Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy may be enjoying a gap year, but he believes he has a chance to be in contention for the 100^th New Zealand Open in Queenstown starting on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of PhotoSportNZ

The Australian is playing for just the second time in the New Zealand Open which is co-sanctioned with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour and in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour, and staged at The Hills and Millbrook Resort.

Ogilvy, with Michael Campbell and YE Yang, one of a record three former major winners taking part, has headed to Queenstown for the first time as he takes a “gap year” from the sport.

After two decades based in the US, Ogilvy has moved back to Melbourne with his family, and without the rigours of a fulltime gig on the PGA Tour, he has taken the opportunity to play in some bucket-list events.

“This is my first time to Queenstown. Everyone who comes back from this event says it is the prettiest place in the world. It has always been on the list and I am super excited to be here,” said Ogilvy, who has recorded mixed results recently.

“A lot of the issue is not enough scorecard-tournament rounds in the last six months. I am hitting it well. At the Vic Open I had some moments where I played okay, but at Perth it was awful. I practiced last week and played a bit and it feels good.

“My ball-striking feels great and if I can make a few putts, if I can get a feeling and get into the tournament and get into contention, I think it will all come back. There’s no reason why I can’t play well.”

Ogilvy said he is enjoying taking time out of life as a fulltime golfer, although he has far from fallen out of love with the sport.

“I am happy being dad at the moment and doing the school run and playing a bit of golf and not being in a hotel. I will always be a golfer. I love golf now more than I ever have but it is about balancing it all out.

“I would like to get into contention this week. Apart from the pure love of playing golf, professional golf for me is fun, when you are in contention and feeling it, especially those last nine holes coming down the stretch on Sunday.

“The true enjoyment to me is when I had a chance. Success for me is to get into contention and see how I go.”

Ogilvy, who is also spending time in his golf course development company and as assistant to Ernie Els for the International team for the Presidents Cup, said it was a special occasion to be playing in the 100^th New Zealand Open.

“The 100^th is amazing – there are not many that have gone that long. One hundred New Zealand Opens is a pretty stout golf history. And the field that is assembled including the amateur field is special – everyone recognises the significance of this week.

“Being part of the 100^th New Zealand Open is great. Winning it would be even better.”

There are 12 former New Zealand Open champions competing while a further three, including four-time winner Sir Bob Charles, will take part in a special par-3 event at The Hills on Wednesday.

There are 152 professionals and 152 amateurs taking teeing it up in the first two rounds played at both The Hills and Millbrook Resort before a cut to the top-60 players plus ties to compete in the final 36 holes at The Hills.

Having turned 50 at the weekend, Michael Campbell will making his competitive comeback this week at the 100th edition of the New Zealand Open.

And to mark the occasion, Michael has been speaking to commentator Richard Kaufman in his The Round Golf Podcast.

Michael takes us on the journey of his roller coaster career. Stories of his Maori upbringing, fortune-telling grandmother and being too embarrassed to admit to his peers that he played golf. His emergence on the world stage at the 1995 Open at St Andrews and wanting to quit within a few years. His rise up again and the incredible circumstances that culminated in his major championship victory at the US Open at Pinehurst, seeing off Tiger Woods.

He reminisces about his incredible homecoming and being in the celebrity spotlight. How he coped with his game’s subsequent decline, retirement and now, a return to golf.

Ryan Fox was destined to be a professional athlete. It was just a case of which sport. This episode shows how Ryan benefited and was literally hurt by being the son of New Zealand’s World Cup winning rugby union legend Grant Fox. Ryan reveals how the hits he took saw him turning to other sports and how, for a while, he looked as if he might follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, former New Zealand test cricketer Merv Wallace.

Late by modern standards, Ryan Fox turned to golf. He admits how early in his professional career he thought he was done with the game. But how with the help of his father, he turned it around and is now flourishing.

With the Irish Open this week, Ryan talks of the one that got away twelve months ago. But we begin at the start of 2019 with four weeks that proved momentous in so many ways. His first European Tour win and marriage to Annike.

Given the way I played, I thought the first New Zealand Open I ever played in would be my last.

