The Last Word: The Hills are alive?

An Open and shut case
There are so many questions swirling around the New Zealand Open and its future at The Hills.

Will the Open keep its Nationwide Tour co-sanction? Does humble jeweller Michael Hill want to keep bankrolling the tournament? Do North Island interests want the tournament back? Where does New Zealand Golf stand? I would suggest the answers MAY be: No, yes, maybe and don't know.

There have been enough hints that the Nationwide Tour is finding it tricky to justify the expense of coming this far to think there is a fair chance the link with the Open may soon end.

Everything Hill has said and done indicates he wants to keep the Open at his place and make it bigger and better.

And, while there have been no overt advances, you can imagine some in the north must be keen to see the Open back.

As for NZ Golf, its position may become clearer at its annual awards function tonight.

My view is that it doesn't really matter to which tour the Open is aligned, though it has been nice to see so many talented young Americans the last two years.

What is important is that the Open has security (which Hill can provide, with the assistance of the community) and stability (so it should find a regular date and stick with it).

I think the tournament should eventually go back on to a rota, so it can move around three to four top-notch courses for variety.

For now, The Hills is its home, and there is no reason to move in the short term.

The course is spectacular.

Honestly, you can't appreciate it till you see it and the hosts do an exceptional job.

• Get into the groove
A few golfers at the New Zealand Open have talked about the new groove rule.

And that is what, exactly? The new rule has been introduced to the professional ranks this year to put a premium on landing drives on fairways.

Professionals with the ability to boom it off the tee were firing away without fear of landing in the rough, because the deep and sharp grooves in their irons gave them plenty of spin out of dodgy lies.

The new grooves will produce less spin, meaning the ball will run on more, so keeping it on short grass will be much more important.

Weekend hackers have until 2024 to replace their clubs.

• World famous in Gore's hands
Beefy American professional Jason Gore got a taste of New Zealand at a pre-Open press conference.

Gore was provided with a small bottle of L & P.

He looked at the bottle of fizz with interest and took a swig.

"That's very nice," was his summation of Paeroa's famous elixir.

• Recycle, recycle, recycle
They take their love of the environment seriously at The Hills.

Recycle bins are everywhere, and even the notoriously messy media types have been doing their bit to put plastic and paper in the correct bins.

A staggering 84.8% of all rubbish was recycled at the tournament last year.

• Odds and ends
Some tidbits from the Nationwide Tour media guide: JJ Killeen has played on something called the Tight Lies Tour.

Bob Heintz was an academic all-American while at Yale University.

Martin Piller lives with his brother and two cats called Walker and Ranger.

Scott Stallings lists teaching golf to wounded army veterans as his greatest thrill.

Several golfers would have Tiger Woods in their dream foursomes.

We're not even going to go there.

Bubba Dickerson, apart from having the coolest name on tour, once caught a 30-pound (13.5kg) kingfish.

Taggart Twain Ridings.

OK, maybe that's the coolest name on tour.

Not many people know that Trevor Murphy "has webbed feet".

• The kiss of life
Ah, the sweet taste of the Log o' Wood.

Yes, that is the Otago Daily Times sports editor laying one on the famous Ranfurly Shield, a special guest at the Westpac tent at the New Zealand Open.

His Southland friends can be assured he has not suddenly switched allegiance to the Stags.

He's just getting ready to celebrate either North Otago or Otago taking the Shield later this year.

hayden.meikle@odt.co.nz