Mahal Pearce knows he remains something of an oddity but he would trade the repetitive question for another shot at glory at The Hills and Millbrook later this month.
It is 11 years since Pearce broke through for a stunning career high when he won the New Zealand Open at Middlemore.
Few outside his home town knew much about the Dunedin professional before that tournament started - and almost nobody could have predicted he would be the last New Zealander to win the Open for more than a decade.
That drought is ripe to be broken when the Open returns to Arrowtown. Pearce, of course, would love another fairy-tale win. But if he misses out on the big money, he would be quite happy to see someone like Michael Hendry, winner of two New Zealand PGA titles at The Hills, claim the Brodie Breeze Trophy.
''Hendry has got to be one of the favourites,'' Pearce told the Otago Daily Times.
''Mark Brown is another guy who could sneak up and surprise a lot of people. Gareth Paddison knows how to win. So there are plenty of Kiwis good enough.''
Pearce (38) has not played much competitive golf since he retained his Australasian Tour card with a tie for 20th at the Australian Open at Royal Sydney at the start of December.
He played in the Otago strokeplay championships as a ''loosener'' and is confident he will be fit and firing for the New Zealand Open.
''The game's in pretty good shape. I'm feeling pretty positive about how things are working.
''The end of last year was a good indicator of where I'm at, and I'm looking forward to what will hopefully be a busy year.''
Pearce and The Hills have not always been happy bedfellows.
The first time the course hosted the Open, 2007, he started with three sub-par rounds but then blew out with a 76. Missed cuts followed in 2009 and 2010.
''The first Open there was good. Since then, I wouldn't say I've struggled, but it probably hasn't gone as well as I would have liked.
''The course has grown on me over the years, you could say.''
The Hills will this year co-host the first two rounds with Millbrook.
Pearce played a couple of rounds at Millbrook last month and is looking forward to the dual-course format, which he has previously experienced at the Dunhill Links, in Scotland, at which three courses are used.
Pearce is playing in the Queensland PGA in Toowoomba this week and is in the Victorian Open next week.
After the New Zealand Open, he heads to China to play in a qualifying school for the new Chinese Tour.
The Chinese have linked with the PGA Tour to hold 12 tournaments, after which the top five players on the money list will get status on the PGA's little brother, the Web.com Tour.
Pearce was optimistic of his chances at Q-school, where 130 players will chase 20 spots over four rounds.
