The Star: October 19, 2023

22 The Star Thursday October 19 2023
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Emotional win for Hendry
MICHAEL HENDRY won the
DVS Clearwater Open on his
44th birthday, becoming the
winningest player on the Jennian
Homes Charles Tour.
The victory was emotional
for the 2017 New Zealand Open
champion, who didn’t know if he
would play another competitive
round following his leukaemia
diagnosis in April.
After overcoming his fair share
of challenges over the past six
months, he said he couldn’t put
the victory into words.
“Obviously, the trials and
tribulations that I’ve been
through this year I’ve been
pushing hard to get back to
the game, and to do this in my
second major tournament back
is pretty surreal to be honest. I’m
blown away.
“Along with the All Blacks
win, it’s been a good day so far,”
he said on Sunday.
Hendry did it the hard way,
winning on the fourth playoff
hole during a weather-affected
event that was reduced to
36-holes after play was abandoned
due to high winds on
Saturday.
He began the final day
shootout in a tie for the lead with
Josh Geary and Jordan Pruden at
four-under-par, but it didn’t take
him long to ascend to the top of
the leaderboard on his own. He
made a birdie on the second and
added further birdies at five and
six, following a bogey at four.
However, bogeys at eight and
nine brought him back to the
chasing pack, and he went into
the final nine tied with Geary,
with the in-form left-hander
Tyler Hodge a further shot
behind.
Both he and Geary birdied the
10th before the gale force winds
returned. They played the closing
holes in three-over-par, finishing
tied with Hodge, Dongwoo
Kang, and Auckland amateur
Jared Edwards.
All five players parred the 18th,
the first playoff hole before they
started to drop off one by one.
Kang was the first to go with a
bogey on the second extra hole
before Geary was dropped as
Hendry, Edwards, and Hodge
birdied the third.
Hendry finally sealed the
dramatic win with a par on the
fourth extra hole when all his
emotions came out.
He had plenty of memories to
call upon to get the job done.
“I’ve been in this situation a
few times before. With five guys
in the playoff, I knew I was
going to have to make a birdie
at some stage. I just thought I
needed to play as aggressively as
I did in regulation. With
the wind off the right on 18, it
set up pretty well for me; I just
stepped up and piped driver a
few times.
COMEBACK: Michael Hendry won the DVS Clearwater Open on his 44th birthday,
six months after he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
PHOTOS: GOLF NZ
“It’s probably the best I played
all week to be honest.”
He now holds nine Jennian
Homes Charles Tour titles, the
most of any player. He says
it’s one of his proudest golfing
achievements.
“Having these little records
and things, I’m sure someone
will come along and beat them
– Josh is playing so well at the
moment and will probably win
and tie it again next week.
“It means a lot. These records
in the New Zealand golfing scene
mean a lot. I care about how
I’m perceived as a golfer in New
Zealand. Hopefully, I can add to
that now that I hold this record;
it’s really satisfying.”
He is now focusing on his
next mission the Taranaki Open
– which starts tomorrow – in
search of his 10th title.
Jared Edwards won the Lamb
& Hayward Cup for finishing as
the low amateur.
PGA of New Zealand member
Yoon Kyung Kim finished as the
low woman at seven-over.
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