Kiwi Golf Update

Kiwis In Action (9-12 February)

2012-02-09T21:59:00.004+13:00

Danny Lee will again tee it up on the PGA Tour this week at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, hoping to make just his second cut of the season. There's also Cambo in Dubai as well as some of our top ladies in Australia.

Pebble Beach Pro-Am (US PGA Tour)
- Danny Lee

Dubai Desert Classic (European Tour)
- Michael Campbell

Women's Australian Open (LPGA Tour)
- Lydia Ko (am)
- Caroline Bon
- Cathryn Bristow
- Lynnette Brooky

Danny Lee Holes It In One

2012-01-24T18:57:00.003+13:00

Danny Lee made the cut this week at the Humana Challenge for the first time as a PGA Tour member, eventually finishing tied for 66th.

But Danny's biggest accomplishment at the tournament came in the final round on the 140 yard par three 17th hole. Watch below....

You can catch Danny in action again this week on the PGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open from Torrey Pines.

Danny Struggles In Hawaii

2012-01-17T18:10:00.004+13:00

We are back for the 2012 season. Follow us here for all the news on Kiwi professionals competing around the world. You can also follow us on twitter @kiwigolfupdate

Danny Lee has begun his 2012 PGA Tour season with a missed cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii. The Kiwi number one posted rounds of 72 and 71 to finish at three over par and miss the cut by four shots.

Danny carded four birdies and an eagle over the opening two rounds but nine bogeys cost him the chance to advance to the weekend in his first event as a PGA Tour member.

This week he will compete in the Humana Challenge from California, which replaces the Bob Hope Classic. The tournament sees the professionals paired with an amateur for the first three rounds with the final round being limited to professionals only.

Five Kiwis Who Could Win This Week

2011-11-30T16:39:00.003+13:00

The last Kiwi to win the NZ Open was Mahal Pearce in 2003 at the Auckland Golf Club so we are about due for another Kiwi to lift the trophy. Here are five Kiwis who we think have a shot at claiming the title.

David Smail
The former NZ number one has won the event once before (2001) and has a good track record round the Clearwater course. Although he has stuggled a bit on the Japan Golf Tour this year he is coming into the event on the back of an eleventh place finish last week. If he can keep the putter under control he should feature on Sunday.

Josh Geary
Geary is coming off a good showing at the Australian PGA Championship last where he featured in the top ten on the first two days before slipping back on the weekend to finish 31st. He finished runner up in the 2009 PGA Champs held at Clearwater.

Michael Hendry
Hendry and Gareth Paddison represented NZ last week at the World Cup of Golf and performed well with a 16th place finish in a very strong field. Look for Hendry to be near the top of the leaderboard.

Steve Alker
Won the NZ PGA Championship at Clearwater in 2009 so will go into the event with the confidence of knowing he has the ability to score well on the course.

Nick Gillespie
In his debut year as a professional he has already won three events including the Shirley Open last month in Christchurch.

Outside Kiwi Pick...
Michael Campbell
You can't count out a major winner. Can you?

New Zealand Open!!!

2011-11-30T16:13:00.003+13:00

New Zealand's premier golf tournament begins tomorrow at the Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch, The BMW New Zealand Open.

Much talk has surrounded the event this year, mostly focused on the shift away from The Hills course after a successful few years of hosting the event. The other main talking point is the lack of sanctioning with a larger tour. A few years ago the NZ Open was part of the European Tour and when that faded the Nationwide Tour came on board. But this year the tournament will only be sanctioned by the Australasian PGA Tour and the lack of a strong field reflects that.

The Clearwater golf club has bounced back well from the numerous earthquakes that have struck the region and having played the course myself earlier this week, I can confidently say the players are in for a real test of their game. The rough is punishing (I was in there enough to confirm this), the greens are firm and quick and if the wind gets blowing, some of the holes are going to play very long.

The weather is looking good for the event with all four days expected to be in the twenties with some light showers due on the Sunday.

World Cup Of Golf

2011-11-24T16:43:00.004+13:00

The World Cup Of Golf gets underway tonight from the Mission Hills Golf Club in China. Representing New Zealand this year is Gareth Paddison and Michael Hendry, who will be hoping to add the trophy to the NZ Sport cabinet alongside the Webb Ellis Cup.

Both Paddison and Geary are rookies to the event but head into the week after good seasons on the OneAsia Tour, where they both are inside the top ten on the tour's order of merit.

In 2009 the NZ team of David Smail and Danny Lee finished well off the pace in a tie for 20th. Our best finish in recent years came in 2001 when Smail paired up with Michael Campbell to finish second to South Africa.

The format for the event alternates between fourballs and foursomes, beginning with fourball matches on Thursday and finishing with foursomes on Sunday.

You can follow the action on the live leaderboard here.

And don't forget to follow us on twitter @kiwigolfupdate for updates on Kiwi golfers throughout the weekend.

Kiwis In Action (17-20 November)

2011-11-18T12:32:00.002+13:00

The Presidents Cup will draw most of the attention in the golf world to Melbourne. Last time the event was held in Melbourne we had two Kiwis on the team, Frank Nobilo and Greg Turner. While there are no Kiwis playing this time, Frank makes a return as an assistant captain to Greg Norman.

This week sees the second stage of Q school underway at various venues across the States. Four Kiwis are involved and in the running for a spot in the final stage later in the year. There's also a couple of Kiwis in Malaysia and David Smail in action in Japan.

Q School Second Stage (PGA Tour)
- Jae An
- Eddie Lee
- Steve Alker
- Tim Wilkinson

Iskandar Johor Open (Asian Tour)
- Danny Lee
- Mark Brown

Dunlop Phoenix (Japan Golf Tour)
- David Smail

Danny Lee Officially Joins PGA Tour

2011-11-01T19:41:00.007+13:00

Danny Lee has finished the Nationwide Tour season with a tie for eighth at the Nationwide Tour Championship. The result sees him finish the season sixth on the tour's moneylist and gain a ticket to the PGA Tour for next season.

Danny's place on the PGA Tour for next year had already been confirmed heading into the final event of the year with his win at the WNB Golf Classic a few weeks ago.

This weeks top ten finish is his ninth of the year and it's great to see him finish the season with a good result, especially on a tough course with low scoring which Danny has struggled with a bit this year.

Final Nationwide Tour Moneylist (Kiwis)

6. Danny Lee
63. Tim Wilkinson
74. Josh Geary
107. Bradley Iles
153. Steve Alker

The Weekend Wrap

2011-10-25T21:10:00.006+13:00

Shirley Open
Nick Gillespie cruised to an eight shot victory and the third win in his debut year as a professional. The Wellington local headed into the final round tied with Richard Lee but a final round of five under par 67 saw him pull away from the field to equal the record score for the tournament, set last year by Anthony Doyle.
Low amateur honours went to Southlander Vaughan McCall who finished in a tie for third with Mahal Pearce. The women's title was won by Emily Perry and is her third Charles Tour victory in a row.

Jacksonville Open
Tim Wilkinson and Josh Geary headed into the week positioned just outside the top 60 on the moneylist, a mark they would need to be inside to make the Tour Championship the next week. Geary immediately blew his chance of advancing with an opening round of ten over par 80 while Tim shot a brilliant 67 to be tied for the lead.
He eventually went into the final round three shots back of the lead but a poor final round of five over par saw him finish tied for 11th and miss out on the Tour Championship by just three spots on the moneylist.
Danny Lee surged up the leaderboard on the weekend with rounds of 67 and 68 resulting in his eighth top ten finish of the year.

Castello Masters
Over in Europe Mark Brown made the cut but finished well down the leaderboard in a tie for 63rd. He now sits 157th on the moneylist and will need a big finish to the year in order to keep his card.

Rugby World Cup
The All Blacks finally capture the Cup again. I gotta admit, I was panicking in that last ten minutes, but the boys got the job done! Enjoy the spoils fellas.

Kiwis In Action (20-23 October)

2011-10-20T20:02:00.004+13:00

This week the Nationwide Tour is in Florida for the final regular season event before the Tour Championship. Josh Geary and Tim Wilkinson will tee it up in the hope of making it inside the top 60 on the moneylist. They currently sit 65th and 66th respectively.

There's also a Kiwi in Spain and the Charles Tour continues at home with the Shirley Open in Christchurch. Plus the PGA Tour Q School has started their first stage with a group of Kiwis hoping to join Danny Lee on the main tour next year.

Castello Masters (European Tour)
- Mark Brown

Jacksonville Open (Nationwide Tour)
- Bradley Iles
- Josh Geary
- Tim Wilkinson
- Danny Lee

PGA Tour Q School (PGA Tour)
- Jae An & Eddie Lee this week
a few more Kiwis next week.

Shirley Open (Charles Tour)
- Mahal Pearce
- Richard Lee
- Nick Gillespie
- Anthony Doyle
and many more...

Michael Campbell Confirms NZ Open Entry

2011-10-20T19:30:00.007+13:00

New Zealand's only active major winner has confirmed his entry for the 2011 New Zealand Open. Michael Campbell will compete at the Clearwater Resort in Christchurch from 1-4 December in the hope of becoming a multiple winner of the event which he won at Paraparaumu in 2000.

However organisers are still waiting on confirmation from Danny Lee, the PGA Tour bound New Zealand number one. I spoke with US based Kiwi commentator Craig Perks today who talked to Danny about the chances of seeing him in New Zealand in December.

"Spoke with Danny Lee today regarding NZ Open appearance. Still undecided,but history shows, he's certainly willing to travel" said Perks.

It certainly would be a huge disappointment if Danny didn't make the trip back for the NZ Open. He's already secured his PGA Tour card for 2012 and he would certainly draw the crowds in through the gate.

Tickets to the NZ Open are on sale now through TicketDirect. Click here to purchase.

Shirley Open Preview

2011-10-18T23:25:00.005+13:00

This week the Charles Tour makes it's way to the earthquake ravaged city of Christchurch for the Shirley Open, to be held at the Christchurch Golf Club.

The club lost their historic clubhouse during the massive February earthquake and while the course got off lightly compared to others in the region, some holes did have to be closed while liquefaction was cleared. However the club have pulled through to ensure the 2011 Shirley Open will go ahead as planned and provide a small boost for the golfers of Canterbury this Labour weekend.

Two time defending champion Anthony Doyle who is also the resident professional at Shirley will be aiming to join Doug Holloway as the only players to win an event three times on the Charles Tour. Doyle will be a hard man to beat this week as home advantage on a course like Shirley certainly helps, especially on the greens where approach shots need to land in the correct spot to avoid the many run-offs and undulations of the large surfaces.

