Auckland professional Richard Lee has created his own history at the Tauranga Golf Club, but the Japan Tour player wants to win his first event on The Charles Tour at the Carrus Open which tees off on Thursday.
The 39-year-old made golfing headlines around the country in 2010 when he recorded the first sub-60 score in a professional event in New Zealand with an 11-under 59.
He has come close on a number of occasions to winning on The Charles Tour and he'll begin the week among the favourites alongside Mark Brown, Grant Moorhead and Doug Holloway for the lion's share of the $40,000 purse.
"I am looking forward to getting back to the Tauranga Golf Club," Lee said.
"I like the course. It offers plenty of birdie opportunities. I haven't won on the Charles Tour yet so I am going to go out there and shoot as low as I can and see where I finish up."
Lee can remember that magical round like it was yesterday.
He made nine birdies and an eagle, slotting a 1.8m birdie putt on his last hole for a course record at Tauranga Golf Club.
"Those sorts of rounds just happen and you just enjoy the ride," Lee said.
"I started thinking about 59 on about the fifth to last hole and thought I had lost it a couple of times, but I just managed to sneak in on the last hole.
"It was a good personal thing to achieve. I was pleased that it was my first chance to do it and I pulled it off. I know a lot of good players have come close to shooting 59 and I didn't want to come close and miss that opportunity. I was just glad that I got it done."
Lee has a few things he'd like to get done before the 2012 season is over.
He wants to win the New Zealand PGA Order of Merit to secure a place at NZ PGA Pro-Am in 2013.
He also wants to retain his playing credentials on the Japan Golf Tour where he currently sits 94th on the Order of Merit and needs to climb inside the top 70 on the money list.
Those hopes were boosted by a recent phone call that informed him he is playing in the Japan Open.
He placed 23rd at the Kansai Open earlier in the year and that was good enough to claim one of the eight places available for the Japan Open as the players ahead of him had already qualified.
He enjoys the Japan Golf Tour and has found the conditions uncomfortably hot in recent weeks.
Playing with one of the superstars of world golf last week confirmed that Lee was heading in the right direction.
"I played with Ryo Ishikawa last week the young fella from Japan who is a highly rated player and we did everything the same but he shot two - three shots better than me. That is the difference.
"He didn't play great but he scored well which is the sign of a good player. The ninth hole for example we both hit it in the bunker and he got up and down for birdie and I didn't. That happened two or three times per round and it all adds up at the end of the week those eight shots make a difference in where you place. It is all about capitalising on your opportunities."
The Carrus Open is the third event of the Charles Tour for 2012 with the John Jones Steel Ltd Harewood Open in October and the Wairakei Open in December.
