Hendry’s Open baby bonus

Standing on the practice range at Carnoustie, Mike Hendry allows himself a hearty chuckle when asked to imagine hoisting the Claret Jug on Sunday.

‘‘It would be pretty trippy, pretty surreal,’’ he said.

Not that he doesn’t have the game, but the second Kiwi in the Open Championship field admits his preparation hasn’t been the best.

After qualifying for his second Open the same way as last year – via a second equal finish in the Japan Tour’s Mizuno Open on May 27 – Hendry played just two tournaments since. His excuse is as good as it gets. ‘‘I’ve only played one event in the last six weeks. My wife and I had a little baby girl six weeks ago, so my life has been filled with changing nappies and that sort of thing in cold, wet Auckland,’’ he said.

Hendry returned to action in the brilliantly named Sega Sammy Cup earlier this month, finishing tied for 44th, then arrived in Scotland last weekend for a longer than usual buildup to the Open.

‘‘I haven’t played in conditions like it. Coming out on Sunday and playing it was a lot drier and a lot harder and faster than I was expecting. Japan never gets this firm and I’ll have to make some adjustments.’’

Hendry, 38, won the New Zealand Open last year and ended 2017 with a world ranking of 125, two behind Fox. Now he’s at 228 with Fox at a careerbest 84 after top-10 finishes in Ireland and Scotland this past fortnight.