Growing up, most of my sporting heroes were cricketers. Richard Hadlee was my hero because I was a medium-quick bowler who swung it around a little bit. Obviously I wasn’t quite as good as him but he was my hero when I was really young and then there were guys like Martin Crowe, Stephen Fleming and Shane Bond.

There were no golf heroes as such until Tiger came along in my late teens. Tiger was my first sporting hero when it came to golf.

I only started playing golf because my cricket mates were playing golf in the winter at Pupuke Golf Club on the north shore of Auckland.

It’s not a great golf course by any stretch of the imagination but because it’s quite hilly you have to shape your shots – hit big cuts and big hooks – and it’s produced really good players such as Lydia Ko, Richard Lee and Josh Carmichael.

My love for golf grew and grew and when my cricket started stalling I decided to play more golf. It got to the point where I had to make a choice and I felt that I had more momentum with my golf than I did cricket.

It just so happened that I qualified for my first New Zealand Open in 2006 at around the time I was having to make that decision.

I went through local qualifying at Manukau Golf Club – which actually doesn’t exist anymore – and got through.

I missed the cut at Gulf Harbour by a mile. I played like an absolute dog but I loved the atmosphere and the feel of being out there as one of the guys inside the ropes and I thought to myself then that this was what I wanted to do.

All the planets seemed to align and it pushed me in one direction and I’ve probably made a better fist of golf than I ever would have at cricket.

There’s a cricket game on Monday afternoon actually that I was really keen to play in but I’ve got a fair idea what would happen if I did. My shoulder might not be able to swing a golf club on Thursday if the red mist descended and the run-up kept getting longer and longer.

A place in history

You’re always aware of your national Open as a kid. When you’re on the putting green if it’s not a putt to win The Masters it’s a putt to win the New Zealand Open.

It’s definitely at the forefront of your mind and to be perfectly honest, after that first performance I don’t know that I ever thought I’d be able to win one.

When I look at how poorly I played that week, the fact that I’ve now won one, had a top-three finish and a few top-10s, I’ve got a pretty good record after that first horror performance.

I was totally not ready in terms of my level of golf at that point. Cricket was my No.1 sport until I was about 23 and then I played a year’s worth of relatively high-level amateur golf in New Zealand before I decided to go to Aussie Q-School.

I managed to get a card so I turned professional and was playing local pro-ams but I hadn’t played any real tournament golf.

I was Joe Hack back then so it took a lot of hard work. I didn’t start playing some really decent golf for a few years after that.

Winning the New Zealand Open two years ago is definitely the high point of my career to date.

I’ve won in Japan and had a lot of really good finishes up there. I’m pretty proud of what I’ve been able to achieve in my career considering my background but if I was to single out one tournament it would be the New Zealand Open.

The golfing fraternity in New Zealand is pretty small so I had a lot of friends there in Queenstown which was cool. My wife Tara and my little girl being there on the 18th green was a really special moment as well.

A lot of people don’t realise the sacrifice that goes into being a professional sportsperson and a lot of those sacrifices aren’t made by us, they are made by those closest to us.

It was extra special to be able to share that with them.

You do feel like you’ve joined a special club when as a Kiwi you win the New Zealand Open.

I feel like my game is starting to pick up and that I’m trending in the right direction and while anything can happen, I was talking with my caddy, Jordan, about how cool it would be to win a second one.

There wouldn’t be too many people to have won two New Zealand Opens and two New Zealand PGA Championships and to be able to put my name amongst legends such as Sir Bob Charles and Kel Nagle would be pretty awesome.

It would be pretty cool to win another one and put my name up a bit further in the history of New Zealand golfers.

To do it in the 100th New Zealand Open would be something extra special.

With just a week to go until the 100^th New Zealand Open tees off in Queenstown, Nick Voke, one of this country’s most exciting young golfers, has confirmed his start in the tournament.

The 24-year-old will play in the NZD$1.3m event from 28 February to 3 March at Millbrook Resort and The Hills, an event co-sanctioned with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour and in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

The Aucklander climbed to #240 in the world rankings in his first year as a professional, finishing in a share of seventh place at the 2018 New Zealand Open. He made a late start to the burgeoning PGA Tour China and incredibly claimed three wins and a share of fourth place in the final five events to finish third overall on their Order of Merit.

