Unheralded Muir starts well
Kazuma Kobori was among the names thrown out as a home-grown contender this week, but it was a golfer from Omokoroa leading the Kiwi charge early at the NZ Open.
Bay of Plenty pro Kieran Muir was the pick of the Kiwi bunch from the early morning starters, carding a 5-under 66 at Arrowtown’s Millbrook Resort yesterday.
Muir, a two-time winner on the China Tour, was one of a handful tied for fourth after signing his card, two shots behind Australian leader Matthew Griffin, the 2016 winner, and one clear of fellow Kiwis Daniel Hillier, Josh Geary, Chang Gi Lee and amateur Zack Swanwick.
“It took me a wee while to build into things. I got a birdie early and had to stay patient as I was dealing internally with the pace of play, as it was a little bit slow,” Muir said.
“I came to terms with that and then knocked one in and got the ball rolling on the second nine.”
Four years after finishing ninth in the New Zealand Open, Muir nailed four birdies en route to a flawless round on a warm and calm morning in Arrowtown.
With players alternating between the Coronet and Remarkables courses in the opening two rounds, Muir was one of only a handful in the top 20 who played the former.
That didn’t include Griffin, the 40-yearold Victorian who held aloft the Brodie Breeze Trophy down the road at The Hills almost a decade ago.
“There's a few more birdie opportunities [at the Remarkables], it just sits down lower so maybe there is a little bit more wind up the top and there’s just some tougher shots up top [Coronet],’’ Griffin said.
“All the par fives are reachable on the Remarkables, so if your game is on song there’s some relatively easy birdies.’’
Griffin’s game was on song. He knocked in eight birdies – one of them after holing a 35-foot putt on the 172m par-3 sixth – and was on track for a blemish-free round before bogeying the par-5 17th.
Not bad for someone who went into the year considering giving up the game as a full-time player.
However, having ended an eight-year drought by winning the Heritage Classic in the Yarra Valley in January, that could change, particularly if he keeps rolling in the $2 million tournament in Arrowtown.
“I felt like I had been playing well the last couple of years but hadn’t put the results on the board,” Griffin said.
"But who knows, with the Asian Tour co-sanctioning, if I can be at the right end of the leaderboard on Sunday, you never know there might be a wee bit more golf.”
Asked if his decision to start playing less had taken the pressure to perform off him, Griffin confirmed it had.
“Absolutely. I know I’ve got two young kids and when you are travelling a lot it puts the pressure on. You want to make sure you are playing well and making enough money to make it worthwhile. If you are just breaking even or making a little bit, it’s hard to justify."
Fresh off three wins on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Kobori carded a disappointing 1-over 72 on the Remarkables course to leave him well off the pace.