Rough start to NZ Open

A spectator takes shelter at The Hills course this morning. PHOTO: PHOTOSPORT
A spectator takes shelter at The Hills course this morning. PHOTO: PHOTOSPORT

Golfers teed off at the New Zealand Open in Arrowtown this morning, despite rain and strong winds in the Otago region, and by lunchtime the sun was shining.

The Kiwi contingent will once again be up against a stack of talented Australian and Japanese golfers. Picking a winner is also notoriously difficult, with recent winners coming out of nowhere to take it out.

That includes last year's winner, Jordan Zunic, of Australia, who claimed his first professional tournament courtesy of a birdie on the final hole.

The tournament will be played on The Hills and Millbrook courses.

Relaxing at The Hills yesterday are (from left) Alan Border, Brendon McCullum, Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming. PHOTO:  PHOTOSPORT
Relaxing at The Hills yesterday are (from left) Alan Border, Brendon McCullum, Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming. PHOTO: PHOTOSPORT

Celebrity cricketers - par excellence

There is no doubt the New Zealand Open is the main course, but plenty of eyes will also be on a bunch of cricketing greats in Arrowtown during the next four days.

While professionals such as Josh Geary and Ryan Fox are gunning to become the first Kiwi to win the Open since 2003, transtasman rivalry will be on show in the form of a celebrity challenge.

Recently retired Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum has swapped bat for club and hopes his cricket swing does not creep into his game.

‘‘If I know it's going to go over extra cover, it's fine, but the problem is it could easily go to cow corner too,'' he said when asked about his game.

McCullum teams up with former Black Cap captain Stephen Fleming, former All Black Justin Marshall and actor Shane Cortese in the New Zealand team.

They will each play former Australian cricket captains Allan Border and Ricky Ponting, former Warriors coach and player Ivan Cleary and comedian Glenn Robbins under match play rules.

While McCullum oozed confidence and swagger playing cricket, he was far from confident ahead of today.

The man from South Dunedin even suggested mulligans (second chance) should be introduced for the competition.

‘‘I've talked myself into a whole lot of anxiety about this week. It's not the smartest thing I could do,'' McCullum said.

But, unsurprisingly, McCullum was hitting the ball sweetly during a practice round yesterday.

He just needs to transfer it to Millbrook, The Hills and Jack's Point courses over the next four days.

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement