Michael Hendry has won his 10th Charles Tour title at the season-ending Race to Tieke, joining Josh Geary as the most prolific winner in the tour’s history.
The 45-year-old veteran pipped New Zealand Amateur champion Cooper Moore by a stroke, firing rounds 64, 67 and 66 around the par-71 championship course at the Tieke Golf Estate outside Hamilton, to finish at 16-under.
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The Japan Golf Tour champion beat a small field compiled of the top 24 golfers on the Charles Tour Order of Merit, as well as a handful of invited professionals and amateurs, at the unique $100,000 tournament.
Further to the hefty prize purse, a spot in the New Zealand Open was also on the line for the top finisher who was not already exempt, setting up a thrilling final day of golf on Friday.
Hendry and Moore started the final round tied at 11-under and continued to trade blows throughout the front-nine, with the Golf New Zealand Academy member taking a one-shot lead heading into the final nine.
They had separated themselves from the chasing back and continued to match each other with birdies coming home, with Hendry making a crucial one on the short par-four 16th to tie the 16-year-old with two holes to play.
Unfortunately, Moore made a bogey on the difficult 17th to hand the lead to Hendry and watch an eight-foot birdie putt slide by to force extra holes, crowning Hendry his 10th tour title.
“I would have regretted not winning this tournament,” Hendry said, adding the Race to Tieke to his accumulation of Muriwai, Tauranga, Taranaki, Clearwater, Lawnmaster, and New Zealand Stroke Play titles.
The veteran was also very complimentary of his young playing partner, Moore, citing that he “hasn’t been this impressed with a 16-year-old’s game since Lydia Ko.”
He will now look at his equipment during the couple of weeks off before the New Zealand Open, as he tinkered with a few things this week.
With Hendry and Moore already in the New Zealand Open field, James Tauariki earned the sought-after NZ Open spot, shooting an incredible seven-under-65. Emma Zheng finished as the leading women, finishing seven-under in a share of ninth.
Players now turn their attention to the 104th New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort, near Queenstown, starting on Thursday, February 27.