Other professionals of note playing at Shirley this year include Japan Tour professional Richard Lee, recent Vanuatu Open champion Nick Gillespie and 2003 New Zealand Open winner Mahal Pearce.

They will be joined by recent Charles Tour winners Jim Cusdin and amateur Josh Munn who won the Muriwai Open back in May.

The tournament begins on Thursday. Kiwigolfupdate will be on course for all four days. You can follow us for live updates on twitter @kiwigolfupdate and use the tournament live leaderboard here.

Kiwis In Action (6-9 October)

2011-10-07T12:31:00.002+13:00

Fresh off his first professional win on the Nationwide Tour last week, Danny Lee will tee it up in his country of birth at the Kolon Korea Open. The Kiwi number one has been paired in what could be classed as the "marquee" grouping with US Open champion Rory McIlroy and 2009 PGA Champion Y.E. Yang. Danny will be joined in Korea by six other Kiwis all hoping to perform well in a strong field.

The Nationwide Tour continues in Tennessee without Danny and there's also Kiwis in Japan and Spain this week.

Bankia Madrid Masters (European Tour)
- Mark Brown
- Michael Campbell

Kolon Korea Open (OneAsia Tour)
- Danny Lee
- Kevin Chun
- Michael Long
- Gareth Paddison
- Michael Hendry
- Brad Shilton
- Steve Alker

Children's Hospital Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Brad Iles
- Tim Wilkinson
- Josh Geary

Canon Open (Japan Golf Tour)
-David Smail

First Professional Win For Danny Lee

2011-10-03T20:20:00.006+13:00

Danny Lee has secured a spot on the PGA Tour for 2012 with a win today at the WNB Classic on the Nationwide Tour. The win is Danny's first as a professional and his first victory since his incredible 2009 performance at the Johnny Walker Classic as an amateur.

Danny began the final day in a tie for fifth but a flawless final round of six under par 66 was good enough to move him into a tie for the lead at the end of the round with American Harris English. The pair headed back to the 18th for the playoff, with Danny getting his ball up and down from a greenside bunker to claim the trophy.

"It feels great to win again. I haven't won a tournament since I won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic and it's a great feeling. It's not easy to win and I worked really hard with my uncle and my coach for this. I'm really happy it worked."

The switch to the belly putter for Danny appears to be doing wonders for his putting with the Kiwi needing just 22 putts in a pressure packed final round.

Danny moves ten spots up the Nationwide Tour moneylist into fourth position with earnings of US$271,700.

The only other Kiwi to make the cut was Tim Wilkinson who finished tied for 33rd.

Kiwis In Action (29 Sept - 2 Oct)

2011-09-29T21:05:00.005+13:00

This week the European Tour hosts one of my favourite tournaments of the year, the Dunhill Links Championship. The event is hosted at three of the best and most well known links courses in the world, St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, with competitors playing a round at each course before returning to St Andrews for the final round. Three Kiwis will compete in the event this year, Mark Brown, Michael Campbell and former European Tour regular Gareth Paddison.

There's also Kiwis this week competing in Texas on the Nationwide Tour as well as a large group of local pros at the Taranaki Open on the Charles Tour.

Dunhill Links Championship (European Tour)
- Michael Campbell
- Mark Brown
- Gareth Paddison

WNB Golf Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Bradley Iles
- Danny Lee
- Josh Geary
- Tim Wilkinson

Port Taranaki Open (Charles Tour)
- Richard Lee
- Josh Carmichael
- Mark Purser
- Brad Shilton
- Brenden Stuart
Plus many others..

Port Taranaki Open

2011-09-29T15:17:00.006+13:00

The Charles Tour resumes this week with the $40,000 Port Taranaki Open, held at the New Plymouth Golf Club. The tournament has managed to attract a reasonably strong field with a few of our touring pros making the trip home to compete, notably Richard Lee who usually plays on the Japan Golf Tour.

Defending champion Troy Ropiha who also won the event in 2008 will go into the week as a strong favourite to win a third title. He finished in a tie for 27th two weeks ago at the last Charles Tour event, the Tauranga Open.

Other professionals of note include Tauranga Open winner Jim Cusdin, as well as Brad Shilton, Doug Holloway and Grant Moorhead.

You can follow the action through NZ Golf's site. Click here for a live leaderboard of the event.

Kiwis In Action (22-25 September)

2011-09-22T20:00:00.004+12:00

The Nationwide Tour continues this week in California where Danny Lee will look to get back on track for a PGA Tour card after missing another cut last week. He's joined by the rest of the Nationwide Kiwis as they near the end of the tour's season.

Mark Brown is the only Kiwi in action in Europe this week as he tees it up in Austria. While Michael Hendry joins amateurs Ben Campbell and Ryan Fox at the Asia Pacific Panasonic Open in Japan.

You can follow us on twitter @kiwigolfupdate for updates throughout the weekend on Kiwi pros around the world.

Austrian Open (European Tour)
- Mark Brown

Soboba Golf Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Bradley Iles
- Josh Geary
- Danny Lee
- Tim Wilkinson

Asia Pacific Panasonic Open (Asian Tour)
- Michael Hendry
- Ben Campbell (a)
- Ryan Fox (a)

Carrus Tauranga Open

2011-09-19T11:21:00.004+12:00

Hamilton professional Jim Cusdin has won the 2011 Caurrs Tauranga Open by two shots over amateur Ryan Fox. The result is the first four round professional win for Cusdin.

Gareth Paddison, who was the halfway leader, fell away over the weekend while 2009 champion Michael Hendry made a late charge on the final day. Hendry carded a six under par 66 which was good enough for third place, a shot ahead of his world cup partner Paddison.

The Women's section was taken out by Emily Perry.

The tournament was heavily influenced by the weather with stops in play coming over the weekend with the greens staff working hard to ensure the event went the full four rounds.

Kiwis In Action (8-11 September)

2011-09-08T19:03:00.003+12:00

Last week proved to be a successful one for Kiwi golfers with Danny Lee picking up another top ten finish on the Nationwide Tour and Michael Campbell finding some form with a top 25 result in Europe.

The Nationwide Tour takes a break this week so there's less Kiwis to keep our eyes on. The usual pair tee it up in Europe for the KLM Open and the Japan Golf Tour continues with a couple of Kiwis in the mix.

You can follow us on twitter @kiwigolfupdate for updates on the Kiwis throughout the weekend.

KLM Open (European Tour)
- Mark Brown
- Michael Campbell

Toshin Golf Tournament (Japan Golf Tour)
- Eddie Lee
- Richard Lee

Nationwide Tour Update

2011-09-04T17:03:00.005+12:00

This week the Nationwide Tour is in Pennsylvania for the Mylan Classic.

After three rounds Tim Wilkinson stands as the best Kiwi at seven under par and tied for 17th. The left hander opened with a round of one under par 70 before back to back 68's saw him move steadily up the leaderboard. Wilkinson currently sits 100th on the moneylist and has only had two top 25's all season, with his best finish being a tie for 11th at the Rex Hospital Open back in June.

Danny Lee has broken his streak of missed cuts and sits tied for 45th. His recent run of poor form looked set to continue after he opened with a 73 but he responded well on the Friday with a five under par 66 to move inside the cut line. His third round of even par saw him hold his position heading into the final day.

The other Kiwi to make the cut was Josh Geary who was sitting inside the top ten at the end of day two after rounds of 70 and 65. But a disaster third round of eight over par that included five bogeys and two doubles saw him drop all the way down to 66th on the leaderboard.

Missing the cut were Steve Alker and Phil Tataurangi who withdrew after 14 holes due to an elbow injury.

Cambo Looking Good In Switzerland

2011-09-04T16:34:00.005+12:00

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. Life has been busy.

Michael Campbell has put together three solid rounds of golf at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland. Rounds of 67, 71 and 68 have Cambo well placed in a tie for 20th at seven under par, seven shots off the lead with one round remaining.

The tournament field includes top golfers such as Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer so a good final round and a top finish would show Cambo that he can still compete with the world's elite. It's well documented how much Cambo struggles with the mental side of the game so this week should give him some confidence heading into the final part of the season.

Mark Brown also made the cut this week but sits well down the leaderboard in a tie for 61st.

Top Results For Gillespie And Geary

2011-08-25T15:00:00.004+12:00

Newly turned professional Nick Gillespie has recorded his second win of the year at the Vanuatu Open. Rounds of 66, 65, 64 and 71 giving him a final score of 22 under par and an eight shot winning margin.

Gillespie seems to thrive in the Pacific Island conditions as earlier this year he recorded his first professional win at the Fiji Open. The two results will hopefully boost the new professional's confidence ahead of some larger events in Australia in the coming months.

Over on the Nationwide Tour, Josh Geary has recorded his best finish of the year with a tie for fourth at the Midwest Classic in Kansas.

Geary had played some outstanding golf on the Saturday of the event, carding a ten under par 61 that had him well placed only two shots behind eventual winner James Nitties heading into the final day. But Geary made two double bogeys during his final round which effectively ended his chance of grabbing the title. A final round of two under par 69 leaving him six shots behind Nitties at the end of play.

The result sees Geary move up to 50th on the Nationwide Tour's moneylist with nine events remaining in the season. Danny Lee still holds tenth spot even though he missed his second cut in a row.

Geary Goes Low In Kansas

2011-08-21T16:28:00.005+12:00

Josh Geary has posted the round of the year for any Kiwi across all golf tours so far this year, firing a round of ten under par 61 on the third day of the Midwest Classic.

The Tauranga professional posted eight birdies and an eagle to shoot the low round of the day and jump 19 places up the leaderboard.

After opening the tournament with a round of one under par, Geary kicked into action in yesterday's second round with a seven under par 64 sending him up the leaderboard and into contention. Then came today's superb 61 which means he will now go into the final round sitting tied for third just two shots off the lead.

Geary has had an up and down year on the tour so far this year mixing eight missed cuts with eight paychecks, his best finishes coming back in June with a pair of top tens. He had previously missed the last three cuts on the Nationwide Tour and needed a good week to get him back into contention for a top 25 spot on the moneylist. A victory tomorrow would do the job.

Brad Iles is the only other Kiwi to make the cut and sits tied for 33rd after rounds of 68, 64 and 70. Missing out on playing weekend golf were Tim Wilkinson, Steve Alker and Danny Lee who continues his recent form slump.

