Owen Kendall was there when it started and he'll be there when Sir Bob Charles, New Zealand's greatest golfer, signs off from tournament play at Mount Maunganui next week.
Kendall has been invited to play in Charles' four next Tuesday at the Mount Maunganui Golf Club _ the venue in 1979 of one of Charles' four New Zealand PGA tour victories.
Mount Maunganui College's Nick Muller, who Kendall beat for the club's senior championship last year, and sponsor Rex Moyle will complete the Sir Bob Charles four, which tees off at 1.30pm.
Mount Maunganui is the first stopover on the 50 Years a Champion Sir Bob Charles Tribute Tour, which is taking the deft leftie, New Zealand's only winner of a golf major, to eight courses.
Charles, a 68-year-old veteran who is still playing on the senior circuit, will use the tour to raise funds for the development of junior golf and the promotion of melanoma awareness.
Kendall, six-time Mount Maunganui senior club champion, was grouped with Charles at the 1985 New Zealand Open at Christchurch's Russley course.
Kendall was a young amateur while Charles had already won four New Zealand Open titles. Corey Pavin won his second consecutive title that year at Russley.
"It was a pretty special day for a young golfer and, if memory serves me right, I shot a 71 that day _ exactly the same score as Bob Charles," Kendall recalled yesterday.
Kendall, 51, went on to win the Bledisloe Cup as the leading amateur, bagging the New Zealand amateur title two years later and playing for New Zealand in the Eisenhower Trophy.
"I was only a kid back then but distinctly remember being in awe of the guy I was playing with. He was quiet and kept pretty much to himself the entire round.
"I certainly wasn't keen on asking too many questions. I guess, as a professional playing alongside an amateur, it was something he had to tolerate."
Kendall, a two-handicapper, travelled to The Grange in Auckland in January to watch Charles in his 50th and final New Zealand Open.
"His demeanour was exactly the same then as I remember it all those years ago _ quiet and very studious.
"To actually be invited to play with him again was an opportunity too good to pass up and it'll be interesting see how he's still hitting it, although in far more relaxed company."
Charles won the 1963 British Open and is also the only New Zealander to be a multiple winner on the United States PGA tour.
In all, he won 75 tournaments worldwide, including the NZ Open on four occasions, in 1954, 1966, 1970 and 1973 and the NZ PGA championship in 1961, 1979 and 1980.
Bay of Plenty, in particular the Mount and Tauranga Golf clubs, hold a special place in the archives of the NZPGA.
For more than 20 years, starting in 1965, those two clubs hosted the PGA championship, which was played in the traditional holiday period of late December-early January, proving a massive drawcard as holidaymakers in their thousands walked the courses.
Charles will host a 30-minute coaching clinic for juniors at 12.30pm at the Mount prior to playing a round as part of a tournament to raise funds for charity.
Following his appearance at the Mount he will be guest speaker at a fundraising function.
A unique signature lineup of former New Zealand Golf Open champions has been compiled as the feature item of a memorabilia auction.
The framed item features the original signatures of every NZ Open champion since 1954, with the exception of Harry Berwick, the 1956 winner, who passed away 15 years ago.
Berwick's family have made his signature available to be scanned and included with 32 of his fellow champions including Greg Turner and Michael Campbell.
Proceeds from this unique piece of New Zealand sporting history will go to junior golf and melanoma awareness.
Admission on Tuesday to watch Charles' coaching clinic and his 18 holes at the Mount is by gold coin donation.
Bay stalwart jumps at chance to tee it up in Charles' swansong
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.