NZ Golf Magazine

BMW NZ Open Win

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:48:51 +0000

Queensland professional Brad Kennedy grabbed the biggest win of his career when he
made a clutch birdie putt on the first extra hole to win the BMW New Zealand Open in
Christchurch today.

It was an unlikely victory for the overnight leader who trailled 2002 Open champion
Craig Parry by two shots with two holes to play.

The 37-year-old Kennedy made a miracle up-and-down on the 17th before Parry imploded
when he hit his drive on the last into the water and finished with a double bogey.

New Zealand hope Josh Geary, hanging in on the back of brilliant touch on the
greens, joined the Australian pair on seven-under par but like Parry, he drove into
the water on the 18th, and while he made a valiant effort, his par putt slid by.

Parry was again ragged with his drive on the first extra hole, the 18th, before
Kennedy nailed a 5m birdie putt to secure his seventh and biggest win to date.

He shot a final round two-over 74 to finish on seven-under par along with Geary (72)
and Parry (69). They finished a shot ahead of Australian Rohan Blizard who shot a
one-under 71, with fellow Australians Leigh Deagan and Nicholas Cullen shared fifth
place on four-under.

The win caps off an outstanding spell of form for the Australian, who won the
Western Australian Open late last year, had four top-10 finishes on the Japan Tour
and now capped it with victory at Clearwater.

“To win a New Zealand Open, with all the great names on it and one of the oldest
Opens in the world is pretty special to me,” said Kennedy.

“The last 14 months have been great for me with the win at Western Australia, in
Japan and now this.“

Kennedy, who led throughout, said he never panicked after his three dropped shots on
the first nine.

“I tried to stay patient on the back nine. I knew I was around the lead. But when I
saw on 14 that Craig had got to nine-under I then became the chaser and I decided to
get more aggressive.

“The playoff was great. I didn’t try to two-putt it, I thought do it on your own terms.

“To play against someone like Craig and holing a putt for birdie is fantastic. I
backed Craig to make his so I knew I had to make it to win. “

He also felt at home throughout the week.

“I know Christchurch so well. It’s my sixth of seventh time playing the course so I
know Clearwater well.”

Kennedy saw his three-shot overnight advantage disappear with three bogeys on the
opening nine holes.

Parry, chasing down his 24th career victory and first win since the 2007 Australian
Open, made his move with three straight birdies in the middle of his round, taking
the lead for the first time on the 11th hole. The championship was his until that
drive on the final hole.

Geary, again struggling tee to green, slid back to sixth at one stage before birdies
at the 15th and 16th brought him back into contention. After driving into the water
on the 18th, Geary played a supreme shot from the rough but his par attempt did not
drop, and he had to be content with third placing, his best after sharing fourth
place in 2009.

“I am definitely gutted,” said Geary. “What is done is done, you can cry for a few
hours but it’s not going to change what happened.

“It was like yesterday. I hit the ball pretty poorly and ended up in some pretty bad
spots. But I just stuck in there and my short game was on fire again to keep me in
it. I was surprised to have a chance for the playoff and the win.”

Eighteen year old Australian Jack Higginbottom won the Bledisloe Cup for leading
amateur, shooting a four-over 76 today to finish on four-over and a share of 22nd
place.

Is Tiger Back?

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:01:40 +0000

Tiger Woods hasn’t looked this good on the course in back-to-back weeks since he left Australia two years ago with his 82nd title and the indisputable No 1 ranking.

OK, it’s a small sample.

The Australian Open and the Presidents Cup marked only the sixth time since the end of 2009 that Woods has even competed in consecutive weeks.

He finished third in Sydney, two shots out of the lead. He played just as well, if not better, at Royal Melbourne, even if his record will show him contributing only two points. Still to be determined is whether the last fortnight represents another tease or substantial progress that Woods really is on his way back. Nine rounds of solid play – mostly in windy conditions – would suggest the latter.

Next up for Woods is his season finale at the Chevron World Challenge next week in California.

It was a small coincidence that the decisive point in another US Presidents Cup victory came down to Woods. Captain Fred Couples put him in 11th spot for the 12 singles matches on Sunday. Woods closed out Aaron Baddeley on the 15th hole with his sixth birdie, the most of any player on another tough day at Royal Melbourne.

The comments that followed were not so much of a coincidence.

Nothing irritates Woods more than people who doubt or criticise, and that list included International captain Greg Norman. Along with saying he thought Woods’ dominance in the majors was over, the Shark said he would not have picked Woods for the Presidents Cup, instead choosing PGA champion Keegan Bradley.