Kiwis In Action (18-21 August)

2011-08-18T19:34:00.004+12:00

This week there's a full kerfuffle of kiwis on the Nationwide Tour for the Midwest Classic in Kansas. Danny Lee currently holds the number ten spot on the moneylist and will be keen to put in a good performance following his first missed cut of the year on the Tour at last weeks Price Cutter Charity Classic. As for the other Kiwis, it's time to start posting some decent scores if they are to have any chance of being in the mix for a top 25 moneylist spot at the end of the year.

The European Tour heads to the Czech Republic this week for the Czech Open, with Mark Brown the only Kiwi taking part. And in Japan this week it's also a one Kiwi event with Richard Lee teeing it up in the Kansai Open.

You can follow us on twitter @kiwigolfupdate for tournament updates throughout the weekend.

Czech Open (European Tour)
- Mark Brown

Midwest Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Danny Lee
- Josh Geary
- Tim Wilkinson
- Brad Iles
- Steve Alker

Kansai Open (Japan Golf Tour)
- Richard Lee

Thailand Open Report

2011-08-16T14:58:00.004+12:00

With all three Kiwis missing the cut on the Nationwide Tour this week, the only place to catch Kiwi professionals in action over the weekend was on the OneAsia Tour in Thailand.

The Thailand Open was the eighth event on the tour and with only four tournaments remaining it shaped up as a good chance for Kiwis Michael Hendry and Gareth Paddison to improve their already solid order of merit positions. Also joining them in Thailand for the first time on the OneAsia Tour was Michael Campbell, whose recent run of form has seen him post some respectable finishes in Europe this season. Making up the Kiwi contingent was Michael Long and Brad Shilton.

Hendry got off to a good start at the event with an opening round of 67 having him well positioned in third place, two shots back of the leader. But Hendry couldn't back up his solid start and carded rounds of 70 and 72 before finishing strongly with a 69 to end up in a tie for 22nd, the highest Kiwi result. Hendry drops one place down the OneAsia order of merit into seventh.

Gareth Paddison finished a shot back of Hendry in a tie for 24th with weekend scores of 69 and 68 moving him up the leaderboard. He now sits tenth on the order of merit. Michael Campbell finished in a tie for 46th but managed to create a stir on the second day with one of his best rounds in a while. The former Kiwi number one opened with a 73 and looked in danger of missing the cut but he backed it up with a bogey free round of six under par 66 to surge into contention. However like most tournaments for Cambo this year, he couldn't take advantage of his good play carding weekend rounds of 71 and 74 to drop back down the leaderboard.

Michael Long and Brad Shilton both made the cut and finished tied for 61st never really make a run up the leaderboard.

The OneAsia Tour takes a bit of break now with the next event coming in October at the Korea Open before the tour heads to Australia for the Australian Open and PGA Championship in November. With the New Zealand Open taking place at the start of December it could be a good idea for NZ Golf to look into linking up with the growing tour in the coming years.

Kiwis In Action (11-14 August)

2011-08-11T20:02:00.004+12:00

The final major of the year, The PGA Championship, is upon us and for the third time in a major this year there will be no Kiwis taking part. At a push we could claim PGA professional Scott Erdmann who qualified for the event through the PGA Professionals Championship. Erdmann was born in Christchurch before his family relocated to the USA when he was just two years old. However there will be a USA flag next to his name on the leaderboard not a New Zealand one.

There's a big group of Kiwis competing on the OneAsia Tour this week at the Thailand Open led by recent World Cup qualifiers Michael Hendry and Gareth Paddison. Michael Campbell also makes a rare appearance on the smaller tour.

The Nationwide Tour continues this week in Missouri with the Price Cutter Charity Championship, with Danny Lee potentially just one good finish away from locking up a PGA Tour card for 2012.

There's also a link to the scoring for the USGA Women's Amateur Championship where Kiwi Lydia Ko has advanced to the final 32.

Thailand Open (OneAsia Tour)
- Michael Hendry
- Gareth Paddison
- Michael Campbell
- Michael Long
- Brad Shilton

Price Cutter Charity Championship (Nationwide Tour)
- Danny Lee
- Bradley Iles
- Josh Geary

US Women's Amateur Championship
- Lydia Ko

NZ Qualifies For World Cup

2011-08-10T20:54:00.009+12:00

The Kiwi pair of Gareth Paddison and Michael Hendry have won their World Cup qualifier in Malaysia to book a place at the World Cup of Golf to be held at the Mission Hills resort in China this November.

A final round of four under par 67 in the difficult alternate shot format helped the Kiwis to come from behind and tie for first with the team from Singapore, who later conceded in the playoff. The top three teams at the qualifier all earn the right to represent their country at the World Cup.

This will be the first World Cup for Paddison and Hendry. The last time the World Cup was held was back in 2009 when New Zealand was represented by David Smail and Danny Lee. They finished in a tie for 20th. Our best performances at the World Cup has been a pair of runner up finishes, coming in 1967 by Bob Charles and Will Godfrey and in 2001 by Michael Campbell and David Smail.

Another Top Ten For Danny

2011-08-10T20:23:00.003+12:00

Danny Lee has produced a near perfect performance at the Cox Classic on the Nationwide Tour finishing in a tie for second.

The in-form Kiwi carded only one bogey over the four rounds, posting scores of 64, 67, 66 and 66 to finish at 21 under par, just one shot back from winner J.J. Killeen. The result is Danny's best finish of the year on the Nationwide Tour and his fifth top ten of the year. He now sits tenth on the Tour's moneylist with eleven events remaining in the season.

This week the Nationwide Tour Missouri for the Price Cutter Charity Championship where Danny has made the Nationwide Tour's "Power Rankings" for the week.

Kiwis In Action (4-7 August)

2011-08-04T19:19:00.004+12:00

A big week for Kiwi golf as Gareth Paddison and Michael Hendry attempt to qualify for the World Cup to be held in China in November. The qualifying is played over four rounds alternating between four ball and foursomes with the top three teams gaining a spot at the World Cup.
Also this week the Nationwide Tour continues in Nebraska with the usual five Kiwis aiming to improve their position on the moneylist.

World Cup Qualifier
- Gareth Paddison & Michael Hendry

Cox Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Brad Iles
- Danny Lee
- Tim Wilkinson
- Steve Alker
- Josh Geary

Danny Lee Moves Up The Moneylist

2011-08-02T09:52:00.007+12:00

Danny Lee has continued his strong run of form on the Nationwide Tour with a tie for ninth at the Utah Championship this week.
The former world number one amateur now has four top ten finishes on the PGA Tour's developmental tour and is yet to miss a cut. Danny currently sits 19th on the Tour's official moneylist, moving up five spots from last week.

After beginning the tournament with a mediocre even par round of 71 Danny sprung into action on days two and three. He posted rounds of 66 and 65, conceding only one bogey over the two days, to head into the final round in a tie for fifth, five shots back of the leader. But a frustrating final day where each birdie was matched with a bogey saw him drop down the leaderboard before birdieing the final two holes to ensure a top ten finish.

Steve Alker also finished with a 69, good enough for a tie for 45th while Tim Wilkinson posted a 66 to move into a tie for 55th. The left handed Kiwi was sitting pretty heading into the weekend before a horror third round 78 all but ensured a low place finish for the week.

The Nationwide Tour is now past the halfway point in the season and it looks like Danny Lee will be the only Kiwi contesting for a top 25 moneylist spot unless the rest of the boys start improving quickly.
With Danny sitting 19th the next best Kiwi is Josh Geary at 57th. After those two it's a bit of a drop down to Wilkinson in 86th and Brad Iles in 96th, followed by Alker in 116th spot.

Top Tens On The Radar

2011-07-31T23:53:00.007+12:00

With one round remaining on the European and Nationwide Tour events this week, we could in for a Kiwi double top ten.

Mark Brown is currently tied for eighth after rounds of 71, 67 and 68 at the Irish Open and he sits just four shots back of the third round leader. Mark is positioned 160th on the European Tour's Race to Dubai rankings and will need a couple of good finishes to ensure he has a card for 2012, hopefully beginning with a solid result in tomorrow's final round.

The second potential top ten could come from Danny Lee on the Nationwide Tour at the Utah Championship. Danny shot up the leaderboard with a third round 65 and he sits in a tie for fifth just five shots off the lead. Steve Alker and Tim Wilkinson both had disappointing third rounds and sit tied 54th and 62nd respectively.

On the Japan Golf Tour David Smail has finished the Sun Chlorella Classic in a tie for 11th. Weekend rounds of 67 and 69 helping the Kiwi move significantly up the leaderboard after mediocre opening two rounds. Richard Lee also made the cut finishing in a tie for 69th.

Kiwis In Action (28-31 July)

2011-07-29T10:27:00.004+12:00

Just the two major tour events this week with Kiwis in the field. Cambo is in action at the Irish Open, an event he won back in 2003. There is also a large group of Kiwis in action at the Utah Championship on the Nationwide Tour.

Irish Open (European Tour)
- Mark Brown
- Michael Campbell

Utah Championship (Nationwide Tour)
- Steve Alker
- Josh Geary
- Brad Iles
- Danny Lee
- Tim Wilkinson

For more Kiwi golf related news and updates follow us on twitter @kiwigolfupdate

Best Finish Of The Year For Smail

2011-07-25T16:32:00.004+12:00

David Smail has produced his best finish of the year at the Nagashima Shigeo Invitational with a tie for seventh. Smail posted rounds of 67, 72, 74 and 70 to finish ten shots back of the tournament winner.

The Hamilton professionals previous best finish on the Japan Golf Tour this year was a tie for 18th and the result this week is his first top ten since the beginning of 2010.

On the Nationwide Tour Danny Lee has shot a final round of one under par 70 to finish in a tie for 26th. The result sees Danny drop slightly down the tour's moneylist from 21st to 24th, just inside the magic top 25 number that players need to be to make the PGA Tour next season.

Tim Wilkinson had a positive finish to his week posting a two under par 69 to move ten places up the leaderboard into a tie for 54th. Meanwhile Josh Geary has had a weekend to forget with rounds of 77 and 73 resulting in the Kiwi finishing in last position.

Danny Makes A Saturday Move

2011-07-24T17:15:00.006+12:00

Danny Lee has made a positive move on day three of the Nationwide Tour's Children's Hospital Invitational in Columbus, Ohio. The Kiwi posted a round of three under par 68 to move 18 spots up the leaderboard and into a tie for 26th but still sits ten shots off the lead.

With Danny currently sitting 21st on the tour's order of merit, he will be looking to cash in with a solid round tomorrow and solidify his position inside the top 25.

Also making a move on day three were Josh Geary and Tim Wilkinson, but unfortunately the move was down not up. The Kiwi couple posted rounds of 77 and 74 respectively and now sit at the bottom of all the players to make the cut.