His rapid early success gained him status on to the Web.Com Tour for 2019.

Before turning professional, Voke carved out an outstanding amateur career including five college victories and the 2017 NCAA Regionals title with Iowa State University. He was also a standout for New Zealand including a T10 finish at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship staged at Royal Wellington Golf Club.

Voke has recently returned from his Web.Com Tour debut in the unfamiliar surrounds of Colombia: “It was a big jump in the deep end and there were lots of things to sort out in a foreign country. I’m a big fan of continuous improvement and development. It’s harder to learn when you’re lifting trophies and much easier when adversity slaps that lesson right across your face,” he says.

New Zealand Open Tournament Director Michael Glading says they are thrilled to have Voke in the field.

“This is naturally a very special New Zealand Open, especially when you have the likes of Sir Bob Charles, Michael Campbell and many others in our midst who have been such an integral part of the fabric of our game,” he says.

“At the same time, it is important to look ahead at the next generation of players in this country who will take the game forward. Nick Voke is a very exciting prospect in this regard, both as an accomplished amateur and one who has made a spectacular start to his professional career.

“He likes these courses as he showed last year. He has the potential to put some real pressure on other competitors this year. He’s definitely one to watch.”

The two most successful golfers to come out of Korea – KJ Choi and YE Yang – have confirmed they will both play in the 100^th New Zealand Open Championship in Queenstown from 28 February to 3 March.

KJ Choi is one of the top 25 players on the PGA TOUR’s all-time money-list with earnings of over NZ$50 million in prize-money. The hugely popular Korean has 20 professional victories worldwide to his credit, winning eight times on the PGA TOUR and taking the trophy at the 2011 PLAYERS’ Championship.

YE Yang is the first Asian-born player to win a Major, with his famous victory over Tiger Woods in the 2009 US PGA Championship among his 12 career wins. The 47-year-old proved he is far from a spent force in the game with an outstanding 2018 season on the Japan Golf Tour, including victory at The Crowns among seven top-13 finishes that saw him 12^th overall on the Order of Merit.

The pair has a shared history in golf in New Zealand, both coming here as young professionals to learn the game before embarking on their illustrious careers. Yang returned to compete in the New Zealand Open in 2017 and Choi last year, with both players excited to return to the country and to have the opportunity to play with sponsors in Queenstown.

“I very much enjoyed playing in Queenstown last year but because I now know more about the courses I wanted to return and be even more competitive this time,” says Choi who missed the cut by just one shot last year.

Yang finished T39th at the New Zealand Open last year, which was a springboard for his exceptional season in Japan.

“New Zealand was important for me when I was starting in golf. I spent almost four years here playing and practicing in Auckland, Christchurch and Taupo especially,” says Yang.

“Last year gave me the chance to return and play in Queenstown which is beautiful, so I was keen to return again and I would like to play well especially in the 100^th New Zealand Open – it would be a special honour.”

The addition of YE Yang to the field now means that the 100^th New Zealand Open will boast three former Major winners, with Yang lining up alongside former US Open Champions Michael Campbell and Geoff Ogilvy.

Tournament Director Michael Glading commented: “It is a thrill to know that two legends of the game have enjoyed their previous visits here so much that they are both keen to return. Not only that, both are extremely competitive – Korean golf goes from strength to strength and both KJ and YE remain at the forefront of that.”

Geoff Ogilvy, former US Open champion and winner of three World Golf Championships, has confirmed he will compete in the 100^th New Zealand Open in Queenstown next month.

Once ranked as high as number three in the world, the 41-year-old Australian will compete in the New Zealand Open for just the second time. The opportunity to play at The Hills and Millbrook Resorts from 28 February to 3 March comes off the back of Ogilvy’s decision to relocate his family back to Melbourne after two decades based in the USA.

“The New Zealand Open is seen by golfers internationally as a fantastic tournament. They say Queenstown is the prettiest place in the world – I’ve never been there so I can’t wait. Professional golf can put you in a box and when you play in the US it’s just easier to stay there. It hasn’t really been possible to compete in the New Zealand Open – but it is now and I couldn’t be more excited,” says Ogilvy.

