Resort players keen to keep busy after NZ Open canned
QUEENSTOWN golfers James Anstiss and Fraser MacLachlan are philosophical about the cancellation of the biggest golfing event in their backyard.
Yesterday, organisers cancelled next year’s New Zealand Open, which had been due to be played at Millbrook and The Hills at the end of summer.
Closed borders and the impact of the pandemic led to the canning of the event.
Anstiss said it was disappointing but totally expected.
The Australian Open, the Australian Women’s Open, the Australian PGA Championship and the Victorian Open had already been called off.
With these events not going ahead it was logical the NZ Open would suit, said.
‘‘But there is talk of some events going ahead in Aussie early next year. There has been some
Charles Tour events played and there are some events coming up here in NZ,’’ Anstiss said.
‘‘So I’m still playing every weekend. It can be hard, as nothing is confirmed and it is changing but there is stuff out there.’’
Anstiss (25) had qualified for the Latin America tour and headed to Mexico in early March, but returned home when Covid19 hit. follow Anstiss
He ended up going back to the United States a couple of months later, and played in some events which were put on for members of his tour and others from the Canadian Tour and the Chinese Tour.
‘‘It is tough that things have closed down here when things are going on in Europe and in the United States. Everything is up and running. In the US everything was fully open and it felt like they did not care about the virus.’’
Anstiss, who finished in the top 25 at this year’s New Zealand Open, said he would spend this summer at home, concentrating on improving his game.
‘‘It is just one of those things. We just need more information to find out what is going on and you can put together your year.’’
MacLachlan said it was a big shame for Queenstown, and it was another highprofile event lost to the area.
He agreed it was inevitable the Open would be canned.
‘‘It creates a huge buzz for the town and is one of the highest purses we play for on the Australasian Tour. It is a great showcase for Queenstown,’’ MacLachlan said.
More than 140 profile amateurs paid more than $10,000 each to play with the professionals and many of them came from overseas, which was no longer an option because of border restrictions, MacLachlan (29) said.
He was also looking at some events in Australia, but everything was still up in the air.
Many professionals were stuck in Australia and wanted to play, making the events in that country more viable while others who played on the Japan Tour were waiting to be allowed in and be able to play in quarantine.
When not playing, MacLachlan ran a firewood business which kept him busy. His family had connections to sawmills in Southland. He said the business was going well, supplying firewood through Central Otago and down to Dunedin.
Ironically, he said, golf had never been more popular in Queenstown since coming out of lockdown. A member at Millbrook, he could not get on the course yesterday while tee times at other courses were also hard to secure.
The 2022 New Zealand Open is set for February 1720.