Golfer Pacific NZ – March 2022 by Golfer Pacific NZ

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Ryan Fox leads all the way; pockets more than $500,000 PAGE 3 INSIDE // MILLBROOK CLASSIC A ONE-OFF REPLACEMENT FOR NZ OPEN

EDITORIAL

pgueorgieff@yahoo.co.nz

Ryan was not outfoxed in the United Arab Emirates A

By Paul Gueorgieff Editor, Golfer Pacific NZ

ll credit to Ryan Fox. The Auckland golfer led all the way to win in the United Arab Emirates last month and the way he achieved it had to be admired. The fact that he led from start to finish made the win all the more meritorious. It is comparable to horse racing, when a horse leads all the way to win, the greater the accolades. A horse that leads all the way is credited with doing all the donkey work in front and then having the determination to fend off the rivals in the home straight. The same accolades are not awarded for a horse that sits three back on the fence, is presented with a gap at the top of the straight and scores by a nose. Fox went into the final round of the $US2 million Ras Al Kaimah Classic with a six-shot lead which oddly enough presents its own problems. To make a racing comparison

again, this is like a horse kicking clear at the top of the straight and everyone saying the jockey has gone too early. Fox admitted that having a big lead only leans itself to negative thoughts. “All you are worried about is stuffing it up,” Fox said on radio when back in New Zealand. Fox was then asked would he prefer a one-shot lead or a sixshot lead. “A lead of six is obviously a lot better. But I think for the nerves side of things, one would be a little easier. “You know (with a one shot lead) you have to go out and play well whereas with a lead of six you are more worried about making mistakes.” There were mistakes from Fox early in the final round, the most notable being a missed putt of just a couple of feet in a very casual attempt. I am sure expletives rang out around New Zealand homes from those watching live television coverage late in the night. But that’s Fox. He is not one to muck around and likes to get on

with the job. Fox is now clearly New Zealand’s top ranked male player. He jumped from 213th to 119th with the win. The second-highest Kiwi-ranked player is Daniel Hillier who was at 207th at the end of last month while Danny Lee was 232nd. The win was Fox’s second on the European Tour, which is now known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons. His other win on the European Tour came in the Super 6s in Perth in 2019, which was the first win by a New Zealander on the European since Danny Lee 10 years earlier. That win earned Fox about $270,000. Add that to the $500,000 he won in the United Arab Emirates, you can see, from just two wins, his prizemoney earnings are sizeable. Fox also has two additional wins on the Australasian Tour with victories coming in the 2014 Western Australia Open and the 2015 Queensland PGA while he has also won twice on the Challenge Tour in Europe. The Challenge Tour wins were in France in 2015 and in

the Northern Ireland Open in 2016. Another top performance came in The Open in Northern Ireland in 2019 when he finished 16th to Shane Lowry. The 16th placing earned him about $180,000. Yes, another nice earn. Another top performance came in the 2018 Irish Open when he finished second. But there would have been a feeling of victory robbed. The tournament was won by Russell Knox of Scotland who amazingly holed a 40-foot putt on the final hole to tie Fox and then holed an almost identical putt on the first playoff hole to deny Fox. The consolation was Fox earned $1.14 million for second. Yes, another nice earn. Fox is one of longest drivers on the European Tour. I was told recently one of the reasons for his length off the tee was he creates little backspin with his driver. And how does he do that, I asked. Don’t know was the answer.

NEW ZEALAND EDITORIAL Paul Gueorgieff pgueorgieff@yahoo.co.nz Ph: 64 4 565 0385 Mob: 64 27 227 1038 SOUTH ISLAND EDITORIAL Neville Idour 0274771423 pmidour@hotmail.co.nz SALES & CLUB PACKAGE GOLF TRAILS & NOTICEBOARDS Leigh Smith smith.sun@bigpond.com Ph: 0061 7 5504 6334 Mob: 0061 433 163 043 LAYOUT & DESIGN layout.golferpacificnz@gmail.com PUBLISHER Golfer Pacific NZ LTD PO Box 51338 Tawa, Wellington 5249, New Zealand ACCOUNTS Leigh Smith smith.sun@bigpond.com SUBSCRIPTION $60.00 per annum including GST smith.sun@bigpond.com Ph: 0061 5575 7444 Mob: 0061 433 163 043 NEW ZEALAND MAIL ADDRESS PO Box 51338 Tawa, Wellington 5249, New Zealand COVER PHOTO: Ryan Fox of New Zealand tees off on the 16th hole during day four of the Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Al Hamra Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. Fox went on to win by five shots. Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images. COPYRIGHT All material published in Golfer Pacific NZ is subject to all forms of copyright. Contents of this newspaper cannot be reproduced in any way, shape, or form without the permission of the editor. Views expressed in editorial contributions do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of this newspaper, its management. New Zealand Golfer Pacific is published Golfer Pacific NZ Limited. The company’s registered office is unit 10/7 Aruma St Chevron Island QLD 4217.

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March 2022

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By Paul Gueorgieff

yan Fox earned more than half a million dollars when he won in the United Arab Emirates last month. Fox led all the way to win the $US2 million Ras Al Khaimah Classic which carried a first prize of 298,947 euros. That equates to $NZ510,500. It is easily the Aucklander’s biggest win although he had had one previous win on the equivalent of the European Tour, which is now known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons. Fox’s previous European Tour win was the World Super 6 tournament in Perth in 2019. That earned him about $NZ280,000. The fact that Fox led after each of the four days of the tournament and that his winning margin was five shots gives the impression he cruised to victory. It may have been that way at the very end of the last round but it was not the case earlier. Fox went into the final round with a six-shot lead but that had crumbled to two shots after about six holes which included a careless miss of a tap in putt. When asked about the missed putt after his win, Fox said he couldn’t repeat out loud what he said to himself. “I can’t really tell you what I thought,’’ Fox replied. “It wasn’t very good thoughts going through my head. I don’t think I have done that in a long time and obviously it hurts with a lead.’’ Fox admitted he did not sleep well the night before the final round and found himself awake at 4.30am. “I don’t think I have slept on a lead for three nights in a row before and sleeping on a six-shot one wasn’t very comfortable last night, I can tell you that. “Waking up at four thirty this morning and not being able to get back to sleep — there was a lot of time to think about that.” Fox said he couldn’t help but think of

New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox is all smiles as he poses with his trophy after his win in the $US2 million Ras Al Khaimah Classic in the United Arab Emirates last month. Photo credit: European Tour.

blowing a six-shot lead. “You want a six-shot lead going into Sunday but all you can think about is the what ifs, what if I stuff this up. “There was definitely a few of those thoughts going through my head this morning and definitely a few of those thoughts going through my head for about six or seven holes today.’’ A pivotal moment in the round was holing a 44-foot putt on hole No 12. “Probably the one on 12 was the turning point,’’ Fox agreed. Oddly enough hole No 12 had not endeared itself towards Fox during the week and the previous week when another tournament was held at the same venue in which Fox didn’t even make the cut. An errant tee shot on No 12 in the final round did not improve Fox’ impression of the hole. “I haven’t been a massive fan of that tee shot for two weeks and I got away with one there. Obviously I wasn’t aim-

ing there, I pushed it a little bit, but at least I hit it solid. “I thought I hit a decent second shot, the breeze just didn’t really move it left and thankfully the hole got in the way with my putt. To be honest I probably would have had three or four feet coming back but it looked good all the way and that just changed everything, it gave me more of a buffer.’’ Fox admitted elation was not his main feeling after the win. “Probably relief is the main emotion, obviously it was a bit of a struggle today. “Obviously a couple of the guys came at me early. I was a bit nervous. “I had that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach all day but I’m very happy with how I played, a couple of great shots coming down the stretch and it was certainly nice walking down the last with putter in hand with so many putts to win. “I’m very happy to convert it. It got

very tight there for a while. The winning margin looks a little bit nicer than it was out there.’’ Fox said the main thing he learned from the victory was he is not one to give up. “I learned that I’m pretty resilient, obviously there was some bad stuff in there but I just kept plugging away. “There were a couple of big momentum putts on the back nine, the one on 10 for par and then the one on 12 just kick-started everything and I felt like I played pretty solid the rest of the way in. “It was going south pretty quickly there and I’m pretty happy I could turn it around and show plenty of mental fortitude there. “Obviously 13 and 14 you feel like you have a couple of birdie holes coming home and I managed to birdie 13 which made it a little easier coming down the stretch, but obviously not that easy.’’ Fox, 35, is a son of former All Black rugby star Grant Fox and the younger Fox believes he shares some of this father’s habits. “I’ve got a nervous energy, my old man is the same – he paces around on the phone - and I think I probably walked 25 kilometres today with how much I paced around the greens. “That’s just me and I was definitely thinking about the family coming down the last couple of holes, it’s pretty big for them. “They’ve got to come over to Europe every year and it’s a little bit harder now with a little one (daughter Isabel, aged one) and this win makes it a little bit easier for them to do that.’’ The win saw Fox’s world ranking jump nearly 100 places, moving from 211th to 119th. Footnote: The European Tour is now known as the DP World Tour. The tour is sponsored by DP World which is a company based in Dubai. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations and maritime services.

