recipient and coach Ritchie Smith are placing a greater emphasis on golf’s greatest events.
“I’m looking to be in contention in major championships,” said the 28-year-old, who visited the SkyPark Infinity pool in a pre-tournament promotion on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t play a lot of weekends last year. Those are the tournaments we try to prepare well the best and I put too much pressure on myself to perform well at those events.
“I’m hoping this year will be a better season in that sense.”
Tied for fourth at the Founders Cup in her last start, Green is also drawing confidence from a return to Sentosa where she not only has a triumph in 2024, but a runner-up finish in 2021 and a tie for sixth in 2022.
“It’s almost like a home event,” added Green.
“This is the same time zone as where I live and only a five-hour flight. It’s the closest LPGA that we have to my home city.
“There’s lots of people that come from Perth that travel up and my husband is also here this week, which is nice.
“There’s lots of good memories in that sense, and the crowds are really good to us here in Singapore.”
Paired with Olympic gold medallist Lydia Ko for the first two rounds, Green is joined in Singapore by fellow Aussies Gabriela Ruffels, Grace Kim, Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou.
Fresh off inspiring The Bay GC to a TGL win on Tuesday night, Min Woo Lee also has good memories to draw upon at the Cognizant Classic in Florida.
Lee stormed home in the final round at PGA National last year to earn a share of second, three strokes back of Austin Eckroat.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches
PGA National Resort (The Champion Cse), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
4:40am Min Woo Lee
5:13am* Ryan Fox (NZ)
5:46am Karl Vilips
Recent champion: Austin Eckroat
Past Aussie winners: Stuart Appleby (1997), Adam Scott (2016), Matt Jones (2021)
Prize money: $US9.2m
TV times: Live 10:45pm-10am Thursday, Friday; Live 11pm-10am Saturday; Live 10:30pm-10am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
HSBC Women’s World Championship
Sentosa Golf Club (Tanjong Cse), Singapore
11:23am* Gabriela Ruffels
11:59am* Grace Kim
12:18pm Minjee Lee
12:23pm* Stephanie Kyriacou
12:30pm Lydia Ko (NZ), Hannah Green
Recent champion: Hannah Green
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2011), Hannah Green (2024)
Prize money: $US2.4m
TV times: Live 1:30pm-6:30pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Investec South African Open Championship
Durban CC, Durban, South Africa
8:20pm* Kazuma Kobori
Recent champion: Dean Burmester
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1.5m
TV times: Live 10pm-3am Thursday, Friday; Live 9:30pm-2am Saturday; Live 8:30pm-1:30pm Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Korn Ferry Tour
118 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro
Jockey Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina
9:42pm Rhein Gibson
3:23am Harry Hillier (NZ)
Recent champion: Mason Andersen
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $1m
Twelve months on from his 2024 New Zealand Open victory, Japan’s Takahiro Hataji is a changed man – and those changes are continuing.
His one-shot victory over Australia’s Scott Hend at Millbrook Resort, his first big title as a professional, led to a significant confidence boost which in turn led to two wins on the Japan Golf Tour – the Kansai Open Golf Championship in May and the Vantelin Tokai Classic in September.
Excited to now see his name etched on the Brodie Breeze Trophy alongside a list of distinguished former campions, Hataji arrives back at Millbrook Resort for his title defence with an Official World Golf Ranking that is 277 places than this time last year.
“I’ve been playing professionally all my life, thinking I’d never win again, so I think being able to win here has changed things for the better,” Hataji said today.
“Yes it really boosted my confidence. I really became more conscious of wanting to win more.”
The New Zealand Open is Hataji’s first tournament for 2025 and like most players on Tour, he’s spending time tinkering with his game as he seeks even more rewards this year.
He’s in the middle of some swing “adjustments” and doesn’t expect to see the results immediately.
“But I really want to do my best to win again this week, and I hope to use this as a stepping stone for a great year,” he said.
Hataji is part of a 21-man contingent of Japanese professionals at this week’s championship, including a first-time NZ Open participant, former world No.29 Ryo Ishikawa.
The duo played a practice round on Wednesday with the current champion happy to share a “little advice” garnered from last year.
The defending champion tees off on the first hole of the Remarkables course at 12.58pm (NZ time) in round one.
Kiwi professional Nick Voke has never been as popular as he is this week at the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
A breakthrough victory at Webex Players Series Sydney on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia on Sunday has set off a torrent of congratulations in person, over the phone and online.
Voke’s popularity, which has included an estimated “300 to 500 messages in the inbox” would soar even higher if he’s the one to break an eight-year drought for home players in their national championship on Sunday.
“Growing up, this was the one that we watched,” Voke said today after completing his final practice round at Millbrook Resort.
“We know the history, we know the winners and I mean to be part of that, with your name on the trophy, would be pretty wicked.
“You have to play pretty well though. There’s a lot of good golfers here.”
Among those very happy to see Voke hold on to win by a shot from Australian Jake McLeod on Sunday – his first success in an Official World Golf Ranking event since 2018 – was former British Masters champion Daniel Hillier, who is the No.1 ranked New Zealander in the field this week.
“I’ve been a big fan of Vokey for a long time. I remember actually back when I was younger, we used to play a Wellington versus Auckland game in Taupo and he wasn’t there. He was playing for New Zealand at the time and they were all talking about him,” Hillier said,
“I was just young but coming through the ranks and I thought ‘God, actually I’d love to be like Vokey. That’d be pretty cool’. I’ve looked up to the man for a long time.”
