He turned heads by winning the British Masters and now gets a chance to push towards a PGA tour card in a high-quality field, of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth et al.
Fun fact: On his last outing in Scotland nine months ago, Kiwi Ryan Fox won the Alfred Dunhill tournament on the Old Course at the St Andrews Links, the so-called home of golf.
(5) The Ashes fourth test - from Wednesday 10pm - TVNZ
England and Australia come out of their corners for another round in the famous old series, which has more than lived up to expectations.
In the name of it going down to a gripping finish at the Oval in London, let’s hope England can square the series in this Manchester game.
A couple of England’s lesser lights emerged as the heroes of the win in Leeds. And they have the heroic figure of Ben Stokes to follow - the captain is hobbling about like he’s been in a league game, the sport his late Kiwi father made his name in.
As for Australia, all eyes will be on whether news magnet David Warner survives, or whether he’ll keep bolstering Stuart Broad’s test wicket haul.
England's Mark Wood is congratulated by Ben Stokes. Photo / Photosport
(4) Wimbledon tennis finals, Saturday and Sunday 11.55pm - SKY/PRIME
Free-to-air joy for tennis fans and floating voters, with the women’s and men’s finals on Prime. Sorry, that should be ladies’ and gentlemen’s finals.
(3) Warriors v Sharks, Sunday 4pm - SKY
All roads lead to Mt Smart Stadium this weekend. Warriors coach Andrew Webster will hope his troops weren’t lulled into a false sense of superiority against a weakened Eels outfit. Unfortunately for them, Sharks playmaker Nicho Hynes was dumped from State of Origin and will be firing on all cylinders.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak dives in for a try against the Eels. Photo / photosport.nz
(2) FIFA women’s World Cup opening matches involving New Zealand and Australia, Thursday - SKY/Prime.
A tale of two World Cup co-hosts.
The World Cup is on, not that you would know it walking around Auckland. It’s hard to even find a banner, although Eden Park is beautifully lit.
Across the ditch, Sam Kerr and Australia are raring to go. They are expected to beat the Republic of Ireland (10pm) at Stadium Australia, their build-up including a shock victory over Euro champs England.
Over here, it’s a very different matter.
The Football Ferns have an awful World Cup record, and the current team is so poor it’s got no hope of conjuring up a magical run.
Football certainly couldn’t be accused of over-hyping the event in this country, and the co-hosts’ struggles are probably why.
Ali Riley’s beleaguered Ferns play Norway first up at Eden Park (7pm), with defeat close to inevitable. The hope will be that they score an early goal, get the crowd into the game, and hang on somehow.
However, all might not be lost in a weak Group A that includes a potential all-or-nothing decider against Switzerland and the chance to score this country’s first World Cup finals win, against the Philippines.
An incredible month lies ahead, but the tournament is far from a sure bet.
The closer the kick-off gets, the braver FIFA has appeared in making New Zealand a co-host. A full house at Eden Park will be the initial payoff, but beyond that the tournament is a venture into the unknown.
But thank you FIFA, for showing the faith.
And with New Zealand’s group games getting free-to-air coverage (as is Australia’s opening game), women’s football has been handed a watershed opportunity in this part of the world.
Football Ferns captain Ali Riley takes a selfie with fans. Photo / Photosport
(1) All Blacks v Springboks, Saturday 7.05pm - SKY
This year is all about the World Cup.
And on that note, the All Blacks’ opening Rugby Championship win over Argentina was greeted with a ridiculous amount of optimism considering they caught Argentina on the hop and faded in the second half.
But heck, none of that matters people. This test at Mt Smart Stadium is a story all of its own. South Africa are assembling a mighty squad against an All Blacks outfit still struggling to convince the doubters that they are on a good World Cup track.
This game has the makings of an epic, in a compact cauldron.
Not-so-fun fact: The whistler will be Mathieu Raynal, who took rugby to a new and dire level of referees over- influencing outcomes with his time wasting call against Australia last year.
