Hayden Paddon will show off his golf swing in Queenstown next month.
Kiwi motorsport star Hayden Paddon will get a chance to show off his golf swing in Queenstown next month.
The 30-year-old from Geraldine is the first celebrity announced to play in the New Zealand Open from March 1-4, with a bunch more of unnamed celebrities expected to join him in the amateur field.
Paddon will fly home after the Swedish round of the FIA World Rally Championship, where he competes for the Hyundai, to compete in the event shot put world champion Tom Walsh lined up in last year.
CHRIS SYMES/PHOTOSPORT
Kiwi shot put star Tom Walsh was one of the celebrities who took part in last year’s New Zealand Open.
Paddon, who is the first New Zealand driver to compete in the full World Rally Championship calendar, is a keen golfer who plays off a 12.9 handicap.
Paddon’s 2018 international schedule offers the Kiwi rally star the chance to spend more time in New Zealand during March and April. Alongside this new opportunity to play in the Open, he’ll be joining long-time co-driver John Kennard and his Hyundai New Zealand team to contest several rounds of the 2018 New Zealand Rally Championship.
Paddon said he always loves getting out on a golf course to relax and unwind in a different form of competition.
“The New Zealand Open is set amongst the most beautiful courses and scenery in the world,” he said. “It’s an honour to be a part of it and to play these courses.”
Paddon started playing golf as a young boy.
“My grandad was a greenkeeper at a golf course in Geraldine when I was young, and he always took me out golfing with him. That’s where the love for the sport started and through my high school years, I would be playing two or three times a week.
“My schedule doesn’t allow me to play more than half a dozen times a year now. I always try and get in some games when in New Zealand, particularly at my new home club in Wanaka, but there’s no time for golf in Europe at present.”
Paddon will have his cousin, Matt Bowater, as his caddie. “Matt is a scratch player, so I’m sure he will give some good advice.”
Hyundai New Zealand General Manager Andy Sinclair said they are delighted Paddon is able to take part, and he will play a key role in Hyundai’s involvement in the tournament.
“We’re excited to be part of New Zealand’s premier golf event and having Hayden available to represent Hyundai New Zealand is fantastic. I’m sure his skill behind the wheel will translate to the fairway.”
The unique format of the New Zealand Open will see 144 professionals compete for the $1.2 million prize purse. For the first two rounds, they will be accompanied by144 amateurs, forming teams of two playing 18 holes at each of Millbrook Resort and The Hills.
After the second round there is a cut for the leading 30 amateurs, who will join the top 60 professionals (plus ties) for the final two rounds at Millbrook Resort. The remainder of the amateur field will contest a separate one-day event at nearby Jacks Point.
Organisers will announce other celebrities over the next two weeks.
Source :Stuff.co.nz
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