It's a real shame especially for Geary who broke his run of 18 straight rounds of even par or better as he expressed on his twitter account earlier today.

Tiger Gives Stevie The Boot

2011-07-24T17:08:00.004+12:00

By now you probably have heard that Tiger Woods has fired long time Kiwi caddy Steve Williams so we won't go into all the details on here.

Instead we will leave you with this entertaining Taiwanese animation of the split. Enjoy.

Kiwis In Action (21-24 July)

2011-07-23T00:15:00.003+12:00

A good number of Kiwi professionals playing around the world this week. Here's the details...

Children's Hospital Invitational (Nationwide Tour)
- Brad Iles
- Josh Geary
- Danny Lee
- Tim Wilkinson
- Steve Alker

Nordea Masters (European Tour)
- Michael Campbell
- Marl Brown

Nagashima Shigeo Invitational (Japan Golf Tour)
- David Smail
- Richard Lee

Hendry Just Falls Short In Indonesia

2011-07-21T16:09:00.005+12:00

Michael Hendry has come up one shot short of defending his Indonesia Open trophy on the OneAsia Tour finishing in a tie for second.

Hendry got off to a dream start on the opening day and found himself leading by two shots. He managed to stay in the mix throughout the tournament and started the final day three shots off the lead. The lead was quickly cut by Hendry as he picked up three early birdies to put some pressure on the leader but a double bogey quickly followed by a triple pretty much ended his run at the title. A strong finish gave a glimmer of hope but the earlier dropped shots proved too hard to recover from.

The second place finish promoted Hendry to sixth on the OneAsia order of merit and continues a run of good form for the North Harbour pro. We all just seem to be waiting for him to take that next step with his game and truly become one of the great players of New Zealand golf. All the talent and skills seem to be there, it could just be a matter of time before we see Hendry up with the best and challenging each week.

Gareth Paddison picked up a top ten result finishing strongly with a final round of two under par 70, while Brad Shilton finished back in 64th place.

Brad Iles On Track For Best Finish Of The Year

2011-07-17T19:25:00.004+12:00

Brad Iles best finish on the Nationwide Tour this year is a tie for 27th at the Melwood Prince George's County Open at the start of June, but that looks set to change after tomorrow's final round of the Chiquita Classic.

Iles fired a third round of five under par 67 to go with his earlier rounds of 67 and 71 and have him placed in a tie for 22nd heading into the final round. With an eight shot gap between him and the leaders winning the event isn't an option, but with Iles currently placed 112th on the tour's moneylist he needs every dollar he can grab.

The equation is simple enough, the higher the finish, the more money. The more money, the better chance of making the top 25 at the end of the year and grabbing one of the exemptions to the PGA tour.

Also making a move of day three was Danny Lee. The well travelled Kiwi also posted a five under par 67 to move up 22 places into a tie for 34th. Josh Geary (T46) and Tim Wilkinson (T51) were the other Kiwis to make the cut, Steve Alker missing the weekend action by two shots.

Kiwis In Action (14-17 July)

2011-07-15T12:36:00.004+12:00

It's Open Championship week but sadly there are no Kiwis at Royal St. Georges.
This week we've got Michael Hendry defending his title in Indonesia, as well as a bunch of Kiwis in Ohio for the Nationwide event. Plus Jae An tees it up in Canada for the CanTour's players cup and there's a couple of Kiwis on the main PGA Tour.
As always. click the event name for a link to live leaderboards.

Chiquita Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Brad Iles
- Tim Wilkinson
- Josh Geary
- Danny Lee
- Steve Alker

Viking Classic (PGA Tour)
- Grant Waite
- Phil Tataurangi

Indonesia Open (OneAsia Tour)
- Michael Hendry (defending champion)
- Gareth Paddison
- Brad Shilton

CanTour's Players Cup (Canadian Tour)
- Jae An

For more tournament news regarding Kiwi professionals, follow us on twitter @kiwigolfupdate

Hendry Ready To Defend In Indonesia

2011-07-13T18:55:00.005+12:00

The OneAsia Tour heads to Jakarta, Indonesia this week for the Indonesian Open with Michael Hendry looking to defend his title. The North Harbour pro put together a final round of seven under par 65 last year to win the event by seven shots.

The win ranked high in a year of highlights for Hendry in which he also grabbed a win in Fiji and back at home on the Charles Tour. But so far in 2011 Hendry is yet to display the form of last year. At the moment Hendry sits 18th on the OneAsia moneylist thanks largely to his good result at the China Masters in June.

He will be joined in Indonesia this week by fellow Kiwi Gareth Paddison who sits just above Hendry in 12th place on the order of merit.

The tournament begins tomorrow afternoon (NZ time) and runs through to Sunday.

Cambo Cashes Another Cheque

2011-07-13T18:23:00.003+12:00

Michael Campbell has continued his decent play of late on the European Tour with a tie for 49th at the rain troubled Scottish Open. It is the second week in a row that Cambo has made the cut following last weeks tie for 60th at the French Open.

Cambo started the event well, with an opening round of four under par 68 seeing him sit inside the top twenty at the conclusion of the first day. However weekend rounds of 71 and 69 when everyone was going low in the soft conditions saw him drop down the leaderboard. Danny Lee and Mark Brown both failed to make the cut, with Brown finishing second to last in the field for the second week in a row.

The result is Cambo's second best finish of the year after his tie for 35th at the Malaysian Open back in April.

Cambo's better form of late almost earned him a spot in the Open Championship this coming week. He just missed out on a spot when he finished fourth at a final qualifying event last week.

Kiwis In Action (7-10 July)

2011-07-07T15:01:00.003+12:00

Danny Lee makes his return from injury this week at the Scottish Open on the European Tour where he will be joined by Michael Campbell and Mark Brown. The tournament traditionally boasts a star studded field as players fine tune their games leading up to the British Open the following week.
Meanwhile on the OneAsia Tour this week Michael Hendry and Gareth Paddison will tee it up in Korea.

Barclays Scottish Open (European Tour)
- Mark Brown
- Michael Campbell
- Danny Lee

Charity High1 Resort Open (OneAsia Tour)
- Michael Hendry
- Gareth Paddison

Kiwis In Action (23-26 June)

2011-06-24T11:29:00.004+12:00

Cambo makes his way back over to Europe after another disappointing US Open. He joins Mark Brown in Germany for the BMW International Open. There's also Kiwis in Mexico for the Nationwide Tour as well as the usual guys in Japan.

BMW International Open (European Tour)
- Michael Campbell
- Mark Brown

Mexico Open (Nationwide Tour)
- Josh Geary
- Brad Iles

Mizuno Open (Japan Golf Tour)
- David Smail
- Richard Lee

Success On The Nationwide Tour

2011-06-18T23:12:00.004+12:00

All four Kiwis on the Nationwide Tour has made the cut and are positioned well heading into the weekend of the Wichita Open.

Josh Geary leads the pack with rounds of 69 and 67 to be sitting in a tie for tenth at six under par, six shots back of the leader. Geary's round ended in spectacular fashion as he played the final five holes in six under par with an eagle on the par five 14th followed by four straight birdies to finish his day. Josh is coming off a tie for 8th at last week's Rex Hospital Open and appears to be hitting some form at the mid point of the season.

The three other Kiwis, Brad Iles, Tim Wilkinson and Steve Alker, are all sitting in a tie for 21st at four under par. It's great to see them all in with a chance heading into the final two rounds.

Cambo's US Open (Round 2)

2011-06-18T22:45:00.003+12:00

Michael Campbell has missed the cut at this year's US Open, meaning he has still just played the weekend only once since his winning the tournament in 2005.

Heading into day two Cambo was positioned just inside the cut line with his opening round of 75 falling ten back of leader Rory McIlroy. Any players within ten shots of the leader qualify for the weekend rounds.

Cambo's second round got off to a spectacular start with a birdie two at the difficult par 3 tenth hole. But unfortunately it was all downhill from there as the former champ produced a run of bogeys on the back nine to post a halfway score of three over par 38.

A par on the first hole begun Cambo's final nine holes but it was quickly backed up with three bogeys in a row. Two birdies quickly followed but consecutive bogeys to end the day saw him post a second round score of six over par 77, two shots worse than his Thursday score.

Cambo's position on the leaderboard dropped from tied 84th to tied 129th and saw him miss the cut by six strokes.

His next event will be the BMW International Open starting on Thursday in Germany.

Cambo's US Open (Round 1)

2011-06-17T12:28:00.007+12:00

Each day we will bring you a recap of Michael Campbell's progress in the 111th US Open Championship from Maryland, USA.

Michael Campbell has opened the 2011 US Open with a respectable round of four over par 75 in testing conditions at the Congressional Country Club in Maryland.

Teeing off at 7.33am from the first tee, Cambo was grouped with US veteran Fred Funk and up and coming Korean/American amateur David Chung who qualified for the tournament by way of his runner up finish in last year's US Amateur Championship.

Cambo started his day with a bogey on the par 4 first hole before dropping two more shots on the third and fourth holes with bogeys (all par fours). He rebounded quickly though by birdieing the par 5 sixth hole but gave that shot back with a bogey on the ninth to finish the front 9 in three over par 39.

He started the back nine the same as the front with a bogey on the testing 218 yard par three, a hole that had more double bogeys on the first day than any other. Cambo then produced a good run of four pars before slipping to a bogey on the par four 15th hole but managed to get it straight back by birdieing the next, the par five 16th. Two pars to finish saw him post a back nine score of just one over par 36 for a total of 75, good enough to have him sitting in a tie for 84th along with big names such as Ian Poulter, Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood and Dustin Johnson. Not bad company.

After this first round it wouldn't be impossible for Cambo to make the cut. He currently sits just inside the line as he is only ten shots back of the leader which is the cut off point. Both his birdies in round one came on par fives so if he can keep that going in round two and just eliminate some of the mistakes that lead to bogeys then he just might sneak in to the weekend.

Northern Irishman Rory McIlory currently leads the tournament with an outstanding six under par 65.

Kiwis In Action (16-19 June)

2011-06-17T12:06:00.003+12:00

Michael Campbell is back on the big stage this week as he competes in the 111th US Open, a tournament he famously won back in 2005. After not having a Kiwi make it to this years first major, The Masters, it's great that for at least the second major of the year we will have a Kiwi to cheer on. We will post daily updates on Cambo's rounds here. Hopefully there will be more than two days worth.

There's also Kiwis competing on the Nationwide Tour this week in Kansas.

Unfortunately the two Kiwis who qualified for the matchplay section of the British Amateur have been eliminated on the second day. Still a great effort by Ben Campbell and Landyn Edwards.