Ogilvy has won 12 times as a professional including eight occasions on the PGA Tour, culminating in his victory at the US Open in 2006. He was 4^th in the 2011 Masters, 5^th in the British Open in 2005 and 6^th in the PGA Championships twice. Overall, he spent two and a half years in the top-10 world rankings.

“We are delighted to attract someone of Geoff’s calibre to this event,” says Tournament Director Michael Glading.

“For two decades he has been one of Australia’s most successful players in Europe and on the PGA Tour. We are confident he will enjoy the experiences on and off the golf course in Queenstown. Geoff is a student of the game and I know he is mindful of the great players from his homeland who have left such an indelible mark on the New Zealand Open Championship in the past,” he says.

Ogilvy is quick to say, however, that he is not just coming to make up the numbers.

“The older you get, the more things like National Opens take pride of place on your resume. Tournaments like the New Zealand Open stand the test of time.”

With its long history, the New Zealand Open is rightly proud of its reputation for attracting elite, international golf professionals such as Ogilvy to compete in this world-class tournament.

“I knew Peter Thomson very well – a real legend who has won this tournament many times. I’ve also had the privilege to play a lot over the years with New Zealanders like Cambo and Phil Tataurangi,” he says.

Ogilvy competed at the 1999 New Zealand Open at Formosa but it is not how he wants to be remembered: “The wind blew 100 miles an hour, it was my last tournament after nine in a row and it was one tournament too far. I didn’t make the cut – so let’s call this my first time properly at a New Zealand Open,” he jokes.

While he is looking forward to the Open, he is unsure how much golf he will play in 2019 as his next few years will be dedicated more to his three children.

“I am done playing 26 to 30 tournaments a year at least for the next few years. If I play well, then absolutely I will likely play a bit more but if I don’t, then I’ll focus more on my golf architecture business and my media work. It is an exciting period but I will always be a professional golfer. I am always going to play a few tournaments every year,” he says.

For now, his sights are set firmly on the 100^th New Zealand Open next month: “To win would be amazingly special. I’m definitely coming to try and make that happen.”

Ogilvy will compete for the 2019 New Zealand Open Title and $1.3 million prize pool in a field of 152 players. Simultaneously, a pairing of one professional and one amateur will play a best-ball format for the New Zealand Pro-Am Championship, making it a unique event within the Asia-Pacific region. The event is co-sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour and in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

Organisers of the New Zealand Open today announced that former US Open champion, Michael Campbell, will re-commence his career, following three years in retirement, at next year’s 100th NZ Open at Millbrook Resort and The Hills in February 2019.

“I’m very excited to start the next chapter of my golfing career at the 100th NZ Open in Queenstown. It’s been three years since I retired and I now plan to join the Senior Tour.  I can’t think of a better way to kick off the season than playing at home, in what is going to be a milestone event.”

“The New Zealand Open is one of my favourite golfing tournaments. We are lucky to have an event of this calibre here in NZ – it brings top international talent to NZ and has helped me and many others progress our careers.  I couldn’t miss being part of the 100^th celebration,” says Campbell.

Retired from competitive golf since 2015, his 50th birthday coincides with the week of celebratory events leading up to the 100^th New Zealand Open. Achieving that milestone means he now qualifies for the PGA and European Senior Tours. His participation in the 100^th New Zealand Open signals his first step back into the game he loves.

One of only three Kiwi Professionals to have won a golf major, Campbell shot to fame when he beat Tiger Woods to win the 2005 US Open Championship.

Campbell and the 100^th New Zealand Open team are also thrilled to announce Manuka Doctor (a sponsor of Campbell) will join the list of major sponsors for the event.

“To have a home-grown successful New Zealand company like Manuka Doctor come on board is a real vote of confidence in our event. We are absolutely delighted that they have elected to be a part of our 100^th tournament celebration,” says Tournament Committee Chairman, John Hart.

Manuka Doctor is a New Zealand company taking iconic Manuka honey to the international arena with genuine, authentic true-to-label Manuka honey and skincare products. Manuka honey has been dubbed a superfood so it seemed like a perfect pairing to help power the players at the New Zealand Open with natural energy of Manuka honey.