GOLF NEWS

Ryan Fox leads all the way; pockets more than $500,000

Fox’s television interview when the chips were down

yan Fox surprised commentators when he agreed to a mid-round television interview after his lead had crumbled from six shots to two in the United Arab Emirates last month. The interview took place as he walked down the eighth fairway in the final round of the $US2 million Ras al Khaimah Classic when he was one over par for his first seven holes. Television commentators expressed great surprise Fox would take on the interview when he could have politely and understandably declined it.

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But it may have helped him get over his poor start by getting the emotions off his chest rather than let them boil up inside him. The first question was what was his plan coming into the final round with a lead of six. “Definitely not start how I started,’’ Fox said candidly. Fox’s early mishaps included a careless attempt at knocking in a tap in putt on hole No 4 which he missed and he didn’t avoid referring to it as he reviewed his opening holes. “I actually gave myself a couple of good chances on

March 2022

one and three, had a poor chip on three and obviously that little whiff on four doesn’t help things.” But then came the positive words which may have helped his cause by speaking them out aloud. “It doesn’t feel like it’s a million miles away at the moment,’’ he continued. “I’ve still got plenty of birdie chances, I’m still in front — there’s still some positives there.” They couldn’t have been truer words. Fox birdied the eighth hole and went on to win by five.

GOLF NEWS

Millbrook Classic a one-off replacement for NZ Open T

he New Zealand Open may have been cancelled but a $150,000 replacement tournament has been announced. The replacement is the Millbrook Classic which will be played at Millbrook, near Queenstown, on April 2-3 which are the same two days the New Zealand Open would have concluded. The Millbrook Classic will be a one-off pro-am event and is aimed to provide support for Kiwi professional golfers, many of whom have been adversely affected by the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, particularly with limited playing opportunities. When announcing the cancellation of the 2022 New Zealand Open, tournament organisers indicated they intended to hold a smaller proam event that could be hosted within the red light setting of the New Zealand covid protection framework. The Millbrook Classic will feature New Zealand professionals and some of the country’s best elite amateur players. New Zealand Open tournament chairman John Hart said that the team recognised the need to support New Zealand-based players who have had a very difficult time in the past two years. “Since the pandemic hit our shores, Kiwi professionals have been faced with restrictions not only cancelling events here in New Zealand, but also affecting the ability to travel to tournaments

A stunning backdrop to one of the holes of the new Coronet course at Millbrook Resort near Queenstown. Photo credit: millbrook.co.nz.

throughout the world,” Hart said. “We are delighted that we have been able to pull the Millbrook Classic together in such a short amount of time. “My thanks go to Millbrook Resort for their amazing ongoing support. Their funding, combined with an allocation of funding from the regional events’ fund, assistance from one of the New Zealand Open sponsors, and from Golf New Zealand, has allowed us to stage this two-day pro-am and hopefully relieve some financial pressure for the players.” The Millbrook Classic in-

vited professional field will comprise 28 playing spots (26 professionals and two elite amateurs), each of whom will be paired with a paying amateur. The pro-am amateur field entrant fee will not only cover their own costs, but also the accommodation and golfing costs of one of the invited professionals for the Millbrook Classic. “Our aim is to make this a special occasion for the professionals, with prizemoney being distributed across the whole field,’’ Hart added. “This will allow visiting play-

March 2022

ers to stay at Millbrook Resort for the three nights at no cost, and any costs of getting to and from the event being well and truly offset by the prize pool.” * The Millbrook Classic ProAm tournament will be held at Millbrook Resort across the weekend of April 2-3. Played across 36 holes, both rounds will be played on the newly opened Coronet course. * The Millbrook Classic professional field will comprise a minimum of 28 playing spots (24 professionals and four elite amateurs).

* The Millbrook Classic professional field will compete for a purse of $140,000, and a further $10,000 to be allocated to the leading five professionals within the pro-am section of the event, bringing the total purse to $150,000. * The professional field will be selected from both the NZPGA order of merit standings for 2021 and 2022, as well as from the Charles Tour order of merit standings for both years. * Golf NZ will also invite two of their elite amateur players to contest this event.

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Amelia Garvey has high hopes for this year By Neville Idour

GOLF NEWS 6

er talent pops off the page,” said Justin Silverstein, the golf head coach at the University of southern California. Silverstein was talking about New Zealand golfer Amelia Garvey from Canterbury and it was great to catch up with her at The Hills Pro-Am in Arrowtown recently and learn much about this young golf professional as she looks to achieve her goal of playing full time on the LPGA Tour, the world’s richest golf circuit for women. Garvey, 21, graduated from the University of Southern California (USC), in May 2021. She explains: “I turned professional straight after so it has been a big year for me.” More on that later. First let’s go back to the beginning. “I first started golf when I was six years old after being born in Manchester (in England) and the family moved to New Zealand when I was five. My parents Lee and Beverly are British so I have a British passport. “Dad played golf socially but I played many sports. I was a Tom boy for sure. “Dad had got me a set of plastic golf clubs I could play with in the backyard. So there I was swinging it in the backyard and dad goes that is not normal for a six-year-old to be swinging it like that. Let’s get you out on a golf course’’. Her father’s eye for talent was spot on. “So I started with a little junior programme at a course near home. The funny thing was, I was playing soccer competitively until I was about 14, and in the New Zealand development squad. But I was also playing golf for New Zealand at the same time. “So it got to the point where I had to decide which one to concentrate on. It was an easy choice really because I loved golf and saw a better future in that for me. Ever since then I have put my head down and got the scholarship to the University of Southern California.” Did you apply for that? “No. I was recruited. I went to the USA with mum and played the Junior World Champs in 2016 at San Diego a year before finishing high school. “That was when they realised there could be a significant future in golf. They were shocked. It was quite overwhelming. “Suddenly there were 15 coaches watching me. It is like a coach fest over there. Coaches are all trying to put teams together for the next four or five years.” She impressed many of them and received several scholarships from major universities including USC. Garvey visited half of them with her Dad and half with her Mum. “So I got really lucky because USC was ranked in the top three in the USA for

Amelia Garvey playing at The Hills golf course in Arrowtown.

the time I was there. For most schools like that, girls are committing to them when they are 12 or 13.” When Garvey and her mother arrived at USC the reaction was instant. “When I saw USC I fell in love with the whole environment. I knew straight away this is where I wanted to be. It was the right decision and an amazing experience. “I was 16 at the time, about to graduate from high school. What happened was two girls from USC had decided to turn pro after their second year so two spots opened up. They offered me a position as a quick fill in because everyone else was already committed even though I was a bit of a latecomer. This was January 2018.’’ So she was going to be a trojan as USC students are known. It was straight from high school in New Zealand to university and she graduated in three and a half years with a degree in communications. A typical day for Garvey would be start at 5.30am when she travelled to practice at Rolling Hills Country Club. After a couple of hours on course it was back to campus for workouts at 11am. After they ended it was time to head to class.

She finished her career as a trojan in the world’s top 25 amateurs. After graduation in May last year she turned professional. “I made my debut at the 2021 US Open after qualifying. I also played Augusta at the Augusta Women’s Amateur Nationals in April during the week before the Masters. It was unbelievable. The whole week was amazing. We played two rounds elsewhere then Augusta where I shot one under par. “We had dinner there and went to Berckmans Place which is like a huge house left of the 11th tee. No phones are allowed and photos are a no no. “It is only open the week of the Masters for patrons who are the members or players. When you go in it is like a little town There are three bars and restaurants in there. “There is the room with the Eisenhower tree plus Augusta memorabilia. The gift shop is like a warehouse and will make a hole in the wallet. It is amazing. Then outside there is a mini putt course which mirrors the 18 most famous putts sunk by winners at Augusta in the Masters.’’ After all that excitement, later in the year Garvey played at the LPGA qualifying school where she secured full

March 2022

status on the Symetra Tour. “ I’m very happy with that.” Will that give her any rights to the main LPGA Tour? “I can try for sponsor invites if I play well and I can also play Monday qualifiers. I played once last year and missed by two shots. It is worth it especially if it lines up with the next Symetra Tour event. I will play a lot of Mondays this year because all you need is one opportunity and your life can change within two weeks. “Just look at Steven Alker who played Mondays and got in and won. So you have to keep giving yourself opportunities and chances to play and that is what I want to focus on this year. “ As for living in the United States, Garvey makes no secret of it. “I love it and I have been fortunate enough to make a few friends so I almost feel at home. Obviously I love New Zealand and my home is here but I know a lot of girls who get homesick when they are over there. I hadn’t felt that until this year, because of covid, when I wasn’t sure if I could get back to see my family, but I do have a lot of people over there supporting me.” One of those closest to her is coach, New Zealander and former PGA Tour player Grant Waite. “I started working with him in June 2021. He is based in Orlando so I am really looking forward to continuing that relationship.” Garvey is no slouch with her driver and averages around 260 metres. Her secret is her swing speed which has her in the top five players. The average on the LPGA Tour is around 225 metres. Playing in The Hills ProAm in December last year, on the 13th hole a 420 metre (453 yards) par five with a little following breeze she only needed driver and nine iron to make the green. What does Garvey see as her strong point? “I would say my short game is pretty sharp. I can shape the ball and hit it a long way but my chipping and putting has come on significantly in the past two years. Give me a chip and I feel confident of an up and down.” Lydia Ko has been her inspiration from a young age and remembers playing against Ko when just an 11-year-old. Garvey is clear about her ambitions. “I want to play majors especially the British Open and representing New Zealand at the Olympics as well as joining Lydia on the LPGA Tour.” On that positive note we leave Amelia Garvey with best wishes for a successful 2022 in her search for a place on the LPGA main tour alongside Lydia Ko. The words of her USC coach Silverstein make a fitting and encouraging conclusion. “She is one of the funniest people I have met. She has a great work ethic and I think she has got a great chance to be one of the best players in the world.”