US Open
- Michael Campbell

Wichita Open (Nationwide Tour)
- Brad Iles
- Steve Alker
- Josh Geary
- Tim Wilkinson

British Amateur - The Boys Turn

2011-06-15T10:08:00.002+12:00

It's the boys turn in the British Amateur Championships and two Kiwis have managed to qualify for the matchplay section of the event.

New Zealand's number one amateur Ben Campbell has qualified tied fourth after rounds of 73 and 69. He will take on Conor O'Neill from Scotland in the first round tonight (NZ time).

Landyn Edwards from Rotorua is the other Kiwi qualifier, who led the stroke play section of the event after his first round of 68. Although he slipped to a 75 on day two, it was still good enough to make the matchplay section in tenth position. He will take on James Fox from Ireland.

The boys will be hoping to go further in the event than the girls last week who were both knocked out in the second round of matchplay.

Kiwis failing to advance past the stroke play section were Tyler Lock, Daniel Pearce and Fraser Wilkin.

Steve Williams At US Open With Scott

2011-06-12T15:31:00.003+12:00

Michael Campbell won't be the only Kiwi inside the ropes at next weeks US Open after the announcement earlier today that Steve Williams will be carrying the bag for Aussie Adam Scott.

Stevie's usual boss Tiger Woods ruled himself out of his countries national open after failing to recover in time from leg injuries sustained during the Masters tournament. There is no indication that Woods will be back anytime soon and rumours are starting to surface that Stevie will no longer be on his bag when he does. However this is not the case.

Tiger's agent Mark Steinberg has come out and told media that Scott had requested Steve's services after he heard that Tiger would not be playing. Steve and Adam have been mates on tour for a while and it is believed that Tiger had no problem with Steve taking Adam's bag in his absence.

Adam Scott has recently parted ways with his long time caddie Tony Navarro.

Meanwhile Michael Campbell will play the opening two rounds of the US Open with US veteran Fred Funk and young Stanford amateur David Chung.

Geary & Wilkinson In The Hunt

2011-06-12T15:05:00.003+12:00

Kiwi pair Josh Geary and Tim Wilkinson are positioned well heading into the final round of the Nationwide Tour's Rex Hospital Open.

Geary sits in a tie for tenth after opening with an even par round of 71, but back to back rounds of 67 have him just four shots off the lead. So far this year Geary has played eight events and only made three cuts with his best finish coming back in February with a tie for 37th in Panama.

Wilkinson is also in the hunt and sits two shots back of Geary in a tie for 19th. Tim has also just made three cuts so far this year with his best finish being a tie for 25th in March.

Both sit well down the moneylist and could really use the dollars to improve their position before they find themselves too far off the pace.

Brad Iles and Steve Alker both failed to make the cut.

Kiwis In Action (9-12 June)

2011-06-10T12:25:00.004+12:00

This week we have four Kiwis teeing it up on the Nationwide Tour in the Rex Hospital Open, as well as Mark Brown in action from Italy on the European Tour.
We've also got the link to the Women's British Amateur Championships where Lydia Ko and Cecilia Cho have qualified for the matchplay phase of the event.

Italian Open (European Tour)
- Mark Brown

Rex Hospital Open (Nationwide Tour)
- Brad Iles
- Tim Wilkinson
- Josh Geary
- Steve Alker

Ladies British Open Amateur Championship
- Cecilia Cho
- Lydia Ko

For more, you can follow Kiwi Golf Update on twitter at @kiwigolfupdate

Graeme McDowell Impressed By Young Kiwi

2011-06-08T21:29:00.004+12:00

The current US Open champ Graeme McDowell has been out watching some of the Ladies British Amateur Championship and it appears young Kiwi Lydia Ko caught his eye, as displayed in the tweet above.

Weekend Results

2011-06-08T20:53:00.004+12:00

There were some good results for the Kiwi pros this week on the Nationwide, European and OneAsia Tours.

Michael Long managed to recapture some of his form of old to finish in a tie for second at the China Masters. The one time New Zealand Open winner held a share of the lead at the end of the second and third days before eventually losing in a playoff. It's Long's best result in a number of years and moves him up to eighth on the OneAsia Tour's moneylist.
Other Kiwis to finish the event were Michael Hendry (T15), Doug Holloway (T25), Gareth Paddison (T37), Steve Alker (T49), Mahal Pearce (T56) and Brad Shilton (T62).

Over on the European Tour Danny Lee grabbed a top twenty finish at the Wales Open. Although never posting a round in the 60's, rounds of 70, 71, 74 and 70 were enough to land Danny in a tie for 20th. Also making the cut was Mark Brown who finished in a tie for 41st.

And on the Nationwide Tour Brad Iles produced a final round of five under par 66 to jump twenty places up the leaderboard and into a share of 27th. Josh Geary started the tournament well and was inside the top ten at the halfway stage but weekend rounds of 73 and 72 saw him drop down into a tie for 45th. Tim Wilkinson missed the cut with rounds of 75 and 72.

Michael Long Tied First

2011-06-04T20:01:00.004+12:00

Kiwi golfing battler Michael Long is tied for the lead heading into the final day of the OneAsia Tour's China Masters. Rounds of 70 and 67 had Long in the outright lead after two days and his third round of 69 was enough to ensure he keeps a share of first heading into tomorrow's final round.

Long's last professional victory came back in 2008 at the West Australia PGA Championship. He is a previous winner of the NZ Open, back in 1996.

The next best Kiwi in China is Michael Hendry who sits tied for 17th, six shots back of Long at four under. Other Kiwis to make the cut are Gareth Paddison (-2), Mahal Pearce (even), Doug Holloway (even), Steve Alker (+1) and Brad Shilton (+3).

Kiwis In Action (2-5 June)

2011-06-03T12:31:00.006+12:00

The first events of the northern hemisphere's summer are upon us. Which means colder and darker Saturday morning golf for me and many others.
This week there are Kiwis in Wales for the European Tour and the usual Kiwi double in Japan. The guys are back in action on the Nationwide Tour in the States and there is a large group of our boys playing on the OneAsia Tour at the China Masters.

Click any event name for a link to the leaderboards.

Wales Open (European Tour)
- Danny Lee
- Mark Brown
- Michael Campbell

Citibank Cup (Japan Golf Tour)
- David Smail
- Richard Lee

Melwood Prince Georges County Open (Nationwide Tour)
- Brad Iles
- Tim Wilkinson
- Josh Geary

Nanshan China Masters (OneAsia Tour)
- Michael Long
- Gareth Paddison
- Michael Hendry
- Mahal Pearce
- Doug Holloway
- Brad Shilton
- Steve Alker

Smail The Best Of The Kiwis

2011-06-02T17:52:00.005+12:00

Last weekend didn't produce much in the way of results for Kiwi professionals around the world. The trio of Kiwis playing in the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour all missed the cut with Michael Campbell failing to advance by just one shot. Danny Lee was just one shot further back while Mark Brown was well off the pace.

The only Kiwis with any success came on the Japanese Golf Tour in the form of David Smail and Richard Lee. After both struggling in their opening round, they recovered well to make the cut and climb up the leaderboard into respectable positions. Smail finished the tournament in a tie for 21st after a big move on the final day with his round of three under par 69 taking his total score to six under. Lee finished tied for 31st at three under par.

The Kiwi couple will be on the course again this week at the Japan Golf Tour Championship.

Kiwis In Action (26-29 May)

2011-05-27T12:57:00.004+12:00

Three Kiwis playing this week in one of the biggest European Tour events of the year, the BMW PGA Championship. There's also Kiwis in action in Japan.

BMW PGA Championship (European Tour)
- Danny Lee
- Mark Brown
- Michael Campbell

Diamond Cup (Japan Golf Tour)
- David Smail
- Richard Lee

Danny Lee To The PGA Tour

2011-05-27T12:35:00.003+12:00

I'm calling it now. Danny Lee will be on the PGA Tour next year.

Last week at the BMW Charity Pro-Am Danny finished in third place, his lone bogey of the day at the 16th hole costing him a place in a playoff that decided the winner. It was his third consecutive top ten on the Nationwide Tour and pushed him up to tenth on the tour's moneylist, of which the players that finish the season in the top 25 are promoted to the PGA Tour the next year.

I know it's early days and the Nationwide Tour still has a long way to go before they hand out the Tour cards but in my opinion there is no doubt he will lock up one of those 25 spots. He's playing well in Europe as well but if his goal is to make the PGA Tour then he should be playing as many Nationwide events as he can and keep adding to his tour earnings. At the moment he's the only Kiwi even close to making the jump next year as shown in the full Kiwi rankings below.

Full Nationwide Kiwi moneylist rankings...

10. Danny Lee
100. Tim Wilkinson
106. Brad Iles
131. Josh Geary
150. Steve Alker

Smail Records Best Finish

2011-05-22T20:16:00.004+12:00

Former Kiwi number one David Smail has recorded his best finish of the year on the Japanese Tour at the Totoumi Hamamatsu Open.

Smail got off to a hot start on day one with a opening round of eight under par 64 that had him tied for the lead. But he couldn't repeat the success of his opening day carding scores of 71, 71 and 70 to round out the week and finish in a tie for 18th.

And on the OneAsia Tour Brad Shilton has finished in a tie for 27th on the SK Telecom Open. Brad recorded rounds of 71, 74 and 70 before the final round was cancelled due to heavy fog.

Quick! Organise A Golf Tournament!

2011-05-19T23:40:00.002+12:00

Rory McIlroy has indicated via his twitter account that he plans on being in New Zealand for at least part of the rugby world cup later this year. Let's get a tournament organised and convince him to bring his sticks.

Stranger things have happened...

Kiwis In Action (19-22 May)

2011-05-19T22:08:00.006+12:00

Not a lot going on this week apart from the boys on the Nationwide Tour. All five of them will be aiming to improve their spots on the moneylist with a solid performance. Currently Danny Lee is the only Kiwi inside the top 25. The only other Kiwi in a major event this week is Brad Shilton in South Korea on the OneAsia Tour.

BMW Charity Pro-Am (Nationwide Tour)
- Brad Iles
- Tim Wilkinson
- Danny Lee
- Josh Geary
- Steve Alker

SK Telecom Open (OneAsia Tour)
- Brad Shilton

Totoumi Hamamatsu Open (Japanese Tour)
- David Smail
- Richard Lee

Rankings Go Down

2011-05-19T21:40:00.006+12:00

I've just updated the Kiwi pro world rankings section of the blog (on the right toolbar) and with the exception of Danny Lee, it makes for pretty poor reading.