“We are thrilled Michael Campbell – one of New Zealand’s golfing elite – will be playing in the New Zealand Open. It’s great to be able to bring him home to play in such a premium golfing event being played out in picture perfect Queenstown. Together we are showcasing the very best of New Zealand to the world,” says Nicola MacFarlane, Manuka Doctor.

With less than 100 days until the 100^th New Zealand Open tees off in Queenstown, interest is running high as more and more international players and sponsors confirm their support.

”It is a thrill for us to have Michael Campbell return to play in New Zealand again and we are particularly grateful that, through our association with Manuka Doctor, we are able to add a former major winner of his calibre to our field,” says Hart.

“100 years of the NZ Open is something all Kiwis should feel proud of. This is an iconic sporting event and one that deserves celebrating.”

New Zealand golfing legend, Sir Bob Charles, recalls winning his first New Zealand Open as a fresh 18-year-old amateur at Heretaunga in 1954 – his first of four New Zealand Open Championship wins.

Charles is just one of the great Kiwi golfers who will be attending the 100th year of the New Zealand Open in 100 days’ time, on 28 February 2019, at Millbrook Resort and The Hills in Queenstown.

Organisers of The Open today announced the start of a one-hundred-day countdown leading up to this year’s tournament, one of New Zealand’s oldest sporting events. 100 times, the New Zealand Open has attracted elite, international golf professionals to New Zealand to compete in this world-class tournament. In doing so it has created a springboard for local talent to advance their careers in a sport where New Zealand consistently punches above its weight, producing many world-class players.

Charles remembers, “To win the New Zealand Open meant a lot to me.  It is where I got my start displaying my skills against the very best in the world." New Zealand Professionals competing include Ryan Fox, Steve Alker, Tim Wilkinson, Ben Campbell and Mark Brown, as well as former champions Mike Hendry (2017), David Smail (2001) and Michael Long (1996).

For the next 100 days these players, along with other golfing dignitaries, will celebrate this milestone and reflect on the great competition, careers, players and shots over the history of the tournament and the game since the first Open in 1907. They will share their stories, trivia and memories in the build-up to a programme of events alongside this year’s Open to mark the occasion.

Organisers are particularly thrilled to have Ryan Fox return to play in next year’s event. “Ryan is now a top 100 player in the world, and can pick and choose which events he will play. For him, the New Zealand Open has as high a priority as any of golf’s majors and we couldn’t be more grateful for his support,” says Tournament Director Michael Glading.

New Zealand Open organisers announced that this year’s international field will also include a large number of additional past champions, including last year’s winner Daniel Nisbet, Matt Griffin (2016), Jordan Zunic (2015), Dimi Papadatos (2014), Jake Higginbottom (2012), Brad Kennedy (2011), Peter O’Malley (1995) and Peter Fowler (1993). At least 20 professionals from the Japan Tour and 30 from the Asian Tour will be competing, guaranteeing plenty of world-class competition to entertain crowds.

While only seven professionals teed off in 1907 at the Waiohiki Napier Golf Club, 152 professional golfers will compete for the 2019 New Zealand Open Title and $1.3 million prize pool. Simultaneously, a pairing of one professional and one amateur will play a best-ball format for the New Zealand Pro-Am Championship. A Tier One event co-sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour, and in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour, the New Zealand Open’s Pro-Am format makes the New Zealand Open unique in the Asia-Pacific region.

With just 100 days to go before the start of the 100^th New Zealand Open, interest is hotting up. According to Sir Bob Charles, “100 tournaments of the iconic New Zealand Open is something all kiwis should feel proud of. Golf is a part of our sporting heritage – reaching 100 years is a phenomenal achievement for New Zealand sport and something that deserves celebrating.”

Queenslander Daniel Nisbet has won the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open.

Being played across Millbrook Resort and The Hills, Nisbet fired rounds of 63, 66, 67 and 62 for a tournament total 27-under 258 to win the title by two shots.

Nisbet, who started the day six shots behind Terry Pilkadaris came out firing, needing a low round to grab victory. By the 16^th hole he had over taken Pilkadaris thanks to six birdies and an eagle. A further birdie at the 17^th and a par at the 18^th sealed the title for the 27 year old.

This becomes Nisbet’s first victory on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and adds to his 2016 win on the PGA TOUR China.

More to come.