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Momoka Kobori has Japan Tour in her sights By Neville Idour

aving enjoyed some excellent results in Australia in recent weeks it was refreshing to catch up with the 22-year-old Cantabrian Momoka Kobori and learn about her outstanding golf career to date. So when did she first play this great game? “I started playing golf when I was 12 years old at Rangiora Golf Club in Christchurch. “Ladies were running coaching sessions there. So I went along to them, then I began getting coaching from club professional Peter Giles. It was great because we had quite a few events for juniors to play in.” Progression was quick and when she was a 15- and 16-year-old she when playing events in Australia in the New Zealand golf team. Also she was good enough to play all the national events in New Zealand as well as begin playing New Zealand’s Charles Tour. It took just around three years to go from learner to a scratch golfer. Testament to her talent. Kobori was schooled at Rangiora High and finished year 12 in 2016. She played many sports as a youngster. “Soccer was the main one, plus basketball, swimming and track and field which were easy to play when at school. Golf won out though. “In 2016 when I was 17 I went to the

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USA and Pepperdine University, California, on a golf scholarship. It was a fouryear scholarship. “The process was pretty straightforward. With the help of my parents we contacted some of the schools I was looking at as possibilities. I got replies from Pepperdine and a couple of others. I got the chance to play some events there a year before I went over. So I was able to visit the campus and meet the coach as well as one of my teammates, which was good. “I really liked what I saw so picked a degree I wanted to pursue which was sports medicine. It was nice to find something I wanted to do. The days were busy with team workouts in the morning. Classes were throughout the day. There would be practice in the afternoons usually and golf, depending on the schedule. Usually classes would go from about 8am to 1pm.” Clearly there was no sleeping in with breakfast and workouts before 8am. Kobori’s team was in division one and there were up to 12 events a year. While they played individually their results contributed to the team score. The school term goes from August to early December then three weeks holidays. Then it goes from January to May. “During the three month summer period we could play in events of our choosing. So I played the Canadian Amateur in a strong field and a few other tour-

naments in various places. While there were no outstanding results I did have a win at a New Mexico tournament for the team plus a couple of top five finishes. “The reason I chose Pepperdine was because of the chance to play against all the top schools which attract a lot of the best players.” So what was the goal after Pepperdine? “I was thinking of going to q-school in Japan. But at the time it was a tough option with the covid travel restrictions. My flight home from Los Angeles was the last one to New Zealand. Two days after I returned we went into the level four lockdown. “At this point I needed to find a job so I started my traineeship with the NZPGA (New Zealand Professional Golfers’ Association). I finished my first year as a trainee professional at Pegasus in Christchurch in December 2021. Doing the coaching and playing means I can play pro-ams and the Charles Tour as a professional. “ What about goals now and long term? “I am again looking at going to q-school in Japan. I would like to play the Japan Tour rather than go to the US now. However the states would be the ultimate goal. At present the USA would be much more expensive for travel and going to q-school. Whereas Japan is a pretty small country and it is easy to get around. There are plenty of events I can play if I get on to the LPGA circuit. Of course I can

March 2022

NEWS

Canterbury golfer Momoka Kobori who has been playing well in Australia recently.

speak the language which is a wee bonus. So I hope this will happen in August and September 2022.” There are three stages of the q-school. The first is the pro test stage to see who might qualify for the two main stages. Each is four rounds so it is a testing programme. Kobori is enjoying success in Australia in a fine start to 2022 which will give her confidence that her goals are achievable. She is a young lady with a clear plan and her ducks in a row.

Gareth Paddison has found his happy place By Neville Idour

GOLF NEWS 8

ne of New Zealand’s more experienced touring professionals Gareth Paddison has called time on full time playing the overseas PGA cir-

cuits. He is one of the good guys and was happy to share his thoughts on his career and current situation after enjoying leading his team to win at The Hills Invitation Pro-Am recently Paddison, from Wellington, is now based in Auckland and because of covid-19 and not being able to play tournaments for a period, an opportunity to do some coaching at Remuera Golf Club came up. Paddison explained: “Initially my partner asked if I could coach her and a few friends, give them a few short game tips. “I said yes, so I needed somewhere to coach. I approached Remuera. After a discussion with Tony Dangerfield I was told I would be a great addition to the team and when would I like to start. So it has led to maybe a different career path of coaching and playing some tournaments in Australia and New Zealand. It will be a really good life balance for me.” Have you still got your Australasian card? “I do. I have a category which is through the New Zealand tour. Myself and Josh Geary chose not to play earlier in the year (2021) when they put events on, obviously due to covid reasons and the high cost of MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine). “But the tour took our status away from us. So we lost our status due to covid and not travelling. However now we are eligible to apply for invites into some of the big events. It felt like a pretty harsh decision but it is what is and we will see if they honour what they said and give us some of those invites. “I emailed the TPC (tour players committee) and they were quite happy but a few of the New Zealand players like Dan Hillier, Luke Brown, Mike Hendry and James Anstiss, headed to Melbourne. “But I gave reasons because I felt that expecting New Zealanders to go through MIQ just to play smaller events was tough. “I felt there should have been something done about that earlier on but there wasn’t. They didn’t really agree with my point of view and Josh had a season playing on the European Challenge tour and came back and he emailed his case forward but I think that because they had already declined me they declined him as well.” “Josh was top 10 in the 2019 season and I was 25th so it wasn’t like we were only just keeping our cards. I still think it is very unfair for both of us but I am just glad I am able to fall back on a two-year coaching contract at Remuera Golf club which is great. “I really enjoy giving lessons, meeting new people and it’s given me a different perspective because golf is such an individual game and a lot of the time you are by yourself and you never really get to be part of a working group.” “But at Remuera you are part of a team which is so different for me and it’s a great feeling. It’s very addictive when you have travelled for 20 years on the road and you are part of a team and you have a routine at home. “I am really enjoying life which might seem odd in these uncertain times. I have an income, no overheads with travel costs and I am able to approach the bank and borrow against my mortgage if I need to because they have got a record of consistent invoices coming in. It makes a big difference to my life having an opportunity to coach and still keep my hand in the game which is good. When you lost your rights are you going back to the beginning of 2021? “Yes. However I am 20 years into my career and I am quite settled so if I missed out on Australia, well

Gareth Paddison after one of his wins on New Zealand’s Charles Tour. This win was the 2017 Akarana Open in Auckland which required a playoff of four extra holes.

golf is not going anywhere – you can coach, you can play in New Zealand and enjoy life. “Coaching at Remuera can almost be full time. The NZPGA (New Zealand Professional Golfers’ Association) gave me, Mark Brown, Josh Geary, Mike Hendry (the more established and experienced players) an opportunity to complete a four-month course. “Because when the first covid outbreak happened they acknowledged our playing pedigree careers and decided to allow us to coach under the PGA providing we completed a four-month course instead of the two-year bridging course.” “They have basically fast tracked us, so while I can’t be a head pro I can still coach. For example Mark (Brown) is well set up at Mount Maunganui. “It’s been very forward thinking of the PGA to allow us to coach because it gives anyone the opportunity to be taught by someone who has been on tour for a long time and you do see things that club pros may not see because you have done it for a long time. “Conversely I am learning from a couple of the pros at Remuera how to manage clinics and set them up. So it’s a fantastic opportunity. It’s more money than I am ever qualified to earn.” “If I wasn’t teaching I would almost have to restart my career at the age of 41 and that’s quite daunting because all of a sudden you are looking at guys in their mid-30s to late 40s who are at a career high. “So if I had to start my career all over again at close to minimum wage its almost like 20 years have been a waste of time. At least in golf coaching I can charge a price according to my playing ability which is really neat.” Paddison sees and feels many benefits for his career shift. “It’s given me a good boost in self esteem because, even if I didn’t play golf for the rest of this year but only coached, I have a set income, and you can borrow more easily with a steady income stream. “I still want to play a bit but right now I have the perfect balance between coaching and playing. One of the other pros and I are doing a junior clinic for a few hours a day for four days. “That’s the beauty of coaching, I can come down to The Hills Pro-Am (he is a regular) and not have to

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put pressure on myself to win. So I am not desperate to play as if money is the bee all and end all A double or triple bogey is still frustrating but had I been playing fulltime I would have died a little inside. Whatever I win here is nice bonus money so I try and finish as high up as I can but I still have income coming in next week.” How about career highlights? He mentions winning five times in Australia, once on the European Challenge tour (2007) and playing the World Cup for New Zealand. “I got my card at the European Tour school at the end of 2007. I had finished 23rd like Hillier did, had a win and got my card for the European Tour. I had to get up and down from 27 metres in windy conditions and make a four-footer. So it was the difference between playing for 120,000 euros a week and 1.2 million euros a week. So in 2008 I played the European Tour then lost my card, but I had a little bit of sponsorship and I was able to pay off a good sum of my mortgage with the money I won.” Typically modest, Paddison reflected. “It’s been an interesting career, I feel like I have been a fringe player for too long, I haven’t really kicked forward as much as I would have liked. I have had some really good results like a third at the Mastercard Masters and a few top five placings. The year I finished seventh at the Heineken Open was awesome and a great experience.” This writer remembers clearly watching Paddison playing in the final leading group with Ernie Els at Royal Melbourne when Els won for the third time in succession. Paddison understates his achievements somewhat. There are three standout amateur wins — the New Zealand Amateur Strokeplay, the 1999 Queensland Amateur and the 2001 Canadian Amateur plus representing New Zealand at the 2000 Eisenhower Trophy. Thirteen professional wins worldwide speak volumes. Nevertheless Paddison concludes: ”But I just feel like I haven’t quite fulfilled my potential. However there are so many players that haven’t had the opportunities I have had and I am very content in my personal and working life right now.”