Couples not only used a captain’s pick on Woods, he announced it a month before his team was even decided.

“I’m thankful he picked me,” Woods said. “Greg is probably not happy about it after I closed out the cup today.”

The Presidents Cup was a big step for Woods, and it ended with a small dig at Norman.

And there could be more to come.

Woods has spent a career wanting to prove the sceptics wrong. He was questioned for overhauling his swing under Butch Harmon after his watershed win at the 1997 Masters, but when he was finished, Woods reached incomparable levels. He won 28 times in a three-year span, and had a stretch of winning seven out of 11 majors.

Then came another change under Hank Haney, where everything was inspected except the number of trophies. Woods won a fourth green jacket at the Masters in 2005, was runner-up in the US Open at Pinehurst, then captured another British Open that showed he was back on top of his game, and his sport.

Woods couldn’t resist a shot at his doubters.

“I’ve been criticised for the last couple of years. ‘Why would I change my game?’ This is why,” Woods said that summer day at St. Andrews. “First, second and first in the last three majors. That’s why.”

There are differences this time around.

Woods is 35, and five of the top 10 players in the world are in their 20s. That includes US Open champion Rory McIlroy, former PGA champion Martin Kaymer and Dustin Johnson, the most talented American still in his 20s.

He had surgery for the fourth time on his left knee after winning the 2008 US Open, his 14th and last major to date. He injured the left knee again at the Masters this year, and while he described it as “minor,” he hobbled off the TPC Sawgrass a month later and did not return to competition for three months.

When he came back, he looked ordinary at Firestone and missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

The excuses he offered were reasonable, even if not many people wanted to hear them. He had only been processing changes to his swing under Sean Foley for a year, and he couldn’t spend the proper amount of time on the range to work on them. He said his left leg was stronger than it had been in years, giving him time to practice. All he needed was competition, yet he wasn’t eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs, and couldn’t play other events because of family commitments, set out in his divorce, that were not flexible.

As always, only Woods knows where he is in this “process”.

“This is the way I’ve been hitting it at home, “Woods said. “I’m very pleased with the progress I’ve made with Sean, and it’s finally paying off under pressure. It held up nicely last week at the Open, and it held up nicely this week.”

Questions remain about his putting. Woods used to make everything, or so it seemed. There are times it looks as though he makes nothing now. Holing putts wasn’t easy for anyone at Royal Melbourne, especially with the wind. Even so, Woods missed his fair share at the Frys.com Open and Australian Open.

Woods once said he believed the yips were hereditary. When asked about his father – the best putting coach he ever had – about nine months before Earl Woods died, he smiled and said: “He still makes everything.”

Fred Couples was the first to approach Woods after his win over Baddeley on the weekend, shadow boxing with him on the 15th green.

Perhaps both of them shared a feeling on vindication.

“I felt like I was picking the greatest player I’ve ever seen,” Couples said. “I’ve never seen anyone play like Tiger.”

BMW launches virtual golf club

admin — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:34:46 +0000

BMW launches virtual golf club in lead up to NZ Open

With less than one month to go before the start of the marquee event on the local golfing calendar, the BMW NZ Open, BMW has launched an innovative website for golfers designed to enhance their on-course performance.

Lauded as a world-first, the interactive website draws on up to ten years of individual’s results and provides every registered golfer with personalised statistical updates and progress reports.

The site, run in conjunction with New Zealand Golf, is proving so popular that more than 3000 golf enthusiasts have joined the virtual club in the two weeks since it launched.

“Golf is the highest participation sport in New Zealand, with almost half a million men and women playing each year. Of these, 125,000 people are registered golf club members who hold an official NZ Golf handicap, making all of them eligible to join the BMW Golf Club,” said the Managing Director of BMW New Zealand, Mark Gilbert.

“All new BMW models offer the latest in innovation and connectivity, the BMW Golf Club offers a similar level of interaction, drawing on thousands of rounds of golf to provide a snap-shot of a golfer’s performance and identify areas and ways to improve.”

Monthly prizes are awarded to ‘Most Improved Players’ while a virtual leader board also features on the site. Of greatest value to members is the complimentary BMW Personal Golf Performance Report, a live update feature which provides players with immediate tips and suggestions to enhance their playing experience.

“In a sport where every stroke counts, the BMW Golf Club will help golfers lower their score and get the winning edge,” said Mr Gilbert.

“The launch of the virtual BMW Golf Club simply adds to the building anticipation ahead of the BMW NZ Open, which gets underway at Clearwater Golf Course on December 1.”

The website for the BMW Golf Club is www.bmwgolfclub.co.nz