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“It’s been very close of late. I’ve been playing pretty nicely without putting any scores on the board. The goal this week is to be in contention come Sunday afternoon and anything can happen from there. I’d love to see my name on the trophy at the end of the week.”

In a drought those ducks would not appreciate, it has been 14 years since a New Zealander has held the Brodie Breeze Trophy.

Fox and Williams both believe this could be the year a local can conquer the fairways and greens at Millbrook and The Hills.

“We’ve got a lot of Kiwi guys playing well and it’s certainly the year to do it. Hopefully it’s me, but if it’s not me, there’s a few other guys with a chance this week,” Fox said.

“For me, I think the golf courses are playing a little tougher than they have in previous years. The greens are pretty firm and definitely around The Hills there’s a lot of the long stuff if you miss fairways. It might be a little more penalising, but there’s definitely some good scores to be had.”

Williams, who has worked with some of the best in the game, including 13 major championship victories with Tiger Woods, has had to learn some new tricks as part of his fledgling association with Fox.

While the pair enjoyed ribbing Fox senior during their Tuesday round, working with 30-year-old Fox will mean plenty of mental arithmetic for Williams this week.

“I’ve caddied for 40 years and never caddied for a player who plays in metres. I’ve got to get my head around that pretty quickly,” Williams, who has always worked in yards, said.

“I haven’t caddied for a New Zealander since 1979 (Sir Bob Charles). I’m ticking off something on my bucket list to caddy for a New Zealander at a New Zealand Open, so I’m really looking forward to the week.”

Also flying the New Zealand flag in Queenstown this week will be the likes of Michael Hendry, Josh Geary and Gareth Paddison.

The international charge will be led by Korea’s Y.E. Yang, the first Asian to win a major with that famous victory over Tiger Woods, and four-time US PGA Tour winner, American Heath Slocum.

The past five New Zealand Open champions, all Australians, are also amongst the field, including defending champion Matt Griffin, top of the Australasian Tour OOM; 2014 winner Dimitrios Papadatos who won the Victorian Open two weeks ago and 2011 champion Brad Kennedy, who was 11th on the Japan Tour OOM last year.

The 93rd ISPS Handa New Zealand Open is a NZ$1 million Tier One event on the PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour and Asian Tour, and is being played at Millbrook Resort and The Hills from 9-12 March.

Click here to visit ISPS Handa New Zealand Open’s website.

Photo caption:

1/ Ryan Fox and Steve Williams talk to the media at the Millbrook Resort today

Despite the assumption that his drive would be a key element of his game, he said his short game was actually better.

“I could try a wind-up spin for my drive, but I’m not sure if there was anyone standing in front of me that would be a good look,” he joked.

“I reckon I could drive somewhere between 270 to 290m off the tee, on a downhill run I might get to 300!

“If I score anything in the mid to high 80’s I’d be really happy with that.”

A mental skill he said he brings to his golf is the ability to forget about the previous shot or throw and just move on.

“That’s probably the difference between top professional golfers and the others so it’s a good skill to have.”

Walsh is playing in the tournament for the first time and said it capped off a “crazy” two years.

“I’ve had some pretty amazing experiences, especially in the last six months,” he said.

“This is an amazing place, they’ve done an amazing job and I can’t wait to play some golf, but I’ve still had a training session in the gym this morning and there’s a throwing session tomorrow.”

Walsh finishes up in Queenstown then the Olympic bronze medallist focuses on the shot put nationals in Hamilton and into the future.

“I’m in great nick for the world championships in London this year, that’s the big goal,” he said.

Walsh joins Olympic gold medallist and America’s Cup sailor Sir Russell Coutts, New Zealand’s most-capped hockey player Ryan Archibald and Pittsburgh Major League baseball player Masumi Kuwata for the ISPS Handa New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort and The Hills (March 9 – 12). 

Also stepping outside their sporting comfort zone will be NZ cricket legends Brendon McCullum and Stephen Fleming, Aussie cricketers Shane Warne, Allan Border and Ricky Ponting, crowd-pleaser Sir Ian Botham, dual rugby and cricket international Jeff Wilson and former All Black Grant Fox.

They’re joined by celebrity chef Josh Emett and Australian TV personality and singer Kerri-Anne Kennerley, all playing as part of the tournament’s popular and successful Pro-Am format.

The ISPS Handa New Zealand Open is a NZ$1 million Tier One event on the PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

Click here to visit ISPS Handa New Zealand Open’s website.

Photo caption (Photosport):

1/ Kiwi Olympian Tom Walsh was on fine form at Millbrook Resort today before the start of tomorrow’s ISPS Handa New Zealand Open