Australian dominance of Open continues
Let’s just rename it the Australian Open.
Queenslander Brad Kennedy won the New Zealand Open at Arrowtown’s Millbrook Resort yesterday to become the eighth Aussie winner in the past nine tournaments.
Kennedy, who started the run by winning in Christchurch in 2011, finished 21-under-par, two shots clear of second-placed Lucas Herbert (Aus) to snag his first win since he won on the Japan Tour in 2018.
Aucklander Michael Hendry and Masterton’s Harry Bateman were the best performing Kiwis, finishing six shots back in a share of fifth place.
Kennedy banked $240,000 after claiming the Brodie Breeze Trophy for a second time, a win set up by his scorching final-round eight-under 63.
‘‘To win this again after nine years is just unbelievable,’’ he said.
It exterminated the demons from a fortnight ago, when he practically led the Queensland PGA Championship the entire way, only to bomb out down the stretch and finish tied for third. He was so ‘‘mentally destroyed’’ by the collapse he almost didn’t compete at the Queensland Open last week, when he again finished in a share of third.
‘‘The thoughts now are pretty much just utter amazement. It’s hard to put in words the emotion I’ve gone through the last three weeks,’’ Kennedy said.
Two shots behind Herbert and South Korean teenager Joohyung Kim heading into the day, Kennedy, 45, saved his best round for last.
He moved three shots clear after holing a tricky right-to-left putt on the 387m par-four 14th. Meanwhile, a hole back, Herbert found the water hazard off the tee on the par-three 13th and made double bogey.
It had all been going so well for Herbert up until that point. He’d shaken off Kim, was four-under through his round, and was in front on his own.
But the 24-year-old wasn’t done yet, storming back with birdies on 15, 16 and 17 to put the heat back on Kennedy, who would have felt the pinch further had Herbert not barely missed a lengthy eagle putt on the 17th.
However, Kennedy kept his head to save par on 18, before Herbert failed to bag the birdie he needed to force a playoff, when he fluffed his tee-shot on 18 and found the drink.
As was the case in the past couple of days, Hendry was left to rue his putting, as his challenge for a second title in four years effectively ended when he bogeyed 13.
‘‘The whole week the putter really didn’t gel with me. I thought to myself, ‘at least give them a chance to go in by getting them to the hole’. I had a lot of good shots and they just didn’t fall my way this week,’’ he said.