Six months ago we had 15 Kiwis inside the world's top one thousand, now there is 12. Mark Purser, Steve Alker and Mahal Pearce have all slipped above the 1000 mark mostly due to not playing many events with world ranking points.

Of all the Kiwis inside the top 1000 Danny Lee and Michael Campbell are the only golfers to make a decent move upwards. Cambo has jumped up 100 places into 705th, still a long way back from where he was in 2005 but it's a step in the right direction. While Danny has moved up to 342nd in the world and is now the top ranked Kiwi.

The rest of the rankings are a sad story with only Gareth Paddison and Richard Lee improving their positions. Mark Brown remains in pretty much the same spot after dropping only eight places.

Kiwis In Action (12-15 May)

2011-05-12T17:42:00.000+12:00

This week marks the beginning of the domestic Charles Tour with the Muriwai Open managing to pull a decent field of pros mixed in with some of the best amateurs the country has to offer. There's also Mark Brown in Europe plus a bunch of Kiwis in Papua New Guinea for the countries national open.

Iberdrola Open (European Tour)
- Mark Brown

Nissin Cupnoodle Cup (Japan Golf Tour)
- David Smail

Papua New Guinea Open
A bunch of Kiwis, the most notable being...
- Michael Hendry
- Brad Shilton
- Doug Holloway
- Josh Carmichael

Muriwai Open (Charles Tour)
A good field considering it's up against a bigger prize purse in PNG. Kiwis to watch...
- Richard Lee
- Marcus Wheelhouse
- Grant Moorhead
- Brenden Stuart
- Jared Pender
- Hamish Robertson
- Mark Purser

Charles Tour Kicks Off In Muriwai

2011-05-12T13:15:00.000+12:00

The 2011 Charles Tour got underway today with the first event of the season, The Muriwai Open. Last year the tournament proved a handy kick start to the year for Michael Hendry who claimed the title and then went on to have his career best year with three other wins all over the globe.

While Hendry won't be back to defend his title this year, the event still boasts a strong field headlined by Auckland pro Richard Lee and Aussie veteran Peter Fowler who has nine international professional victories to his name. Fowler has featured on the Charles Tour before, most notably in 2009 when he was defeated by Hendry in a playoff for the Tauranga Open.

Lee will start the event as the favourite after a second place finish at the event last year. Other notable entries are Marcus Wheelhouse who finished third last year, Grant Moorhead and Brenden Stuart. The amateur section is also strong this year with recent NZ Strokeplay champion Ryan Fox and Matchplay champ Matthew Perry also teeing it up this week.

The event runs from today through to Sunday and entry is only a gold coin donation. So if you're in the area then get down to the course and catch some of NZ's best up and coming golf talent on display along with a few of the seasoned pros.

Lee Makes A Saturday Move

2011-05-08T17:02:00.005+12:00

Danny Lee has shot into contention at the Nationwide Tour's Stadion Classic with a third round of five under par 66. After opening with rounds of 72 and 70 it was looking like it could just be another average week for Danny but the stellar third round jumped him 34 places up the leaderboard and into a tie for 7th, just four off the lead heading into the final day.

One of the biggest surprises of the week is Danny's putting, which is usually a soft spot in his game. In the three rounds so far, he's needed just 30, 29 and 27 putts. A huge improvement from earlier in the season.

Danny is currently sitting 42nd on the Nationwide Tour's moneylist and if he can carry this form over into the final day and get a good result, it will see him jump up close to that all so important top 25.

Josh Geary is the only other Kiwi to make the cut this week and currently sits back in a tie for 39th. Brad Iles missed the cut by one and Tim Wilkinson by two.

Kiwis In Action (5-8 May)

2011-05-06T11:47:00.006+12:00

This week sees the return of the OneAsia Tour with the Maekyung Open in South Korea featuring five Kiwis. There's also Kiwi pros competing this week on the European and Nationwide Tours.
Click any event name for a link to the live leaderboard.

Open de Espana (European Tour)
- Mark Brown

Stadion Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Danny Lee
- Josh Geary
- Brad Iles
- Tim Wilkinson

Maekyung Open (OneAsia Tour)
- Michael Long
- Gareth Paddison
- Michael Hendry
- Brad Shilton
- Eddie Lee

An interesting side note: On the Nationwide Tour's website this week they have picked Danny Lee as one of the five players with a chance of winning in their power rankings. Read the full rankings here.

Early Exit From Korea

2011-04-29T23:43:00.003+12:00

All three Kiwi pros competing in the Ballantines Championship in Korea have failed to make the cut which was set at one over par. Mark Brown finished at three over par, Michael Campbell at four over par and Danny Lee at six over par.

Danny would have been hoping to back up his second place finish at last week's China Open with a good performance this week but it wasn't to be. He struggled to hit greens and when he missed he was getting the ball up and down less than fifty percent of the time. Add into that mix 34 putts in round one and 31 in round two and you're going to struggle to post a good score.

For Cambo it's a bit of a shame to see him miss playing on the weekend after a good wee run of made cuts. Hopefully this is just a hurdle and he doesn't let it play with his head too much. It would be great to see him spend some time reflecting on his good form of late and bounce back with some good scores at his next event.

As for Brown, well it's just not going his way this season. The former European Tour winner only has one finish inside the top fifty this year, a tie for 17th at the Malaysian Open. He needs to find some form soon or he's going to be playing catch up on the money list to keep his card for next year.

Kiwis In Action (28 April - 1 May)

2011-04-28T23:10:00.004+12:00

The Nationwide Tour picks up again this week with the South Georgia Classic, which means a good number of Kiwis will be in action. There's also European Tour action from Korea and a Kiwi competing in Japan. Here's the details (click any tournament name for a link to the live leaderboard).

South Georgia Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Bradley Iles
- Josh Geary
- Tim Wilkinson

Ballantines Championship (European Tour)
- Mark Brown
- Danny Lee
- Michael Campbell

The Crowns 2011 (Japan Golf Tour)
- David Smail

State Of Kiwi Pro Golf

2011-04-28T23:03:00.002+12:00

Read a good article today on the state of the current top Kiwi professional golfers.
I've attached a link below to the article on Sutff.co.nz. Have a read...

Can Kiwi Golfers Find A Way Out Of The Rough?

Danny Gets Disqualified After Tournament

2011-04-20T12:36:00.003+12:00

Danny Lee's tie for 17th at last weeks Malaysian Open will now count for nothing after he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard in the final round.

To make the situation worse, it was Danny's best performance in over a year and he will now miss out on the $35,000 he was due to collect, plus valuable Race To Dubai ranking points.

Best Finish Of The Year For Brown

2011-04-17T21:58:00.010+12:00

Mark Brown has finished the Malaysian Open with a three under par round of 69 that has jumped him up 26 places on the leaderboard and into a tie for 17th. The result is Brown's best finish so far this year on the European Tour.

Joining Mark in a tie for 17th at five under par is Danny Lee. Danny was sitting tied 9th heading into the final day but a final round of three over par 75 saw him fall 11 places down the leaderboard. The 75 was Danny's worst round of the week and it came at a time when a good round could have pushed him up near the top of the leaderboard. For Danny it's the same old problem of putting four rounds together without slipping in a bad one that is holding him back from being in contention at tournaments.

The other Kiwi in the field, Michael Campbell, finished three shots back of his countrymen in a tie for 36th at two under par. Just like Danny, Cambo also saved his worst round for last as he slumped to a four over par round of 76. He was sitting inside the top ten part way through the third round.

Even though it was a disappointing finish for Danny and Cambo, the Malaysian Open can be seen as a success for Kiwi golf fans as all three NZ participants made the cut and were in contention at some stage in the tournament.

Next week the European Tour heads to China for the Volvo China Open where the Kiwi trio will compete along with a few other Kiwi pros at the combined event with the OneAsia Tour.

Kiwis In Action (14-17 April)

2011-04-15T12:05:00.003+12:00

The Nationwide Tour gets back underway this week with The Fresh Express Classic in California, where the Kiwi members will be trying to improve their position on the all important moneylist.
The also Kiwis on the European Tour in Malaysia and the Japanese Tour.

Heres the details and links...

Maybank Malaysian Open (European Tour)
- Michael Campbell
- Danny Lee
- Mark Brown

Fresh Express Classic (Nationwide Tour)
- Steve Alker
- Tim Wilkinson
- Josh Geary
- Brad Iles

Token Homemate Cup (Japanese PGA Tour)
- Richard Lee
- David Smail

No Kiwis At Augusta

2011-04-07T09:47:00.003+12:00

It's Masters week. This tournament is without a doubt my favourite of the year. For some reason it just stands above all the other majors in my mind.

And while I enjoy watching the Masters no matter who is playing, it's always nice when there is at least one Kiwi in the field to be cheering on. This year I won't have that opportunity.

For the first time since 2005 there will be no Kiwis playing on Augusta National. For the last few Masters us Kiwis have just had Michael Campbell to cheer on at the Masters, which quite often ends in disaster like his dead last finish in 2010. Although in 2009 Danny Lee played the event after a win at the US Amateur. He teased us all with a first round 74 that was good enough to make the cut if he could repeat it the next day. He then went two under on the front nine on the Firday to give us all some hope that he would be the first Kiwi to make the weekend at Augusta in years. But he then blew up on the back nine and even used six putts on the famously tough tenth hole.

As far as I know the best finish at the Masters by a Kiwi came in 1963 when Bob Charles finished tied for 15th. He would later go on to win the Open Championship that same year.

So there will be no Kiwis in the field when the Masters begins tomorrow morning NZ time. But that won't stop most of us watching and dreaming that maybe one time it would be great to have a Kiwi in contention when the tournament reaches the back nine on Masters Sunday.

Top Twenty For Cambo

2011-04-04T23:04:00.002+12:00

Michael Campbell has recorded his best finish of the year on the European Tour with a tie for 19th at the Trophee Hassan Tournament in Morocco. For the third day in a row Cambo posted a final round of one under par 71 to go with his opening round 69.

Perhaps the best part of Cambo's result is the fact that he managed to put together four solid rounds of golf. No blowouts, no high numbers, just consistent scoring which is a huge improvement of late for the struggling former major winner.

Could Cambo be finding something in his game leading up to the US Open in June? We can only dream....

Cambo Finds Form In Morocco

2011-04-03T22:09:00.003+12:00

Michael Campbell has found a bit of form at the Trophee Hassan tournament in Morocco, part of the European Tour.

