Chasing close behind is Queenstown-based Ben Campbell is just one stroke off the lead after making a brilliant eagle on his final hole. Campbell\u2019s 65 was matched by seven other players in a packed leaderboard with the players taking full toll of the pristine courses at Millbrook Resort and the benign weather.<\/p>\n
Winner of the Heritage Classic on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in early January, Griffin had eight birdies and a lone bogey in his round of 7-under 64 on the Remarkables Course in perfect scoring conditions.<\/p>\n
It looked to be enough to hold the outright lead until Hend swooped late with a 64 of his own, also on the Remarkables, making five birdies in eight holes for a back nine of 5-under 30.<\/p>\n
Now 40 years of age and a father of two, Griffin has recently pulled back from his long-time commitment to the Japan Golf Tour to spend more time at home. He\u2019d been exploring new opportunities outside of professional golf but went wire-to-wire at The Heritage Golf and Country Club last month.<\/p>\n
Griffin again finds himself on top of the leaderboard at Millbrook Resort as he seeks a second New Zealand Open title to go with his triumph at The Hills in 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to roll a few putts in and make plenty of birdies and get right into the leaderboard,\u201d said Griffin. \u201cI feel like my game is in great shape and feel like if I can continue playing the way I have, I\u2019ll give myself a good chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hend only squeezed in one practice round after arriving from last week\u2019s Asian Tour event in Oman.<\/p>\n
Dividing his time between the Asian Tour \u2013 where he is a 10-time winner \u2013 and the senior circuit, Hend has not yet given up showing the young guys how it has done.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still don\u2019t want to admit that I\u2019m 50,\u201d Hend joked. \u201cI keep telling myself I\u2019m 18 and I can keep up with all these young guys.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more about being smart these days. I\u2019m not too smart so it takes all I\u2019ve got to keep up with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s Hong Kong Open Champion and runner-up to Michael Hendry at the New Zealand Open in 2017, Campbell drained a 10m bomb from the front of the green at the par-5 18th for a round of 6-under 65 on the Coronet Course.<\/p>\n
Hendry is the lone New Zealander to win their national open since Mahal Pearce in 2003 but Campbell, who lives in Queenstown, leads a group of six Kiwis within three strokes of the lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was good to finally hold one there on the last,\u201d Campbell said of his final flurry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI probably had four or five putts come up short that I thought were in, so nice to make one there on the last.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy game wasn\u2019t too far away today. It could have been a really low one so nice to start like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The international challengers in pursuit of Griffin and Hend will be unfamiliar to many.<\/p>\n
JungHyun Um, a regular on the Korean PGA Tour who has spent time playing the Charles Tour in New Zealand the past two years, is one of those players in a share of third on six-under along with Spain\u2019s Carlos Pigem who spent four years on the DP World Tour between 2017 and 2021, and is now back playing the Asian Tour.<\/p>\n
It is the Spaniard\u2019s first visit to New Zealand and he was understandably impressed by his surroundings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to say it is an unbelievable place,\u201d said Pigem, who shot 66 on the Remarkables.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mountains, the lakes, environment, it is unbelievable, the landscape.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a lot of patience today. Made birdies where I had to make birdies, made some great up and downs where I had to, especially on the last hole, where I made a great up and down for par.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a jam-packed leaderboard littered with international flags, there were a total of 37 players within just three strokes of the lead late in Round 1, the Remarkables Course playing to an average of 68.87 and the Coronet 70.76.<\/p>\n
Round two of the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport tees off at 7:40am NZT, with a cut for the top 60 professionals and ties for the final two rounds on the weekend chasing their share of the $2M NZD prize purse.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n
Aussie veterans Matthew Griffin and Scott Hend fired rounds of seven-under par 64 to share the lead on the opening round of the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport at Millbrook Resort, Queenstown on Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"