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March 2022

Mickelson burns his bridges GOLF NEWS

By Neville Idour

f Phil Mickelson produced some magic to win the PGA Championship major in the United States last year he has really dropped his magic wand with his inexplicable comments in regard to the much mooted Saudi tour. His attempts to use the non existent Saudi League to gain leverage over the PGA Tour were so misplaced from someone with his mana. Accusing the PGA Tour of “obnoxious greed”, “being a dictatorship” and “being able to get by with manipulative strong arm tactics with the players having no recourse” could do nothing but alienate all and sundry in the golf world. The crazy thing is Mickelson happily acknowledged and accepted the Saudis “had a horrible record of human rights abuses. They execute gay people there so why would I consider working with them?’’. Because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates and it would provide him and others leverage in forcing more concessions (read money) from the PGA Tour. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you bountifully. Mickelson must have been under some delusion that there was going to be an exodus of many top players because of the number of top 20 players who joined him in bypassing the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in favour of the Saudi International. They included Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schaufele, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Paul Casey and others. But logically you would imagine significant “appearance money” may have been an enticement.

It was not an indication they were about to decamp to the Saudi Golf League. During the event Mickelson was reported to have claimed that “pretty much every player in the top 100 had been contacted at some point.” So what. That was always going to happen and meant a big fat nothing. It would have been the ideal time to offer Johnson and DeChambeau the reported many millions of dollars to defect to the SGL. DeChambeau apparently was offered $200 million. PGA Tour world ranked 134th player Kramer Hickok claimed 17 players had already signed for the league. Hardly likely to be a who’s who of golf. Where are they now. So the upshot of all the smoke and mirrors appears to show the SGL has been buried before it got off the ground. Why? In the wake of Mickelson’s comments many of his fellow professionals have both lambasted him and pledged their support for the PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy castigated Mickelson for comments he labelled selfish, egotistical, arrogant and ignorant and said the SGL was dead in the water. To empathise with that sentiment DeChambeau and Johnson stated their firm allegiance to the PGA Tour. Johnson bluntly said: “I am fully committed to the PGA Tour” and added “I am grateful to play the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family.” Others, including Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, who was very critical of Mickelson, have firmly supported the PGA Tour. As McIlroy said “who’s left” and suggested Greg Norman would have to play to help fill a field. That is another story with Norman the chief executive of LIV Golf Investments which is behind the exciting new 10 event International Series to be incorporated within the Asian Tour. This new series with prizemoney ranging from

$US1.5 to $US2 million will be a force for good on the world golf scene. It will in fact make the Asian Tour a much more enticing entry point to PGA professional golf touring for New Zealand golfers. So what is this all going to mean for Mickelson’s future? Imagine what it will be like for him in the locker room or if he ends up in a four with McIlroy, Thomas and Koepka. His legacy which seemed to have been permanently forged with his remarkable age defying PGA Championship win has been tarnished badly, possibly irreparably. Respect from his fellow players, the PGA Tour and his loyal followers will have been eroded somewhat. He would almost certainly have been a Ryder Cup captain in the near future. Would the PGA Tour want him after his show of disloyalty? That would hurt him deeply knowing his love for that iconic event. McIlroy, who serves on the PGA Tour policy board, reflected on Mickelson’s words: “It was very surprising and disappointing, sad. I’m sure he’s sitting at home sort of re-thinking his position and where he goes from here.” Telling words indeed. As it happens there is an epilogue because Mickelson must have done just that. He apologised for his comments which he claimed did not reflect his true feelings or intentions and was deeply sorry for his choice of words. Furthermore he claimed that his words were “off the record”. Any journalist or reporter with respect for his subject would never betray a confidence. In this instance the journalist denies that was the case. Therefore anything said is open for reporting. I guess the problem is the words were uttered and the hole he dug may take a lot longer to refill than voicing an apology, if ever. Maybe that is why he plans to take some “time away” from golf.

Ben Campbell gains start in The Open N ew Zealand golfer Ben Campbell has secured a start in The Open in Scotland in July. He did so by finishing second in Victoria Open in Melbourne last month. The New Zealand Open was to have the top three finishers awarded a place in The Open but when that tournament was cancelled because of covid-19 restrictions those rights were transferred to the Victoria Open.

The other two players to gain a start in The Open were the winner Dimitrios Papadatos and third-placed Matthew Griffin. The Victoria Open was played at 13th Beach Golf Links, south-west of Melbourne, and Campbell finished at 20 under par, just one shot behind Papdatos and four ahead of Griffin. His prizemoney for second was $A42,000 ($NZ45,000). The former world No 6 amateur, for-

merly from Masterton in the Wairarapa, finished runner-up in the 2017 New Zealand Open. But his career was interrupted by major injuries in recent years and he had an 18-month hiatus from professional golf after hip surgery, and only returned last April. This year’s Open, worth $US11 million, is to be held at St Andrews from July 14-17.

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Ben Campbell, who has gained a start in the $US11 million The Open in Scotland in July.

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Otago Golf Club storm in a teacup By Neville Idour

recent special general meeting at the Otago Golf Club to overhaul the club constitution stirred up what amounts to a storm in a teacup because of various spurious accusations aired in an Otago Daily Times newspaper story accusing the club of trying to push out students along with a staged photograph on the front page. This produced an avalanche of hundreds of uncalled for vitriol on social media platform Facebook. Some of it was abusive, scathing and disparaging such as “what a bunch of upstart tossers” from a woman. There was also: “Snooty entitled snobs”, “Stuck up snobs”… and much worse. Many obviously just followed the mob mentality and jumped on the big cosy bandwagon. Thankfully there were several sensible postings from people who knew a little about clubs and their difficulties. The saddest thing to come out of this were postings from several people who should know better, associated with other Dunedin clubs, suggesting the student mem-

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bers at Otago GC should join their club. It certainly serves as a warning to golf clubs that misplaced perception can be a dangerous thing. It is completely understandable why many people completely shun social media, especially Facebook. The club’s general manager Shelley Duncan was rather nonplussed by the story which contained certain statements that were not backed up by fact or evidence. Duncan explained the purpose of the meeting. “The meeting was about the constitution – we had last looked at the constitution in 2016 and the meeting was to go through the constitutional changes. If you look at it you will see there is a huge raft of changes. One of which was moving our age group category percentages.” The percentages were set 16 years ago – then the age group of 19-24 was at 33 percent of the full subscription. At the meeting that got moved to 50 percent of the full sub. The age group of 25-29 moved from 40 to 60 percent of the full sub and the 3034 group moved from 60 to 75 percent of the full sub.

Duncan: “The shift was because these were done 16 years ago when we didn’t have a lot of younger members under the age of 35.” So while the dollar increases are a significant shift across all classes they are a reflection of a more equitable membership price spread. “So we did something to recognise that these people financially were not in the same position as our full playing members although some of them are. Some 18-24 year olds have very good paying jobs. “The changes were not targeted at students, it was a broad stroke across the age groups and that is what I said to the reporter. Nineteen to 24-year-olds have moved 17 percent so there is a shift amongst all age group categories not just the 19-24 bracket. But that was lost in translation with our reporter.” So it is clear students as such were not targeted. All of the age group categories received similar financial increases. In fact there are actually 12 categories of membership. How did the meeting come to be held on February 14 when according to Zac Cran, the Otago Student Golf Association president, “many students could not be there as they had not returned to Dunedin for the start of the new university year.” Simply not true. Most Dunedinites were aware of the large student numbers who were in Dunedin as evidenced by the many large parties of 300 students or more in the city that were super spreaders of covid-19 that had to be shut down by police. Duncan explained: “We promoted the meeting two weeks in advance, remembering we tried to have the meeting in December, 2021, but we couldn’t get a quorum so we then pushed it to now. “It certainly wasn’t about trying to not have the students here, it was about trying to get this done before the AGM because it is quite a big thing to get done. It was advertised as it should be, to all members via our newsletter which includes all age group categories. So every member had notice of the meeting and they all have voting rights and they all had the ability to attend the meeting.” There was an inference in the Otago Daily Times story that the voting rights were dismissed. In fact student members have full voting rights. As Duncan says: “Potentially they could have overturned the vote had they attended in numbers. There were only 37 members including some younger ones in attendance, but no one that I would say attends university. There were some members in the 19-35 age bracket but those members voted in favour of what we are doing.” The other accusation in the story was