Cambo recorded rounds of 69 and 72 to be sitting just three shots off the lead at the halfway mark and then followed them up with a 71 on the Saturday to keep himself inside the top 20 heading into the final round. The tournament marks the second time Cambo has made the cut this year on the European Tour.

Unfortunately the news is not as good for fellow Kiwi Mark Brown as rounds of 74 and 73 caused him to miss the cut by two shots.

Danny Jumps Inside Top 25

2011-03-30T17:52:00.003+13:00

Danny Lee has jumped into the top 25 of the Nationwide Tour's moneylist on the back of a tie for seventh at the recently completed Louisiana Open.

After being placed well after two rounds Danny slipped down the leaderboard on moving day with a two over par 73. But the Rotorua professional bounced back on Sunday to fire one of the rounds of the day, a six under par 65 to jump into a tie for seventh.

The money earned for his top ten finish has seen Danny jump from 50th to 22nd on the tour's moneylist. Golfers inside the top 25 at the end of the year will earn their tour card for the 2012 PGA Tour. Something Danny has had his eyes on for a long time.

The Nationwide Tour takes a two three week break before picking up with the Fresh Express Classic on April 14.

Cambo On The PGA Tour

2011-03-25T20:56:00.004+13:00

I was watching the PGA Tour's coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational today after work, when something strange happened. Michael Campbell's name was on the screen.

While Cambo is struggling over in Europe this week at the Open De Andalucia, a screen shot on the golf channel's coverage of the PGA Tour reminded us all of his previous struggles.

Japanese player Yuta Ikeda managed to post a score of 11, yes 11, on the par 5 sixth hole which has seen its share of big numbers over the years. And that's where Cambo comes in. They put up a list of the highest scores recorded at the hole over the years and there was Cambo's name, in second place with a score of 12 on the hole just last year. Only beaten by another former major winner now struggling, John Daly.

So there you go Cambo. You were on the PGA Tour this week. Good stuff.

Wilkinson Into The Top Ten

2011-03-25T15:43:00.004+13:00

Tim Wilkinson has started the Louisiana Open with an opening round of three under par 68 which has him sitting tied for tenth at the end of the first days play. Four birdies and a lone bogey has Tim well placed just three shots back of the leaders.

Danny Lee sits just one shot back of Wilkinson after his round of 69. Teeing off on the tenth hole Danny started the day with two pars before a double bogey on the par five 12th hole set him back. But he responded well and fired off four birdies to get him into a tie for 15th.

Brad Iles opened with a two over par 73 to be tied for 91st while Josh Geary had a shocker, slumping to a six over par 77. Both have a lot of work to do tomorrow if they are to make the halfway cut.

Kiwis In Action (24-27 March)

2011-03-25T12:30:00.004+13:00

Good to see a decent amount of Kiwi professionals teeing it up this week in various worldwide tours. Here are the details. Click on the title of each tournament for a live leaderboard of the event.

Louisiana Open (Nationwide Tour)

-Danny Lee
-Josh Geary
-Tim Wilkinson
-Brad Iles

Open De Andalucia (European Tour)

-Michael Campbell
-Mark Brown

Indonesian Open (OneAsia Tour)

-Michael Long
-Gareth Paddison
-Michael Hendry
-David Smail

Pay Day For Cambo

2011-03-22T09:43:00.005+13:00

A final round of three over par 64 has seen Michael Campbell slip down the leaderboard on the final day of the Sicilian Open to finish in a tie for 58th. He was sitting tied 44th heading into the final round.

Still, the result means that Cambo will pick up his first pay check of the year from the course. His tie for 58th earns him $2,900 Euros which is just over $5,500 Kiwi dollars.

Even though 58th is a long way down the leaderboard and 15 shots back of winner Raphael Jacquelin, the week should be looked at as a success for Cambo. At this stage of his career every made cut is worth celebrating! Let's hope this week sparks something and he carries the success over into the next few weeks on tour.

Cambo Makes The Cut!

2011-03-20T16:22:00.003+13:00

Michael Campbell has made his first cut of the year on the European Tour at the Sicilian Open in Italy.

Rounds of 73 and 71 saw Cambo make the cut right on the number. He then produced a third round of two under par 69 to jump 15 places up the leaderboard and have him sitting in a tie for 44th heading into the final round. He sits nine shots back of leader Raphael Jacquelin of France.

The last time Cambo played weekend golf was at the Australian Open back in early December.

Michael Campbell In Italy

2011-03-17T22:00:00.003+13:00

The European Tour heads to Italy this week for the Sicilian Open and Michael Campbell is the only Kiwi teeing it up.

He will tee off from hole number 10 in the morning round on the first day with Gregory Harvet of France and Stephen Gallacher of Scotland. The trio will then play in the afternoon friday groupings before the halfway cut is made.

Let's hope Cambo can make it!

Rain Rain Rain In Colombia

2011-03-07T15:44:00.004+13:00

Horrible weather conditions has caused the Nationwide Tour's second event, the Bogota Open in Colombia, to be reduced to 36 holes.

Not much to report in the way of Kiwi golfers as four of the five playing in the event missed the cut, that didn't end up being enforced as rounds 3 and 4 were cancelled.

The only Kiwi to make the cut was Danny Lee who just made it in on the number at even par. The four other Kiwis all missed the cut by the same margin of two shots after all finishing the two rounds at two over par.

The result moves Danny down to 50th on the Nationwide Tour's moneylist and has him as the best placed Kiwi.

Third Title For Paddison

2011-03-01T20:28:00.005+13:00

Gareth Paddison has given reason for Kiwi golf fans to celebrate with a win at the Queensland PGA Championships on the Australasian Tour. The former European Tour player produced a career low round of eight under par 62 on day three, then backed it up with a score of 66 on the final day to claim his third professional title and first win in over four years. He also becomes our first Kiwi winner of 2011 on a semi-major tour.

"I am stoked. It's been a great finish for me. I am proud of myself," Paddison said when speaking to the media after lifting the trophey.
"When you take time to think of the pressures you've been under it is fabulous to come out on top."

Michael Hendry also had a good week in Queensland with a tie for fifth just four shots back of Paddison. Doug Holloway and Hamish Robertson were the only other Kiwis to make the cut but both finished well down the field.

Nationwide Tour Underway

2011-02-26T18:33:00.003+13:00

The 2011 Nationwide Tour has started with the Panama Claro Championship and there are a number of Kiwis taking part. Although we have no players on the PGA Tour this year, the Nationwide Tour will be home to at least five New Zealanders this year.

Nationwide players from 2010 Brad Iles and Steve Alker have been joined by Q school graduates Danny Lee, Josh Geary and former PGA Tour starter Tim Wilkinson.

The tournament is running behind schedule due to stormy weather conditions but at the moment it looks like Danny Lee and Brad Iles will be around for the final two rounds, with Josh Geary and Steve Alker needing to pick up a shot or two in their final holes of their second round early tomorrow in order to ensure weekend golf. Tim Wilkinson has completed both his rounds and sits above the cut line.

The cut line currently sits at one over par with Josh Geary sitting right on that number with nine holes remaining in his round. Alker is three over with 11 holes to play so will need to find a few birdies early tomorrow.

Timmy At Riviera

2011-02-20T13:53:00.003+13:00

Former PGA Tour regular Tim Wilkinson was back on the big stage this week when he competed at the Northern Trust Open being held at the Riviera Country Club in California. Tim grabbed one of the four Monday qualifying spots that were up for grabs by shooting a six under par 66 at the nearby Industry Hills Golf Club.

Unfortunately Tim struggled on the first day at Riviera and put up a score of nine over par 80 that included zero birdies. He managed to improve by ten shots on day two to shoot one under for the round but it was not enough to make the halfway cut.

Tim has full playing rights on the Nationwide Tour this year which begins next week in Panama.

NZ Open Update (Day 2)

2011-02-18T23:41:00.004+13:00

Lydia Ko is the leading kiwi after the second round of the Pegasus New Zealand Open sitting in a tie for fourth at six under par after rounds of 70 and 68. The 13 year old North Harbour amateur is five shots off the lead held by Italian professional Giulia Sergas who shot the breakout round on day one, an eight under par 64.

High winds in the afternoon of the first day kept the scoring from getting too low with only a handful of players getting below par, most of them coming from the morning rounds. Day two was much more calm and the scoring proved to be a lot lower with a few big names making a move up the leaderboard.

Defending Champion Laura Davies came out firing after her first round of even par 72 and produced a stunning round of eight under par 66 to push herself up with Lydia into a tie for fourth. However the low round of the day went to Linda Wessberg of Sweeden with a nine under par round that was eleven shots better than her day one score of 74. She now sits in third place at seven under, two shots back of Australia's Kristie Smith.

Caroline Bon is the next best kiwi at four under par and in a tie for tenth after consecutive rounds of two under par 70. Cecilia Cho bounced back after her opening 77 to shoot 66 and move up 45 places into a tie for 29th. They appear to be the only kiwis that will make the cut this week.

The Ladies Of Pegasus

2011-02-17T11:06:00.004+13:00

The NZ Women's Open is underway at the Pegasus Golf Club just north of Christchurch. The course is hosting the event for the second year running having moved from Clearwater after the initial event in 2009.

It should be a great week with temperatures expected to be in the mid twenties for all four days and not a sign of rain, although that means nothing in Christchurch. However it's the Canterbury winds that the players will need to be cautious of. On a calm day Pegasus is a birdie fest, but a day with a strong nor-easter can turn the course into a real challenge. I have personally played Pegasus twice now, once in the calm and once with the wind. The difference in my scores is not coincidence.

Once again the event has managed to attract a quality field with some of the best players in the world, along with some of the most promising young talent, teeing it up in NZ.

Defending champ Laura Davies is back looking to hang on to the trophy for another year. The 47 year old former world number one and four time major winner will go into the event as one of the players to keep an eye on. Another player expected to do well is Spanish professional Belen Mozo. The 22 year old has the backing of Australian legend Greg Norman (she endorses his clothing line) and is coming off a tied 13th finish at the ANZ Masters last week in Sydney.

Other international players to keep an eye on are Pernilla Lindberg of Sweeden who finished runner up last year and English pro Melissa Reid who placed second two week ago at the Aussie Open.

But enough about the internationals, this is the New Zealand women's open and we have a strong selection of players that are capable of winning this week. Leading the charge will be 16 year old two time NZ amateur champion Cecilia Cho, who just last week proved she can match it with the professionals when she finished tied for fifth at the ANZ Masters. Another young kiwi who will push the professionals is Lydia Ko who proved her ability to play with the pros with a 12th place finish at the Australian Open earlier this month. Together the two teenage sensations will provide kiwi fans with some hope a kiwi winner if they find themselves close on Sunday.

