Hendry qualifies for his first major

Kiwi golfer Michael Hendry has qualified for his first major championship, The Open.

Hendry finished runnerup at the Mizuno Open at Okayama on Sunday, in what was a qualifying tournament for the British Open. Hendry finished 10-under par at the Mizuno Open, five shots behind winner Kim Chan.

The top four at the Mizuno Open qualified for the 146th Open, which will be at Royal Birkdale, north of Liverpool, in July. World No 135 Hendry moved into contention for a second Japan Golf Tour victory after carding a threeunder-par 69 on the third day to sit in third place alongside Korea’s Jun-Won Park on six-under-par.

Hendry then shot a four-under par 68 on the final day to secure second place. He shot a one-over 73 on the second day and 68 in the first round.

The 37-year-old from Auckland is riding high after winning the New Zealand Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia in March.

● Meanwhile Taranaki 20-yearold Sam Jones was crowned the New Zealand long drive golf champion after winning a playoff at Clearwater Golf Resort in Christchurch on Saturday.

Jones, who is currently studying at the University of West Georgia in the USA under a golfing scholarship, won the North Island long drive championships held at Papamoa last week and then had to take on the South Island champion for his place at the world championships in Oklahoma in August.

He was behind after the first three shots of the eight-ball playoff against Iain Dick. His best shot was 284 metres with Dick on 287m, but on the seventh shot Jones was able to drive 297m, 10m ahead of Dick’s best shot to seal the victory.