Hawke's Bay

Anthony Kim wins Kiwi Challenge

US golfing phenomenon Anthony Kim was on the lookout for birdies rather than the spectacular landscape that was all around him as he took out the lucrative Kiwi Challenge golf tournament in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, yesterday (12.11.09).

Playing on Cape Kidnappers golf resort, above the rugged Pacific coastline, Kim beat fellow American Sean O’Hair in a playoff to take the title in the US$2 million tournament.

Kim, who was runner-up in the 2008 tournament, said he "loved New Zealand".

"It feels pretty good. It feels wonderful. This place is unbelievable, and it’s beautiful," Kim said after his win.

Top young golfers
The two-day Kiwi Challenge, played out between four of the world’s top ranked young golfers, is a golfing coup for New Zealand.

Anthony Kim, at 24 and the youngest player, ranks world #22. Sean O’Hair, 27, is ranked #14. Hunter Mahan, 27, is ranked #25. Camilo Villegas, 27, is ranked #16.

All four golfers played in last month's President’s Cup, where Americans O'Hair, Mahan and Kim dominated Columbian-born Villegas and the International team. Between them, the group has eight PGA Tour wins, 80 top-10 finishes, and more than US$40 million in career winnings.

Any one of the four could have won the Kiwi Challenge.

Before tee-off, defending champion Hunter Mahan said he felt "pretty good" about his chances, but in the end it was Anthony Kim - "I did what I had to do to win" - who claimed the prize.

Playoff
Anthony Kim slashed his way to a bogey six on the first playoff hole yesterday, but it was good enough to defeat O’Hair.

Kim closed with a final round of five-under-par 66 for a 36-hole total of 137.

O’Hair, who shot 69-137, hit a wedge to 1m (4ft) on the 18th hole, and made his birdie to tie Kim, who had led from the 12th hole.

Hunter Mahan finished with a 67 for a two-under total of 140-over-par 71. Camilo Villegas shot 72 for a total of one-under-141.

In the playoff on the 595m (650yd) par-five 15th, O’Hair made double bogey seven, allowing Kim room to reach the green in four and two-putt for the win.

Natural forces
The only slight hiccup in the event came in round one, and was due more to geography and natural forces than organisation.

Standing on the 16th tee overlooking the ocean on the afternoon of day one, Sean O’Hair lost his cap to a gust of wind - the first signal of a sudden sea squall over the cape.

By the time the players had played their second shots to the 457m (500yd) par five, the winds had increased to more than 60kph (40mph), and the presiding PGA Tour official halted play for the rest of the day.

A breeze is nothing unusual at Cape Kidnappers which sits in an exposed position, on a rocky promontory jutting out into the east coast of the North Island. The Tom Doak-designed course set-up allows for green speeds of 3.35m (11ft) on the stimpmeter.

Though it would have been fun to keep playing, it was the right decision to stop play, Villegas said.

"We’re competing, everybody wants to win this tournament so with that being said it was definitely the right call to stop it - if this was back in college and we were just playing 18 holes to have fun, trust me we would have kept going, we would have had a laugh, we would have been joking around," he said.

2009 Kiwi Challenge
This was the second year of the 36-hole made-for-television event which is sanctioned by the PGA Tour.

Kiwi Challenge is the creation of resort owner Julian Robertson, who put up the US$2 million prize pool. The US$1 million first prize is the largest purse in New Zealand golf.

Robertson, who made his money as a Wall Street hedge fund pioneer of the 1990s, owns three New Zealand luxury lodges, including The Farm at Cape Kidnappers where the golf tournament is set.

Cape Kidnappers Golf Resort
Cape Kidnappers golf course opened in 2004, and is ranked the 36th best golf course in the world by Golf Magazine. It was rated as the world’s best course by London’s Daily Telegraph.

Hunter Mahan said Cape Kidnappers definitely had potential to hold a big tournament.

"The course is fantastic. It's a links style that you don't get to see a whole lot of in the States. On almost every shot you are looking straight out into the ocean. It's a different world.

"It can change every day with the wind and it's one of the better designs that I've seen. I'm extremely excited to return to New Zealand because it is a beautiful place."

International showcase
As well as top-level golf, Kiwi Challenge is an international showcase for New Zealand’s landscape, food and wine, and best luxury destinations.

Produced by NBC, the tournament broadcast includes lifestyle segments on New Zealand presented by New Zealander Steve Williams - best known as Tiger Woods’ caddie - and will be shown in more than 100 countries on five continents.

More information:

NZ luxury lodges in travel survey honours

World’s best golf course in New Zealand

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