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that many of the older members don’t like having students around and that “there is a distaste that a lot of the older members have for younger people at the club.” Duncan responded. “To be fair no one spoke to the older members of the club so how could you take from whatever that that is the case. “There was a social media post that went around before the meeting from some of our younger members saying that the older white men of the club were trying to put up their fees and would they go to the meeting. And none of them came to the meeting. All of our members, men and women, want everyone to look after it, everyone to take care of the golf course and respect everybody else’s rights. “There is nothing about what we are doing that says we don’t want younger people here. I am the chairperson of the Futures Dunedin Golf Club, I am an avid promoter of junior golf, our members want young members of the club, that’s why we put these categories there in the first place.” Ironically, it was Duncan who helped the university set up Cran’s Otago Student Golf Association which enables it to get funding through the university along with other similar university sports clubs. What happened on the day that produced the photo? “The reporter rang me on the Tuesday, the day after the meeting and then Wednesday night we were here finishing up after the tournament which didn’t finish till about 7pm and I saw one of the other ODT (Otago Daily Times) photographers here about 5.50pm and I had already had another photographer (one that I know) here in the morning so I said are you here to take another photo? He said no, I am here to take a photo of the students for this article that is going in the ODT tomorrow morning. “Three students arrived from the carpark who hadn’t been playing golf, saw me and you could tell they turned up then because they thought I wouldn’t be here. It looked like they did it on the quiet. Why would you not do it during the day? “So that photo was taken at six o’clock and one of the guys was in jandals. Since when do you go and play golf in jandals?” The photo of the three boys with one in jandals has the appearance of them actually playing. It is no wonder they looked sheepish when Duncan encountered them. Duncan concluded: “The thing that really disappoints me is that (a) there is no way that story should get in the newspaper and (b) that it was on the front page.” It is somewhat difficult to disagree with those sentiments.

Florida win was Lydia Ko’s 17th on the LPGA Tour GOLF NEWS New Zealand star Lydia Ko with her trophy after winning the Gainridge LPGA in Florida in January. This was her third win in nine months. Photo credit: P DeFelice/Getty Images.

ew Zealand star Lydia Ko became the first player in more than 40 years to post 17 wins on the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour before the age of 25 when winning in the United States in January. Ko, 24, racked up the 17th win in the $US2 million Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio Golf Club in Florida. First prize was worth $US300,000 which is more than $NZ450,000. The previous person to rack up 17 wins on the LPGA Tour before the age of 25 was Nancy Lopez in 1979. Lopez went on to win 48 times on the LPGA Tour, including three major championships. Ko was still an amateur when

she won her first LPGA Tour event, the Canadian Open, at the age of 15 in 2012. The win in Florida was Ko’s third in nine months. The previous two were the $US2 million Lotte Championship in Hawaii last April and the $US1 million Saudi Ladies’ International in Saudi Arabia last November. Those two previous wins were scored in convincing fashion. Ko won by five shots in Hawaii with a score of 23 under par and her win in Saudi Arabia was by seven shots with a score of 28 under par. The Florida win was by just one shot with her long time friend Danielle Kang taking second.

“I tried to stay really patient out there and not get carried away on what everybody else was doing and just focus on my game, trying to make the lowest score I could,” Ko said afterwards. “I think that helped me really dial it in and just kind of stay in the present, which I think is really important, especially when other players are playing well and I’m not making many birdies.” Prior to her three recent wins, Ko’s world ranking had slumped to 50th which was the lowest of her professional career. “Last year was a big turnaround year for me,’’ Ko added. “Even the fall of 2020. When we had that long time off (because of covid-19) I think it was kind of a time for me to look back at what are the things I need to work on and just take a whole new approach to things. “When you keep knocking on the door you feel like at one point it’s going to open.” The Florida win slides Ko into a tie for 32nd on the LPGA Tour career wins’ list to join Dottie Pepper, Ayako Okamoto and Beverly Hanson. And the $US300,000 winner’s prize moves her into ninth on the LPGA Tour all-time career earnings’ list with $12,668,796, passing World Golf hall of fame and LPGA hall of fame member Se Ri Pak. Ko pointed to her birdie down the stretch at the par four 15th as an instrumental conversion to holding off a charging Kang. Ko would add one more bridie on the scorecard at No 16 before getting up and down out of the greenside bunker on No 18 to seal the deal at 14 under par for

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the tournament. “To finish off with a few birdies [on the back nine] was nice, and I think holing that putt on 15 was kind of the momentum shifter for me,” Ko said. “It wasn’t the easiest putt. I kept aiming more and more right because it looked like it was a swinging putt and ended up being the perfect read. “I normally line up my ball where I want to start it. I lined it up and stood up to it and said, ‘I think this is still too low.’ I had already aimed quite a few feet out, and [my caddie] Derek [Kistler] had a point that was a few feet right of the hole. “Sometimes I get frustrated because I end up trusting my feel over the ball. But in that case, feel helped me out.” Ko now has 21 of the 27 points needed to gain entry into the prestigious hall of fame. “My mum asked me earlier this week and so did my sister, hey, what if you’re about to retire but you’re one point away? Would you retire, or continue to play?’ To have my name alongside some of the legends, it would be a huge honour,” said Ko.

“It is one of my goals, but I still have a long way to go. And people may think, hey, you’re just one point away. That’s one normal event win and then you’re there. It’s not easy to do that. It’s not easy to win. Not easy to have a top 10. “I’m playing alongside the best female golfers and some of the best athletes in the world. To kind of keep putting yourself in contention and in positions like that, I don’t think it’s easy. I just have to keep playing my golf, focus on my goals, and if I have the opportunity to be in the hall of fame, that would be really cool.” Footnote: The Gainbridge LPGA was held at the exclusive Boca Rio Golf Club which has less than 150 members. That does not mean Boca Rio is struggling for members. Membership at Boca Rio is by invitation only, after a candidate has been sponsored by an existing member, recommended by the admissions’ committee, and approved by the board of governors. In addition Boca Rio has no tee times. Players just turn up and play.

Lydia Ko in action during the final round of the $US2 million Gainbridge LPGA in Florida in January. Photo credit: Aaron Gilbert/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

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March 2022

GOLF NEWS

Asian Golf president standing down

ichard Walne is to stand down as president of the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF). Having served in the post for four years, Walne has opted against staying on for a further twoyear term. Walne said: “This was a decision that I have been contemplating for some time. Having worked with the AGIF since its inception, I intend to remain an active member, and dedicate my energy to the on-going expansion of the certificate in greenkeeping programme, which is one of my great passions.

“As the president of the AGIF for the past four years, I am grateful for all the support that the federation has received from member companies and all those who have sat on the board. “We have continued to grow as a group, and have enjoyed great success with our turf grass and club management education programmes. “Covid may have put a pause on these, but we are planning to get these running in the foreseeable future virtually, and can’t wait to be back running them in-person, hopefully by the middle of this year.”

Walne said he was bullish about the long-term prospects for the AGIF, now into its 13th year. “We have had some changes in the management team with the recruitment of a new membership and administration manager, Marcus Giles, to complement our chief communications’ officer Spencer Robinson. For more than four decades, Walne has worked with The Toro Company, holding sales and marketing positions in Europe and the United States and, from 1991, within the Asia region.

The International Series kicks off this month

schedule has been announced for a new series that will be incorporated within the Asian Tour. It will be known as The International Series which will total 10 tournaments with prizemoney ranging from $US1.5-2 million for each event. The International Series is being funded by LIV Golf Investments and has been described as “the most significant development in the history of Asian golf and a boom for the global game’’. The series will kick-off in Thailand this

month followed by visits to England, Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The announcement also saw the unveiling of the new brand, name, and logo for The International Series as well as an increase in the lucrative and unprecedented investment into the Asian Tour by LIV Golf to $US300 million from $US200 million, further solidifying LIV Golf Investments’ dedication to the growth of the global game. As one of the biggest investments in

the history of professional golf, The International Series will support playing opportunities and prize funds for the 10 events to be played every season over the next decade. It has been designed to drive greater engagement among fans, attract new commercial interest and to help stabilise professional golf following a sustained period of worldwide disruption and uncertainty. “We are on the threshold of a new era for Asian golf,” said Cho Minn Thant, commissioner of the Asian Tour. “The International Series is a new upper-tier of elite events, the likes of which the region has not seen before, that will mark the start of a phenomenal period of growth for the Asian Tour. “It also signifies the furthering of our relationship with our new strategic partner LIV Golf Investments and its chief executive Greg Norman. “Importantly, The International Series will add to the Asian Tour’s backbone of established events to comprise a 25-event season, expected to represent a record-breaking combined prize fund. Each of the 10 events will be broadcast live across the globe, with plans to attract an international field of headline talent.” In October last year, Norman was announced as chief executive of LIV Golf Investments – a newly formed company whose purpose is to holistically improve

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the health of professional golf on a global scale to help unlock the sports’ untapped worldwide potential. PIF, one of the world’s largest and most impactful sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in LIV Golf Investments. Norman said: “We are setting the Asian Tour up as a powerful new force on the world golf stage. “In my 40 years as a professional golfer, I’ve seen many parts of the world that have benefitted tremendously from golf and its growth and development. “We now have the opportunity to do that in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East with this incredible investment platform. Everyone benefits – professional players, amateurs, grass-roots golf, fans, economies, communities, stakeholders. I’ve never been so optimistic about the future of the sport.” Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin will host The International Series Thailand (March 3-6), boasting a prize purse of $US1.5 million, before London stages the next event at Centurion Club (June 9-12), offering a $US2 million purse. The second half of the year will see stops in Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia before heading to the Middle East and then culminating in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

