Indian contingent confirmed for NZ Open
Five of India’s leading golf professionals, Shiv Kapur, Khalin Joshi, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Viraj Madappa and Rahil Gangjee, will play in this year’s New Zealand Golf Open.
Led by Kapur, one of India’s highest-profile golfers, the quintet will be a force when play begins at The Hills and Millbrook Resort in Queenstown on February 28.
Kapur has learnt much of what he knows about New Zealand from friend and former Black Caps cricket skipper Stephen Fleming, who he will partner in the Pro-Am.
“It’s a huge thrill to play in what is one of the oldest national opens in the world and with the bonus of getting to visit a country I’ve always dreamed of seeing as a child,” said Kapur. “Queenstown is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the world and watching the tournament on TV last year just made that decision easy. The opportunity to play in a unique pro-am event similar to the Dunhill and to experience the great Kiwi culture has huge appeal.”
While Kapur calls cricket “his first love” and golf “his profession”, Gangjee does not watch cricket and suggested “all cricket questions must go to Shiv”.
The 41-year-old is in the form of his life, having won twice in Asia in 2018, earning him full status on both the Asian and Japan Tours.
Sandhu is the other serious cricket fan of the contingent and is hoping to partner with one of the former The Warriors are close to a new deal with coach Stephen Kearney which could see him become one of the longest-serving coaches in the Auckland club’s NRL history.
Kearney is about to start the third year of his existing contract but has a new offer on the table that would keep him at Mt Smart until the end of the 2022 season.
If that came to pass, he would equal Ivan Cleary’s six seasons in charge (2006-11).
Negotiations have been ongoing since midway through last season.
“We haven’t needed to rush it,” said Warriors chief executive Cameron George. “But Stephen is part of our future — he has to be.
“This club has suffered due to instability. I’m conscious of making sure that if we have good people in the right roles, we need to keep them.
“Stephen is the right person to lead internationals such as Brendan McCullum, Shane Warne or Ricky Ponting in the pro-am. Sandhu this club forward. So we want to secure his services for the future, because it’s all part of the moving picture.
“If we have our coaching structures and pathways right, and Stephen is the head honcho over that, you are going to have better results. But if you are chopping and changing up top, a new guy might say it is not the roster I want, and it will take two years to rejig it.”
George also indicated Kearney would be given some latitude, such was the faith in the 46-year-old.
“We will never depart from our responsibility about getting the best results we can, and those calls will be made at the appropriate time, whenever required,” said George.
“We will never walk away from that. But if I strongly believe we have the right person in that role, I’m really hot in making sure we try to retain them. If we can hold together, over the next funding cycle [to 2022], the current football and coaching group, that would be outstanding.”
Kearney was not a universally competed in New Zealand as an amateur in 2006 and will be travelling with his parents. popular choice when he arrived at Mt Smart in October 2016, with many pundits wary of his lack of NRL experience and poor record at Parramatta. His first season didn’t do much to silence those sceptics, as the team was anchored near the foot of the NRL ladder while Kearney tried to implement change behind the scenes. But last year’s big turnaround, with 15 wins and a long-awaited finals appearance, enhanced his reputation.
“We are pretty close,” said Kearney of the new contract. “But I just want to focus on trying to do my job, I don’t really look that far ahead.”
Kearney has always emphasised his project was a long-term fix, but didn’t want to put a number on it.
“I’m here to do whatever it takes but I don’t know what that time frame is,” he said. “I’m here to try to improve the club, improve the team and improve individuals. The board and other people might not be patient enough for that to happen. But that’s my mentality. I’m here to try to improve the club, the team, the culture, the players . . . all the time.”
Joshi, winner of the Panasonic Open in India in 2018, is one of the best young players to come out of India and is already ranked in the world’s top 250.
“I’ve never been to New Zealand, so thought this would be a good opportunity, and with my dad coming along to caddy for me, it’s going to be a special week.”
Twenty-one-year-old Madappa, one of the brightest stars in Asia, will be seeking his second career win in a country he said had always been on top of his list of places to visit.
He made headlines in Asia last year when, in his first year as a professional, he won the TAKE Solutions Masters in India. Widely regarded as one of the best young players on the continent, Madappa will be one to watch.