Other kiwis worth a look are Cathryn Bristow, Caroline Bon and Sarah Nicholson who made a promising start in the event last year before a poor weekend saw her fall down the leaderboard.

Be sure to check back here for updates at the end of each days play.

Click here for a live leaderboard.

Third Round Struggles

2011-02-15T09:56:00.002+13:00

Both Danny Lee and Mark Brown finished well off the pace at this weeks Dubai Desert Classic, mostly due to horrible third rounds.

The two kiwis were sitting in decent positions heading into the weekend after watching Michael Campbell miss yet another cut, this time by more then just one shot. But then came the third round and both Danny and Mark struggled big time, recording scores of 78 and 79 respectively to push them well down the leaderboard and ruin any chance of a high placing.

To their credit they both rebounded well on the Sunday, Danny especially as he beat his Saturday score by eleven shots and fired the second best round of the day, a five under par 67. This moved him up 29 places and saw him finish in a tie for 42nd. Mark's final round of even par 72 saw him move up six places into a tie for 55th.

Mark now sits 101st in the Race To Dubai rankings having played six events while Danny is 111th after four tournaments. Cambo is yet to make a cut and has no ranking as the points are based on money gained on tour.

Three Kiwis And A Tiger

2011-02-10T23:15:00.003+13:00

Kiwi pros Mark Brown, Michael Campbell and Danny Lee will this week have the rare opportunity to play alongside former world number one Tiger Woods.

Tiger is in Dubai for the European Tour's Omega Dubai Desert Classic and will play his first two rounds alongside Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood, making up a top three world rankings threesome.

The three kiwis are all looking to improve on their average starts to the season and with all eyes on the big guns, this could be the perfect week to sneak under the radar.

Mark Brown is currently the best placed kiwi on the race to Dubai rankings, sitting in 101st place. Cambo is yet to earn any points towards the race to Dubai this year but has only missed the cut by a single shot the last two weeks. Could this be the week he sees some weekend action?

Australian Women's Open

2011-02-04T12:41:00.002+13:00

The Australian Women's Open is taking place this week at the Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne. The event is co-sanctioned by the Australian Ladies Golf Tour and the European Ladies Tour.

This year there are eight kiwi ladies participating in the event, six professionals and two amateurs. And after day one, it's the amateurs leading the way.

Cecilia Cho (Auckland) and Lydia Ko (North Harbour) both sit in a tie for 34th at even par. Lydia is coming fresh off her second place finish at the NSW Ladies Open a week ago where she was a missed putt away from forcing a playoff for the title. A win would have made her the youngest player to ever win on the Australian Women's Tour.

Sarah Nicholson also sits at even par after the first round while Caroline Bon is the next best kiwi at two over par and tied for 68th.

Kiwis Struggle In Qatar

2011-02-04T12:11:00.005+13:00

The three kiwi golfers on the European Tour all struggled during their opening rounds at the Qatar Masters as winds of up to 40kmh were gusting around the desert course.

Finding the fairways was tough for all players as high winds took good tee shots heading for the fairway and sent them heading for the desert like rough that surronds the course at Doha.

Mark Brown is the kiwi who managed to cope best with the conditions on day one, posting a round of three over par 75. It sounds bad but when you take into account that only one player managed to break 70, three over isn't that bad of a score. Mark is in a tie for 52nd.

Danny Lee is a shot back of Mark in a tie for 69th, while Michael Campbell is tied for 113th at seven over par.

The tournament continues tonight where the wind is expected to drop off significantly and should allow the players to post some more respectable scores.

Danny In The Desert

2011-01-24T17:50:00.003+13:00

Danny Lee has finished in a tie for 53rd at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on the European Tour. He was the only kiwi to make the cut, with both Mark Brown and Michael Campbell missing out on playing the weekend rounds. Cambo looked to be sure of making the cut halfway through the second round, only for the cut line to shift down a shot later in the day and cause him to miss out right on the number.

Danny started the tournament well with a first round of three under par 69 that had him inside the top 20. But his next two rounds of 72 and 76 saw him fall towards the bottom of the leaderboard before finishing strongly with another 69 on the final day.

Although Danny finished a long way off the lead he has to be somewhat satisfied with his maiden 2011 tournament. A made cut and a good finish are some positives to take out of the event that attracts some of the biggest names in world golf, including the winner Martin Kaymer of Germany.

The Surf Coast Knockout

2011-01-20T00:04:00.003+13:00

A new format of golf tournament makes its debut today in the form of the Surf Coast Knockout. The event is part of the Australasian PGA Tour and involves three rounds of strokeplay followed by a final round of matchplay to determine the winner.

How it all works is that the usual 36 hole cut will be made with the top 50 players advancing to the third round. At the end of that round the top 32 placed players will play a series of six hole matchplay knockout games until there is one golfer left undefeated. They will then be crowned the Surf Coast Knockout champion.

The event is being held at The Sands Torquay Course near Melbourne, which was designed by Stuart Appleby. It is known for being one of the more difficult courses in Victoria.

Five kiwis will compete in the historical first Surf Coast Knockout...
Mahal Pearce
Michael Hendry
Gareth Paddison
Peter Spearman-Burn
Brad Shilton

Here's hoping at least one of them can make it through to the final day and take part in the matchplay format.

Good Finish For Holloway

2011-01-09T23:11:00.005+13:00

A final round of two under par 69 in tough conditions has seen Doug Holloway move up the leaderboard at the Victoria Open and finish in a tie for 13th. Doug finishes with a tournament total of three over par which is a better score than it sounds, when you consider the fact that only seven players finished the event under par.

Matthew Holten was the next best kiwi, finishing in a tie for 36th at eight over par after a final round 73. Brad Shilton was the only other kiwi to make the cut and he finished back in a tie for 50th at eleven over par.

The tournament was won by Australian Paul Sheehan who is a resident of Melbourne and plays at the nearby Victoria Golf Club.

Victorian Open

2011-01-06T12:48:00.007+13:00

Probably like a lot of you, my golfing year started with a round on New Years Day while on vacation. The after effects of the night before certainly didn't help the score but I couldn't think of a better way to start 2011 than with a round of golf.

Less than a week later the real golf starts. Today the professional golfing year gets underway with the Victorian Open, part of the PGA Tour of Australasia.

The event is being held at the Spring Valley Golf Club, one of the many courses that makes up the world famous Sandbelt region just outside of Melbourne. This is the fourth year in the tournaments history and of the four winners three of them have been from Victoria, so a bit of local knowledge obviously comes in handy.

Seven kiwis are playing in the event and at the time of writing Doug Holloway was off to a great start, being three under through seven holes and just two off the current lead.

Also underway in the morning groups are Matthew Holten, Peter Spearman-Burn and amateur Ben Campbell who are all currently sitting at two over.

Teeing off in the afternoon are Nick Gillespie, Brad Shilton and Hamish Robertson.

Click here for the Victoria Open live leaderboard

Merry Christmas From KiwiGolfUpdate

2010-12-25T22:41:00.002+13:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Make sure you get in a lot of golf over the holiday period.

See you back in 2011 for all your news and updates on kiwi pro golfers from around the world.

Farewell 2010

2010-12-21T09:01:00.007+13:00

As another year of golf comes to an end, shall we look back on some of the highs and lows for our kiwi pro golfers.

Highlight of 2010
This has to go to Michael Hendry for his maiden OneAsia Tour victory at the Indonesian Open back in July. Taking a one shot lead into the final round Hendry then produced a bogey free, seven under par 65 on the final day to win the event.

Disappointment of 2010
For the second year in a row this award is going to Steve Alker. In 2010 Alker played in 21 Nationwide Tour events making zero cuts. He did not play a single weekend and did not earn a single dollar on the Tour.

Best Round of 2010
Michael Campbell's opening round of the Portugal Masters in October. Cambo produced a round of five under par 65 that was without a single bogey, something he hasn't been able to do in almost two years. While it wasn't the lowest round by a kiwi in 2010, it gets the award as it was so unexpected and showed us all that Cambo still can post the low numbers.

Worst Round of 2010
Michael Campbell quickly followed the above round with a second day 77 to miss the cut by four shots.

2010 Kiwi Golfer Of The Year
Without a doubt, Michael Hendry. The North Harbour professional ended the year with four wins on four different tours. The Indonesian Open on the OneAsia Tour, The Muriwai Open in NZ, The Fiji Open and the PGA Tour's first stage qualifier in Hawaii. Hendry now sits 386th in the world rankings, up from 741st at the beginning of the year.
Click the link below for a great interview with Hendry done by Johnnie Walker Golf Club that sums up his year perfectly.
Michael Hendry - Flying the NZ flag with pride

Shock Of 2010
David Smail's Japanese affair. Perhaps the Kiwi number one has been paying a little too much attention to the former world number one. We all want to golf like Tiger, but let's leave it at that.

All in all it was another up and down year in the world of kiwi pro golfers. Yet again we will be without any players on the US PGA Tour but the kiwi flag will be well represented on the European and Nationwide Tours as well as the OneAsia, Japanese and Asian Tours.

Top 25 Finish For Brown

2010-12-21T08:48:00.004+13:00

Mark Brown has finished well at the South African Open, carding weekend rounds of 72 and 69 to finish in a tie for 23rd at ten under par. The event was won by The Big Easy, Ernie Els, with a score of 25 under.

The result means that Mark ends the year having made the cut at both events in South Africa, which are part of the 2011 season, and currently sits 28th in the Race To Dubai rankings for 2011. Confused? Good.

The European Tour starts up again in the new year with two more events in South Africa. The African Open on January 6 and the Joburg Open on January 13.

Mark Brown In Africa

2010-12-17T19:58:00.005+13:00

The European Tour obviously doesn't believe in holidays, as their 2011 season is already underway, with two events in South Africa before the end of December.

The Alfred Dunhill Championship was staged last week at the Leopard Creek Golf Club in Malelane with Mark Brown being the only kiwi taking part. His opening two rounds of 69 and 74 saw him safely make the weekend cut but a disaster third round of 80 pushed him to the bottom of the field. Mark bounced back in the final round shooting 73, finishing the tournament in a tie for 61st.

This week Mark is competing in the South African Open, being hosted at the Durban Country Club. Mark was off in the fourth group of the day and was sitting at one under for the round after eight holes when play was abandoned due to heavy rain. After starting his round with bogies on holes one and five, Mark quickly birdied his next three holes before the siren sounded for play to end. I can imagine he will be a bit gutted at being pulled off the course while on a birdie run. Hopefully he can pick up where he left off when play resumes tomorrow.