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Big push for golf in Saudi Arabia

ntegrating golf into modern Saudi culture and introducing 300,000 children to the game in a five-year period is the aim of Golf Saudi, the emirate’s ruling golfing body. “That really is the crux of our challenge here,” said Ed Edwards, chief operating officer of Golf Saudi. Saudi Arabia is currently home to nine golf courses and has between 3000 and 5000 registered golfers, of which less than 200 are locals. Edwards added: “We have not only the existing facilities, but also in excess of 20 new golf developments in various stages of planning, design, and construction feasibility. “So we know that there’s going to be a significant supply-demand gap and one of our primary purposes and

reasons for being is to make sure that we engage and enthuse a whole new population of golfers within Saudi Arabia.” One of Golf Saudi’s key pillars and deliverables is to create a successful mass participation programme. Edwards: “We’re very fortunate. We have a lot of stakeholder and governmental support through various ministries and through our chairman, His Excellency Yasir Al Rumayyan, and our chief executive Majed Al-Sorour, who are both very passionate golfers and very successful businessmen. “They’ve been really the driving force behind what Golf Saudi is trying to do in integrating and weaving golf into the fabric of Saudi society. “From a mass participation standpoint, that looks at

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every single demographic from school kids where we’ve managed through our relationship with the Ministry of Education to embed golf as part of the school’s curriculum. “We’ve already got in excess of 20,000 children signed up to learn golf. It’s an organic programme where Golf Saudi will teach the PE teachers basic skills. We’ll provide the educational programmes; we’ll provide all the equipment for use … and we’ll provide clothing and caps. “So it’s a programme that is then self-sustaining. We will stay in support as the children go through to the following levels by the sharing of skills to make sure that over time there are multiple golf coaches within the country that can help implement our schools programme. “In our five-year forecast that looks at in excess of 300,000 children that will be learning golf.”

Three in a row for Paterson at NZ Seniors

rent Paterson made history at the New Zealand Senior Championship, becoming the first player to win three titles in a row. The 212-strong field couldn’t tame Paterson as he romped to a five-stroke victory in a weather-affected event held at Paraparaumu Beach and Waikanae Golf

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Clubs. The tournament was reduced from 54 to 36 holes due to inclement weather. Paterson carded an impressive 66 in his opening round at Paraparumu while the next best score at the same course was 73, highlighting how dominant he was. He made eagles on the seventh and 12th holes and got his putter going,

amassing a whopping 48-metres worth of putts during his round. A second round of one-under 70 at Waikanae was good enough to cruise to victory, meaning he now joins Rodney Baltrop as the only five-time winners of the New Zealand Senior Championship for men.

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Tied for second was Malcom Gulllery, Andrew McGiven, and Logan Scott. Both McGiven and Scott won the 50–54-year-old division, while Gullery took out the 55–59-year-old division. Paterson won the 60–64 division, John Rademakers won the 65–69 division, with Hugh Harrison taking out the 70-plus division.

NZ PGA Championship also gets the red light F

irst it was the New Zealand Open. Now it’s the New Zealand PGA Championship. The New Zealand Open, which was to have been held at Millbrook Resort in Arrowtown from March 31-April 3, was cancelled because of the restrictions that covid-19 red light settings provided. Those same restrictions have now also seen the cancellation of the New Zealand PGA Championship which was to have been held at Gulf Harbour Golf Club in Auckland from April 7-10. PGA of New Zealand chairman Andrew Clements said: “As with the New Zealand Open, border restrictions for overseas players and ongoing uncertainties around covid settings make it impossible for us to stage an Australasian Tour event at this point in time. “We looked at the possibility at running a purely local tournament along the lines of the highly successful 2021 PGA Championship at Te Puke (in Bay of Plenty), but replicating this is not feasible under a red light setting. “We are of course extremely disap-

pointed we are not able to bring the PGA Championship and its 102 year heritage, to Auckland and Gulf Harbour Country Club, especially given the support pledged by Auckland Unlimited and Gulf Harbour.” Clements also endorsed the comments of Golf New Zealand chief executive Dean Murphy on playing opportunities for local professionals and elite amateurs. “The last two years have been incredibly challenging for organisers and players alike,” Clements said. “We will continue to work closely with host clubs and Golf New Zealand to maintain as many PGA pro-ams and Charles Tour events as possible.” The New Zealand PGA tournament has been re-scheduled for February next year, with preliminary dates set at February 24-27. The New Zealand PGA Championship has been played since 1920. It has been an important event on the Australasian PGA Tour, and winners have included the likes of Andy Shaw, Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Sir Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, John Lister, Jumbo Ozaki, Frank Nobilo, Greg Turner, Steven Alker, Michael Hendry, Ben Campbell and Tae Koh. For many years it was played at Mount

Maunganui, coinciding with the New Year holiday, but it later moved to the South Island, firstly to the Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch, and then The Hills in Queenstown in 2012 and 2013 where the event was played in a unique pro-am format, since adopted by the New Zealand Open. Recently the event has travelled around New Zealand to showcase pro-

March 2022

fessional golf in the regions, using top tour players to inspire more people to enjoy and play golf, with highly successful tournaments being staged in Palmerston North, Christchurch and Te Puke. The New Zealand PGA Championship is traditionally played either just before or just after the NZ Open, as part of the PGA Tour of Australasia.

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March 2022

2022 Golf NZ Senior Women’s Championships GOLF EVENT 18

ay of Plenty golfer, Diana Syer was awarded the GNZ Senior Veterans Challenge Cup following her recent win in the 2022 Golf New Zealand Senior Women’s Championships. Syer’s opponent was the formidable Waikato representative Robyn Pellow (Ngaruawahia) who took an early lead on the 1st, with a birdie 4 on the challenging par 5 opening hole. The pair traded par’s till the 7th when Pellow dropped a shot against Syers par. The 8th and 9th were halved in pars, with the pair turning all square. The match ducked and dived around the 11th, 12th and 13th with Syers scores of 3, 4 and then a nasty 7 to Pellow’s 4, 3 and 5. Pellow sitting 1up on the 14th tee. Syer played the shot of the match on the par 3, 15th with a chip out of the bunker that sunk for a 2 the pair all square again on the 16th tee. Pushing the putt for a birdie on the 17th, Pellow shot past the hole and ended up 3-putting. Syer then took the lead up the 18th, a long uphill par 5. A par apiece gave the Wairakei golfer the 2022 title. Early in the day Syer had secured her place in the final with a 1up win over one of Otago’s most capped female representatives Liz McRae (Wanaka). Pellow’s

semi-final win, 3 and 2, was against Annette Muir (Waitemata), another regular district representative. The host Otago Golf Club fondly known as Balmacewen was a tough challenge for the senior ladies, aged 50 plus. Known for its hills and demanding climbs, niggly and frequent grassy moguls affecting many balls landing areas, the club is famous for being the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere. Otago was to have had a lavish week long celebration in 2021 for its 150th birthday now delayed thanks to Covid, till November 2022. The Senior Women’s Championship is normally an immensely popular event attracting players from all over the country in addition to a large contingent from Australia. The last two years travel restrictions precluding any international entries. Though numbers were down for this year’s 74th championship nonetheless players travelled from as far away as Whangarei to Invercargill. The four day event starts with a qualifying Stroke Play round where the 88 players compete for the Curtis Cup. For the second year running, Diana Syer will be engraved on this prestigious trophy. Her round of 78 was one shot ahead of Robyn Boniface (Queens Park) who carded a 79.

March 2022

The competition last Sunday was fought in extremely tough conditions with cold squalls affecting play throughout the day. The Eileen Nutt badge for the best nett was awarded to Liz Bartlett from Ngaruawahia with a 70, and the Vesta Cup to Susan Flint-Hartle for the best score from a player aged 70plus. Players were then seeded into six divisions. Other divisional winners included Jenny Peters (Whangarei), Nikki Hume (Winton), Jane Shaw (Urenui) and Sandra Young (Wyndham). The 6th division was won by another player from Urenui, Clazina Hagenson. Plater winners included Sally Shaw (Otago), Jo Neep (Arrowtown), Kay Wyatt (Urenui), Leslie Hatcher (Ngaruawahia), Fiona Robinson (Wyndham) and Cindy Bell (Alexandra). PaR nz Golfing Holidays who manage the tournament under the auspices of Golf New Zealand, announced that the 2023 championship will be contested on the links challenge, Whakatane. Details and entry forms to be published in due course. Denise Langdon Tournament Director Phone 0275 662 385

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March 2022

PING expands iron offerings with i525 players-distance model W H AT ’ S N E W

into each model,” said Solheim. “The i525 is clearly for the golfer in search of more distance. But it offers so much more performance, including exceptional forgiveness concealed in a players- style head. Its size and shape are beautifully crafted, and it’s packed with tremendous technology on the inside, which makes it very appealing to a wide range of golfers.”

