Dunedin professional Pearce would love to recapture the euphoria of his Open win at Middlemore in 2003.
But if he can't claim a second title at The Hills, he will take vicarious pleasure through any of his countrymen at the top of the leaderboard.
Pearce missed the cut at the New Zealand PGA at the weekend but there was a homegrown trifecta at the top as champion Steve Alker was followed by Josh Geary and David Smail.
"It was fantastic to see those guys do well. It's about time it happened," Pearce told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
"Hopefully this week we can get a similar result.
"Every Kiwi in the field this week has a chance to win it, and that's fantastic. It's special for all of us because it's our national Open."
Pearce finished tied for 36th at The Hills in late 2007 but would have finished much higher had he not blown out with a 76 in the final round.
He recalled the excitement of the inaugural event after he played a full 18 holes yesterday, and he gave his assessment of the course.
"The greens are rolling pretty good but the course in general is a lot lusher.
"The weather could be interesting. If it's cold and windy and wet, then scores definitely won't be as low as last time."
Pearce has had a solid six weeks of golf, including winning the Formosa Pro-Am and making cuts at the Victorian Open, Victorian PGA and Moonah Classic.
He has had a handful of low rounds but, as he has tended to do in his career, he has added some big scores.
"I suppose I'm only four rounds away from something special so I've got to keep that thought in my mind."
Pearce said the field at the Open was superior to the last time the tournament was played at The Hills, thanks to the influx of Nationwide Tour players.
His future is in relative limbo as he has decided not to return to the Asian Tour this year.
He said he played well on the tour last year but did not earn enough money to make the travel worthwhile.
Pearce will play Australasian Tour events and possibly look at qualifying for the Japanese or European tour schools.
• Mahal Pearce will again write an exclusive daily column for the Otago Daily Times during the New Zealand Open.
