Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson during the Chasing the Fox golf event at Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club. Photo / Photosport
OPINION
Will Jordan playing cricket. Shaun Johnson playing golf. It appears fans just want to see the stars, it doesn’t matter what sport they are playing.
A sizeable golf gallery hasn’t been seen in Auckland for years; however, last week’s Chasing the Fox event produced impressive numbers who were there not only to see Ryan Fox smash a driver, but the likes of Johnson, Jordan and a host of other celebrities swing a club — even if that’s not what they’re known for.
It’s the latest of crossover sports events that are proving to draw decent crowds compared with premier fixtures of those respective sports.
People just want to see the stars, ideally up close and in a shorter timeframe, at a time when they appear to be less accessible in their own sports.
Look at rugby. Casual rugby fans who saw the All Blacks in action in France at the World Cup will be keen to see the same players in person this season. But Super Rugby’s issue is the biggest stars won’t be playing in 2024. Jordan will be for the Crusaders, but the likes of Sam Cane, Ardie Savea and Beauden Barrett, big drawcards for their respective franchises, are skipping Super Rugby Pacific and are plying their trade in Japan. Great for their bank accounts and fans of the Tokyo Sungoliath, but not a Blues season ticket-holder.
The same goes for the Black Caps. Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway were all rested from the opening ODI series of the summer against Bangladesh after appearing at the World Cup and in a Bangladesh tour.
Bangladesh and a third-choice South African outfit don’t sound box office to cricket fans, but next month’s Black Clash, being held for the sixth time, in Tauranga has pulled in big crowds each year.
Brian Lara, despite being 54 and having played his last international in 2007, is arguably the biggest cricketing name this summer until the Aussies land in late February. While watching All Blacks roll their arms against former cricket greats also appeals to punters.
The Chasing the Fox event is working off the same formula for an Auckland market that has the biggest number of golfers in the country, but has had one marquee event in 17 years.
Galleries of up to 650 people, helped by corporate sales, followed Fox along with the six celebrity teams (Rugby, Warriors, Cricket, Olympians, Politicians and Legends) playing six holes against the world No 28. 650 might be a small number in terms of sports attendance, but it is certainly enough to create an atmosphere on a golf course, and possibly more than the group that followed New Zealand Open winner Brendan Jones in February.
It was the only chance for Kiwi golf fans to catch a glimpse of Fox in action before he heads to the PGA Tour next year. Fox is a huge supporter of the game in New Zealand, but for the second straight year won’t be able to attend the New Zealand Open because it clashes with lucrative events on the PGA Tour.
Played at Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club, it also catered to Aucklanders who have been starved of top-level golf for more than a decade, especially a younger generation who took on the game post-Covid. Plus, they got a peek at one of the best golf set-ups in the city.
Auckland’s last big golf event was the New Zealand Women’s Open at Windross Farm in 2017 that attracted the likes of Lydia Ko, Brittany Lincicome and winner Brooke Henderson. The men’s New Zealand Open was last hosted in the city in 2006 at Gulf Harbour — a course that no longer exists. (It’s worth noting golf fans could have seen Fox at the Muriwai Open free in 2020 and 2021).
The New Zealand Open in its present state is a great tournament, but will never attract huge crowds. Millbrook Resort is a stunning setting and a great advertisement for “New Zealand’s” Open — as in it looks great on camera but will always struggle to pull in huge galleries due to the surrounding population. It’s also an expensive sport to broadcast, especially over four full days.
But aligning the stars, in a shorter format with an atmosphere, appears to be the key to getting people through the gate.
Cameron McMillan has been a sports journalist since 2003 and is NZME’s deputy head of sport. A career highlight was live blogging the 2011 Rugby World Cup final from Eden Park (in a media box surrounded by French journalists).