Golf: Aussie director glad to be back in city

Australia director of championships Trevor Herden at the St Clair Golf Club. Photo by Gerard O...
Australia director of championships Trevor Herden at the St Clair Golf Club. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
When Trevor Herden discovered golf in Dunedin in the 1970s, he never imagined he would one day be organising some of the biggest golf opens in the world.

Australia's director of championships, a ''pretty exciting'' job, has been his official title since 2008. ''I oversee all the championships and am the tournament director for the men's and women's Australian opens, which keeps me pretty busy,'' he said.

''We have got a huge Australian Open this year with Rory Mcllroy coming over to defend his title, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Jordan Speith... they are just the guys that have been announced so far.''

Herden is in Dunedin for the first time in seven years to visit family and catch up with a few old golfing friends.

He is originally from Sydney but lived in Dunedin from 1975-85, before moving home and caddying for ''a hell of a golfer'', Greg Turner, for three years.

After directing the PGA tour in Australia for 13 years, he moved to the United States for three years, before moving into his current role.

''It's an honour to run a national open. It's a pretty good feeling, a lot of responsibility with a lot of big money spent,'' he said.

Herden still likes to play a bit of golf himself and plays off a seven handicap at the Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, where he is based.

After first picking a golf club up at the Balmacewen course when he lived in Dunedin, he won an Otago junior charity event by 14 shots. He he has played the Augusta course twice, and even fired a birdie two on hole 12, he said.

''It's been an exciting ride for me. It's interesting to come back now . . . I'm just thinking of all the old days we played here.

''I keep talking to people and they ask me where I played. I tell them Dunedin and they say `where?'...most people have never heard of it.

''I love it. I think it's a great place. I was telling my son [Luke] how nice and peaceful it is. We travel around the world and do all this stuff - it's a bit of a rat race at times - but by god, coming back here, it's fantastic.''

Herden played a part in Michael Campbell making it on the world stage when he was the tournament director in Australia.

He got a phone call from a ''bloke'' who was trying to help Campbell out by getting him a start in a tournament. Herden obliged and Campbell went on to win it.

''That's what started Michael Campbell off, at Castle Hill. It's amazing how it all unfolds. You're lucky to be at the right place at the right time, and that is certainly the case for me,'' he said.

Herden has also crossed paths with Lydia Ko in his role.

''In one tournament [in 2011] she had a high finish . . . I went up to her and said, `well done, is there anything else we can do for you?'.

''`Someone stole my golf shoes','' she said.

''I asked her if someone stole them or picked them up by mistake.

''She looked as though the world was going to collapse. I think back today, here she is, she's a megastar. It was amazing.''

Before Herden flies back to Australia to gear up for the Australian Open in Sydney starting on November 27, he plans to have a ''hit'' on one of Dunedin's ''fantastic'' courses.

''For kids taking up golf, there's not a much better place to start playing. They have got a great variety of courses and they're all about 10 minutes from the city,'' he said.

By Robert van Royen. 

 

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