Last time a Kiwi held the NZ Golf Open’s Brodie Breeze trophy Bill English was Prime Minister, the All Blacks were back-to-back World Cup champions and nobody had heard of Covid-19. It was 2017.
The time before that Helen Clark was PM, the All Blacks were told “four more years” by George Gregan and Y2K hadn’t long left conversation.
The New Zealand Golf Open has had just one Kiwi winner in more than 20 years. Michael Hendry has been the only New Zealander to reign in a drought that started in 2004.
“It’s just that thing where you really want something, and it’s always harder to get,” says Hendry.
“It’s probably a factor that the Kiwis just want it so much. Maybe we try a bit too hard to get it.”
The veteran will be among a group of New Zealanders who could be contenders for the title at Millbrook Resort in Arrowtown.
Leading the pack is the field’s top-ranked player and bookies’ favourite, Dan Hillier.
“It would mean the world, obviously. Winning your national Open is something you dream about as a kid. But there’s obviously a lot of good players out here,” says Hillier.
As big as it’d be for Hillier, it wouldn’t even be the best thing to happen to him over the past week. He got married last Saturday.
“Just had the best day of my life on Saturday, finally becoming a married man. We celebrated that really well. It’s not very often you get all your nearest and dearest in one place at one time, so that was pretty awesome. Still buzzing at the moment.”
The honeymoon is on hold while he takes care of business at Millbrook, where he’ll have a few friendly wedding crashers to contend with.
“I feel like there’s a lot of Kiwis that are in pretty good form at the moment. I feel like we’ve all got a pretty good chance, and hopefully I’ll be one of those guys up there at the top near the end,” says Hillier.
Among the likely locals is Steven Alker. At 54, Alker has found tremendous success on the PGA Champions Tour.
“I’ve had good preparation. I’m feeling good. I think it’s just timing, but I think really seriously, we’ve got the talent to actually get a winner, at least really contend this year,” says Alker, echoing Hillier’s belief that 2026 could feature a Kiwi winner again.
“There’s a little bit of luck, a bit of everything that goes into winning a golf tournament. It is just getting harder to win tournaments now, it’s as simple as that.”
Luck may come in the form of a change in the weather. After two sweltering practice days, Millbrook is expecting cold, wet conditions that will separate the pretenders from the contenders. The wet doesn’t worry one of New Zealand’s brightest stars, Kazuma Kobori.
“I think it weeds out the field nicely. Honestly, we played in that much rain last year on the DP World Tour, so I’m kind of used to it,” says Kobori.
The young Cantabrian has impressed former champ Hendry.
“He [Kobori] managed to keep his card full status on the European tour last year. He could win this in a heartbeat,” says Hendry.
The 2017 winner also likes the chances of Millbrook member and LIV professional Ben Campbell. And he agrees the weather could tilt the title in favour of the Kiwis.
Another local name to look out for on the leaderboard is teenage amateur Cooper Moore.
Hendry is clearly impressed with the next generation of talent in New Zealand golf.
“We’ve got a really strong group of young players and they’re all hard workers, good lads. There’s no arrogance. They just get on with their work and they’re all really impressive players and really impressive young men.
“I think as long as we’re patient with them as a nation and don’t put too much pressure on them, I think we’re going to have a great few years,” says Hendry.
While Hillier, Campbell, Alker and Kobori all have their eyes on maiden NZ Open titles, Hendry is trying to break another drought – becoming the first Kiwi to win a second national title since Greg Turner in 1997.
“Yeah, I’m aware of that. He keeps reminding me. I won two PGAs though, he’s only won one,” says Hendry with a grin.
The first round gets underway from 7.40am on Thursday morning.
Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.