SOUND ENGINEERING

ignificant distance gains combined with improved feel and sound in a players-distance model distinguish the new i525™ irons, according to PING President John K. Solheim, who today officially introduced the newest entry into PING’s extensive iron lineup. The custom-built i525 irons are now available for custom fittings at authorized PING retailers around the world. “What’s most satisfying in the i525 iron from an engineering standpoint is how our team has been able to maximize the flexing of the metal-woodstyle face structure while creating a pleasing sound and feel,” said Solheim. “As golfers know who’ve played this type of iron design, they often sacrificed some of the feel for more distance. That’s not the case in the i525 as we’re able to provide golfers a sol-

id-feeling iron with the increased ball speed they need to hit longer, higher shots that hit and hold the green. We’re seeing some incredible results as a lot of golfers are a club stronger or more, including Tour pros who are attracted to the compact look and increased ball speed of the longer irons.”

FORGED, MARAGING-STEEL FACE

The strength of the variable-thickness, maraging steel allows for a thinner, more dynamic face structure with an internal sole undercut in the 17-4 stainless steel body to increase flexing for more ball speed and shots that launch faster and higher with distance control. “As we advance all of our iron technologies through our continuous research and knowledge development, it’s important for golfers to understand the different attributes engineered

A polymer is precisely injected onto the inside of the face to improve feel and sound without interfering with face deflection, the source of its increased ball speed. “One of the biggest challenges we face in designing all clubs is tuning the feel and sound,” said Solheim. “Because of the i525’s metal-wood-style face design, we knew sound would require additional attention to ensure the gains in distance didn’t come at the expense of the feel. We couldn’t sacrifice one attribute just to improve another. The solution was to inject the polymer in precise amounts to the same area behind the face. The result is a significant improvement in distance, sound and feel.”

EXTREME WEIGHTING

Tungsten toe and shaft tip weights combine with a tiered, dynamic face structure and cavity to expand the perimeter weighting while preserving ball speed through greater face deflection for added distance and improved accuracy. The moment of inertia has increased in the vertical and horizontal axes to provide tighter dispersion and increased forgiveness. “The structure of the face and cavity is a significant mechanical-engineering accomplishment,” Solheim said. “They function as one to ensure golfers benefit from the forgiveness PING irons are famous for while maintaining consistent bending across the face to deliver the added ball speed and higher launch that golfers expect in a dis-

March 2022

tance-focused iron.”

FRICTION FACE WITH MICROMAX™ MILLED GROOVES

Introduced last year in the i59 iron, the i525’s precision-machined face has MicroMax grooves for tighter spacing and a geometry that results in an average of four extra grooves on each club to reduce fliers in the short irons and preserve spin in the long irons for greater control and consistency.

I525 SPECIFICATIONS

Multi-material construction: 17-4 stainless steel body; forged, maraging-steel face; tungsten toe/shaft tip weights; hydropearl 2.0 finish Available 3-9, PW, UW in 10 color codes (lie angle), RH & LH. Black color code is standard. Loft options: Standard, Power Spec and Retro Spec STOCK SHAFTS: Project X IO (5.5, 6.0, 6.5), PING AWT 2.0 (R, S, X), PING Alta CB Slate (SR, R, S), Alta Distanza Black 40, UST Recoil 760 ES SMAC (A), 780 (R, S) OPTIONAL STOCK SHAFTS: Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon Pro Modus Tour 105 (R, S, X), Elevate 95 (R, S) STOCK GRIP: Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet (six sizes) Get Custom fitted today .For your nearest Ping Dealer contact Sports Network Ltd 0508 776 786.

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Driving into 2022 G OL LOFN GE VDE RN ITV E

Beautiful day at the New Zealand Long Blacks, Nelson Pro-AM January 2022

riving into 2022 with the big hitters! IGANZ is proud to be a New Zealand company growing the sport of Xtreme Drivers League both nation-wide and globally. Long Drive and Xtreme Drivers League are now listed as high-performance sports, independent from Golf. IGANZ - CEO, Olna Ford, has recently invested as a Major sponsor to the Nelson Pro-Am for the second year with intentions to keep supporting the clubs and sport of Golf whilst building the sport of Long Drive and XDL nation-wide. The high-performance sport of Xtreme Drivers is going from strength to strength with a Halberg Nomina-

New Zealand Long Blacks major sponsor to the Nelson Pro-Am for second year

Bringing the WORLD of XDL to Australasia

tion and the sports top athlete, Phillis Meti being presented with a Queen’s Honour. With a national growth program about to launch this March, Olna is encouraging all Golf venues to participate with the sport and get intouch with her crew at New Zealand Long Drive to list an event which will essentially help build promotion of Golf and clubs. Working together to cross promote all sports is essential to Olna who comes from a sporting background and has set ultra-endurance records. Olna is looking forward to playing catch-up from the pandemic lockdowns which has slowed events and plans to get the National Growth program up and running. April is the official month for the rollout of regional club events for Long Drive (Amatuer division) run under the NSO for the sport - New Zealand Long Drive, founded by Olna. Xtreme Drivers League is working with overseas associates and contracts already signed to send players abroad for events. With the restrictions easing the Trans Tasman Clash will be announced this April and the promotion of our National Team of big hitters the New Zealand Long Blacks will start the ball rolling. Get your club involved with this high-performance and very entertaining sport that will bring the crowd to the tee! #GolfJust Got Loud Go to www.iganz.co.nz to register your club!

hink BIG and DRIVE Long has been the mindset of IGANZ since 2016. Going above and beyond is what the sport of Xtreme Drivers League represents. In the pandemic IGANZ was recognised for the investment and dedication to growing the sport of Long Drive, and Xtreme Drivers League and was listed as National Sports Organisation by Sporting Authorities. The mission from 2016 was to separate the high-performance sport, away from Golf and Olna set out to do so accomplishing 27 events in 5 countries, forming two national teams (New Zealand and Australia) investing in the largest purse paid out in Long Drive history and equally investing in Golf through Major sponsorship to PGA Pro Ams which she has done since 2020. It’s important to CEO, Olna Ford that IGANZ has a good relationship with Golf Clubs and equally Golfers as the sport has been closely related. IGANZ is inviting all sporting clubs to engage with to cross promote sport. XDL

is listing international associates under the Federation for the sport so that it can grow the sport with Governance Globally. Regional championships open up from April 2022 with venues in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific being listed then our International events being listed from May. A focus for the federation is to get the sport recognised in as many countries whilst working the sport into the Olympics. With a Halberg Nomination for Team of the Year and a Queen’s Honour for the sports top Women’s athlete, Phillis Meti, it’s fair to say IGANZ is taking the sport of Long Drive and Xtreme Drivers League to the next level! Olna is getting plenty of interest from all sectors and looks forward to developing more relationships with major partners. Olna encourages venues and organises get in touch with her Xtreme Drive Executives and this can be done by sending a message via the IGANZ website www.iganz.co.nz

IGANZ International TOP 7 (2016) first invitational showcasing the sport to NZ

March 2022

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LONG DRIVE

Luxury On & Off the TEE!

GANZ Luxury was formed back in 2016 to look after the VIP club; essentially our top Drivers and sponsors. Olna Ford - CEO has been associated with some very elite names such as Arnold Schwarzenneger, Oscar De La Hoya, Lou Ferrigno, Donald Trump, to name a few. Jet setting around the world for a career involving major brands and events is the very reason

IGANZ Luxury - International Xtreme Drivers from Europe and USA ready to set sail in Auckland

IGANZ Luxury was launched. “My focus since 2016 has been fixed on growing the sport of Long Drive equally Xtreme Drivers League, which is the professional league for the big hitters”, says Olna. Since 2016 IGANZ has sent players to the tee in Luxury Vehicles, with Mercedes Benz. Flown players around the world to events in 5 countries. Housed players and VIPS in Luxury

The view from the front doors of a IGANZ Luxury stay for Aussie Long Ballers for the Trans Tasman Clash

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homes and hotels and ensured the Luxury sector has a growth plan. The sport of Xtreme Drivers is set to be one of the most expensive sports in the world given that players have a party at the tee, linked to Polo where VIPs can dine and watch the very entertaining sportsmen and sportswomen. A sponsor’s dream when spectators and media can be in one location 100% of the time. With IGANZ now recognised for the biggest prize-purse paid out in the sport of Long Drive/XDL history, it’s fair to say that the IGANZ story is one to share. Investing in the sport of Golf as a Major Sponsor to 2 x PGA Pro Ams and Gold sponsor for a second year, IGANZ and its company collective has got great intentions to associate with clubs and the sport of Golf. The pandemic has thrown all business sectors into a spin and although travel seems a rare conversation, IGANZ Luxury is set to launch its official VIP Club from this April. The first group is listed and resides in New Zealand and will receive full attention for NO GO ZONES that Olna refers to as the hard to get into without that Golden Ticket which is where IGANZ Luxury associates take on the task of fulfilling dreams. One of IGANZ associates is in the Maldives and in 2020 one lucky player was presented a Luxury Stay package,

March 2022

it’s these types of gifting that adds a real value to IGANZ events. Promoting tourism and local groups is at the forefront of IGANZ Luxury and Olna wishes to open up a free gateway of advertising for NZ agencies and venues. “It’s not always about making money, it’s about relationships with great business people, especially during a pandemic, people matter before everything else!”, says Olna. IGANZ Luxury will open up a Trans Tasman Circle from April and invites all Luxury Stay and Play venues to connect their business with Olna and her International circle via www.iganz. co.nz by sending a message.