Like Voke and the other 23 home players this week, Hillier would love to be the next New Zealander to have their name on the Brodie Breeze Trophy.
He’s in good early season form, already banking a second at this year’s Dubai Desert Clasic and two other top-25 finishes on the DP World Tour to sit in fourth place on the Race to Dubai standings.
“I think it’s every professional golfer’s dream to win their national open, myself included,” Hillier said.
“I feel like I’ve got the game to do it now.
“It’s just not putting too much pressure on myself and going out, playing the game, staying patient with it.”
And maybe holing plenty of putts like Voke did over 72 holes at Castle Hill.
“Having some confidence is really nice,” last Sunday’s champion said.
“You see some putts go in then all of a sudden the hole gets bigger. We’ve all felt it and the hole felt pretty big to me last week. Hopefully it remains the same size this week.”
As a member at Millbrook Resort, Ben Campbell feels a great sense of pride that it has become a much-loved host of the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
But there’s also a growing frustration that he hasn’t managed to win his national championship at his home club despite coming very close in the past.
The 33-year-old, who now plays fulltime for the Range Goats in LIV Golf, gets another chance to win his first Open at Millbrook starting on Thursday, when he will be one of the big favourites to claim the Brodie Breeze Trophy.
“Yeah, definitely frustrating. I’ve had my chances,” Campbell said of his near-misses which include runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2023.
“The game is in a good solid spot. They always get the greens so good out here and you’ve got to have a really hot week with the putter to definitely be up there. I’m working on that at the moment and hopefully we’ll get a few putts to drop.
“It’s always nice playing a tournament when you can sleep in your own bed and around your home golf course.”
After playing at LIV Adelaide earlier this month, where he finished equal 23rd, Campbell has been at home at Queenstown, not only working on his game, but also playing handyman and throwing in a weekend fishing trip with some Asian Tour player guests.
“Just being able to relax a little bit before the tournament, it’s obviously a bit different to normal,” he said.
“I always love playing here. It’s such a special time, obviously I’m a member here and I play most Fridays with the members when I’m home.
“I’ve been through the struggles of injuries and things like that and it’s great to play in front of everyone who’s been there for you in that tough time.
“It’d be great to put the name on the trophy.”
Campbell will partner fellow New Zealander Steve Alker in a feature group across the first two rounds, teeing off in round one from the 10th hole of the Remarkables course at 8.13am on Thursday.
Photo: NZ Open/Photosport.nz
With one lifetime achievement fulfilled off the course in Queenstown on Monday, Lucas Herbert can now turn his sights to achieving others on the course at the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
Now engaged to girlfriend Erika after popping the question on a hill overlooking Lake Wakatipu, the Ripper GC team member, currently ranked third on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, is hunting down the No.1, Elvis Smylie, at Millbrook Resort, starting on Thursday.
Smylie, the BMW Australian PGA champion, comes into the week with a 512-point lead, but he can be overtaken, or alternatively he can secure the title, with 760 points to be awarded to the winner on Sunday.
Another three events remain on the Tour schedule in March, with Smylie and Herbert yet to lock in any further appearances – for now anyway.
Herbert, the 2024 Ford NSW Open champion, would love to tick off three items on his hitlist – winning the NZ Open after coming close in 2020, an event he says still haunts him, earning The Open Championship berth which goes to the victor and claiming the Order of Merit top spot for the first time.
Currently, both Herbert and Smylie don’t have a major on their 2025 schedule – or an Order of Merit title.
“There’s certainly a lot going on this week and to be honest, it’s a week that I’ve looked forward to for a few weeks now, because I knew this challenge would come up,” Herbert said.
“There’s not much I can do about Elvis this week. If he plays well, he’s probably going to put the Order of Merit too far away for any of us to catch.
“If I win I’ll give myself the best chance to obviously win that order of merit. So that’s the main focus.”
Back on his home tour for the first time since the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Smylie knows he’s a hunted man this week as he tries to consolidate his hold on No.1 or even clinch the OOM title by winning on Sunday afternoon.
“It was a goal of mine at the start of the season last October – to win the order of Merit and the accolades that do come with winning the Order of Merit are quite big.
“Two out of the four majors, potentially more. It’s a dream of mine to play majors. It’s a dream of mine to compete against the best players in the world and to see where my game adds up and I’ve just got to keep playing well and keep giving myself opportunities.
“It’s exciting though to have the opportunity that I have. It’s obviously a position I’ve put myself in by playing great golf over the past seven months. We’ll see what happens this week and let it be.”
Both Herbert and Smylie have back-up plans should the battle for No.1 not be decided this week.
The current leader has targeted the season-ending The National Tournament (March 27-30), while Herbert may line up at the Heritage Classic (March 20-23) should he still be able to clinch top spot.
This week’s event features 18 of the top 20 on the Order of Merit with only Herbert’s Ripper GC teammates Cam Smith (No.2) and Marc Leishman (No.4) not making the trip to New Zealand.
While Smylie and Herbert are favourites to earn the 2024/25 OOM title, there’s still a chance it could go to any player currently inside the top 10 should results go their way.
However plenty of those will drop out of contention without a win at Millbrook.
Photo: NZ Open
