Josh Geary has a Major in his sights but is also relishing a return to The Hills this week.
Geary warmed up for the New Zealand Open in Arrowtown by finishing second, tied with countryman David Smail, in the New Zealand PGA at Clearwater yesterday.
The 24-year-old was the leading New Zealander, at 6-under and tied for 12th, when the Open was first played at The Hills in late 2007.
His form since that tournament suggests he will be one to watch on Thursday.
"It's a good track for me. It suits my game because it's shorter and firmer and you can be quite aggressive on a few holes," Geary said of The Hills.
"That suits my game, so I'm really looking forward to the Open."Geary will taste an Open on another scale later this year when he plays in the British Open at Turnberry.
He earned his place by finishing in the top three at a qualifier in Victoria last month.
At Clearwater, Geary shot a flawless 67 in the final round to finish two shots behind winner Steve Alker.
He birdied all of the par-5 holes and had another at the tough par-4 13th.
"To be honest, I didn't know where I was standing in the last few holes.
I told my caddy not to look at the board."Geary turned professional in 2005 and has one tournament victory, the 2008 Saskatchewan Open on the Canadian Tour.
He will go back to Canada after the New Zealand Open but said picking up a US$51,000 cheque yesterday could alter his plans.
"This really is big, especially for trying to get on to the Nationwide Tour and go the PGA path.
"Finishing up in the money is good but the main thing is getting some status."
Geary said he had improved consistently since last playing at The Hills and was doing a much better job of relaxing over his short game.
"I've talked to my coach about it a lot. I've been putting too much pressure on myself when I'm putting.
"Now I've stepped back and tried to take the pressure off. That's been working well."
He is still pinching himself at the thought of playing in the British Open.
"It's going to be great playing a Major this early in my career. It's also pretty overwhelming but I'm looking forward to it."
Smail bounced back from his Australian Open meltdown to finish second in the PGA for a second straight year.
He birdied the first three holes to get into a five-way tie for the lead but also had two bogies on the front nine, and two birdies coming home were not enough to haul in Alker.
Smail took some pleasure in seeing his long-time friend Alker win the tournament.
"When I saw Stevie well and truly in the lead I thought I was playing for second," Smail said.
"It's great to see him win. We're clubmates, at St Andrews, and I first saw him when he was about 10 and I was about 12."
Smail is based in Japan, so didn't play in the New Zealand Open when it was first held at The Hills.
But he will be part of the strong New Zealand contingent this week and hoping to repeat his 2002 championship.