Mercedes at the IGANZ tee since 2016

March 2022

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GOLF TRAILS

NEWS FROM AROUND THE REGIONS

NORTHLAND WHANGAROA GOLF CLUB - NEWS AND RESULTS

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March 2022

TARANAKI TARANAKI STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Taranaki Stroke Play championships, held at New Plymouth Golf recently played over a warm but windy weekend, Sam Jones won the Men’s event. Joanne McDonald took out the Women’s. Louis Baldock won the Net trophy.

WELLINGTON WELLINGTON GOLF - 2022 WOMEN’S 36 HOLE STROKEPLAY AND STABLEFORD PAIRS CHAMPS Wellington Golf - 2022 Women’s 36 Hole Strokeplay and Stableford Pairs Champs were played recently at Otaki Golf Club. The two divisions winners, Elise Barber and Mia Scrimgeour, and Pairs winners Paula Thompson and Jodine Bunn.

The Course for Everyone

Pay $940 to play golf through to 28 February 2023 26

March 2022

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CANTERBURY CANTERBURY GOLF CAPTAINS DAY TOURNAMENT

The Annual Captains Day Tournament was played at Bottle Lake Golf Club recently with 18 clubs represented from around the Canterbury region. It was the McLeans Island pairing of Warren Davis (33 pts) and Sue Collins (36 pts) who handled the testing conditions best to win the Captains Day trophy with a combined 69 stableford points. We were fortunate to hold the event after rain earlier in the week and heavy rain again immediately after the event. Rangiora’s Eric Crawford (35 pts) and Elaine Rae (32 pts) were second on 67 points, with Avondale’s Tawhi Taite (28 pts) and Clare Hodges (38 pts) third on 66 points. Best Women’s Individual score was Clare Hodges (38 pts) and Best Men’s Individual score Eric Crawford (35 pts).

KOBORI HOLDS OFF CHALLENGERS TO WIN CANTERBURY STROKE PLAY

Canterbury No.1 and New Zealand Rep Kazuma Kobori held off all challengers in the final round of the 2022 Lamb & Hayward Canterbury Stroke Play at Russley Golf Club over Waitangi weekend to win the title by three shots over Otago’s Tom Lee and Russley’s Zach May. The field had endured miserable conditions on Saturday to put themselves in position for the final round on Sunday

March 2022

and it was a credit to both the players and Russley’s green-keeping staff that they managed to get through the 36 holes. Only three or four courses in Canterbury would’ve have been able to stand up to the steady drizzle and rain that fell most of the day. At over the 6500 metres off the black tees and tough playing conditions scoring was not easy and many younger and inexperienced players has a reality check as to where their game may be at. By the end of day one in the Men’s Championship, the “cream had risen to the top” and Zach May and Kazuma Kobori had a one shot lead over Tom Lee, with two further shots back to Tyler Wood and Dom Brettkelly. Realistically the champion was going to come from this group as the rest of the field were too far away and so it proved to be. In the final round NZ Rep Tyler Wood got off to a hot start with an eagle on the Par 5 second hole and another birdie a few holes later. He looked most likely to challenge for the lead, having a look at birdie most holes on the front nine, however the long Par 4 8th hole was his undoing when he pulled his drive into the trees and make double bogey. He then made double bogey on the 10th hole and his challenge was effectively over. Zach May also started well with two birdies and had a one shot lead over Kobori playing the 9th hole. However a lapse in concentration on the 9th tee saw him pull his tee shot on to the first tee leading to a double bogey. Kobori made par and he turned with a one shot

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lead. Various challenges came from Tom Lee, May, and Brettkelly during the back nine but they were unable to peg back the steady play of Kobori. Kazuma will be glad to etch his name on this prestigious trophy after going down narrowly to Kerry Mountcastle last year. Akarana’s Joshua Bai won the trophy for the best U19 players for the second year running and had a creditable 6th place overall. Nelson’s Lizze Neale had a a four shot lead in the Women’s Championship going into the final round but would succumb to great play from her southern competitors Sumin Kang and Yoonae Jeong. They fired rounds of 75 and 73 respectively to end up in a play-off, four shots ahead of Neale. On the second play-off hole Jeong holed a six foot biride putt to take the title from her friend. Olive Tapu was the best of the local contingent placing fourth. The Men’s Masters Championship was a close contest going into the final round. Nine players were in contention led by Bottle Lake’s Kieran Sharvin, with James Howard, Alisdair Reid, Andrew Dufton, and Simon Edwards two shots behind him. However the leaders struggled in the final round and it would be two players behind them that would come through for the top places. Waitikiri’s Woo Bong Kim shot the best final round with 75, but was pipped for the title by Nelson’s Ben Crawford who shot 76. Crawford won by two shots over Kim and Christchurch’s Alisdair Reid who were tied. Kieran Sharvin held on for fourth, and Brett Turner was the best of the Canterbury Reps finishing fifth. Unfortunately only four players contested the Women’s Master’s Championship, and Rachel Eder was always too strong for her playing partners winning by 25 shots over Clearwater club-mate Virginia Faass. The Patston Media Stroke Play Series was also concluded with Kazuma Kobori, Tom Lee, Sumin Kang, and Caerwyn Ross winning development funds for the best results over the Southland, Otago, and Canterbury Stroke Plays.

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Thanks must go to the Russley Golf Club and its members. Mike Yorston and his green-keeping staff did a magnificent job with the course with many favourable comments on its condition and how it held up in the poor weather. Thanks also to Stephen Parkyn and Lamb & Hayward for their continued support, and also the the CGRA referees for their time. Despite the conditions, the tournament was a great championship with NZ’s top amateurs coming from all parts of the country for a tilt at the title.

March 2022

OTAGO/SOUTHLAND CANCER SOCIETY’S LONGEST DAY CAMPAIGN BY PLAYING DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF HOLES REQUIRED

Pleasant Point Golf Club member Blair Struthers has raised almost eleven thousand dollars for the Cancer Society’s Longest Day campaign by playing double the amount of holes required. The Longest Day is the Cancer Society’s fundraising campaign where golfers can challenge their skill and stamina over four rounds of golf [72-holes] in one day to raise money for the Cancer Society. So far, Struthers has raised a whopping $10,933 and still has a few people he needs to chase up. He set a target of playing a hundred holes, 28 more holes than he was required to play before the day. On the 17th of December, he teed off his opening round at 5.30 am, and by 2 pm, he had already achieved his goal. Struthers, whose handicap is one, decided he’d keep going in front of the many people who were out in torrential rain supporting him in an effort to raise some more money. He says the support was overwhelming. “I’m really stoked! I still have a couple of people I need to chase up too, and hopefully I can get to 11 thousand dollars raised. It’s still way more than I thought I was going to raise, so people must have really appreciated my efforts,” Struthers explains. The rain was plummeting down for the majority of the day, making the task a little more challenging. Funnily enough, it wasn’t the number of holes he played that hurt him; it was the weather. “The body was actually pretty good. The worst thing I had were blisters on my feet, which hindered me the most. I had to take the shoes off after the third

March 2022

round, and I was off after that. “The weather was pretty bad for most of the day, but the first couple of rounds were the worst. The course was completely water-logged, and I had to use my wedge on the greens because I wasn’t able to putt as there was too much water. “I did have to stretch the legs out a bit too. There were a few holes in the middle of the day where I was stepping in a few puddles, and I started to cramp up a bit. Getting into a bit of a run helped me stretch them out a bit which helped. “It was funny because I started the day in torrential rain and ended the day in a thunderstorm. The chips were stacked a little against me, but I just kept going. I was keen to do it, so I was going to finish no matter what.” He says his competitive nature was the reason he wanted to play more than the campaign required and hoped that playing over a hundred holes would help get people talking about cancer more. He also has family and friends who’ve been affected by cancer, and this was his way of giving back. Struthers says the support he had throughout the day was outstanding. He had family, friends, members, and even locals who had heard what he was doing out supporting him the entire day. “My best mate was with me pulling the bag for about six hours. We started at about 5.30 in the morning, and he left me to go to work at lunchtime at 11.30. That was pretty awesome. “And throughout the rest of the day, other people came and went and helped out. Throughout the whole day, I only played about six-holes by myself,” he says. He averaged three-over-par over the eight rounds and was more than happy with how he played, given the weather conditions. His contribution to the cause is hugely appreciated by the Cancer Society. The Cancer Society’s spokesperson Arron Peacock says he thought playing 72-holes was hard, but playing 144 is a mammoth effort. “It is no exaggeration to say all of us at the Cancer Society are in awe of Blair – to complete 144 holes in one day during the Longest Day Golf Challenge is beyond remarkable. “Aside from admiring this tremendous accomplishment, we are also immensely grateful for Blair’s incredible fundraising efforts. It is this type of determination and generosity that enables the Cancer Society to provide vital services to ensure no one goes through cancer alone like safe transport to and from treatment, counselling support, and accommodation. “In addition, funds raised by the 592 golfers who took part in the Longest Day Golf Challenge will allow us to fund research into better treatments and ultimately better outcomes for the thousands of New Zealanders who are affected by cancer every year.”

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THINK SPEED GO ROGUE

OUR FASTEST, MOST STABLE DRIVER EVER The new Rogue ST Driver represents a breakthrough in driver performance. The all-new Tungsten Speed Cartridge, Jailbreak Speed Frame, and an A.I. designed Flash Face are engineered for maximum speed with exceptional levels of forgiveness.

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March 2022