For the third time, in almost as many weeks, Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier would have been satisfied to see his name at the top of the leaderboard

As the golfing year winds down, our leading Kiwi golfers have, for the most part, become flightless. Ryan Fox, after a successful and congested year of golf and travel, is kicking back and taking in a bit of fishing on his boat, somewhere in the Hauraki Gulf. He’ll be back to work, however, when he crosses the Tasman later this month to play the Australian Open, once considered the game’s “5 th “ major, an event dominated for years by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer

For some of us, particularly those of a senior age, who play and follow this dear old game, it’s easy to   lament, as I do, the lack of match play at the professional level. Yes, the amateur game is steeped in match plays, but alas, as soon as you join the professional ranks, it becomes a bit of a historic relic. Yet oddly enough, often the most riveting of professional competitions are those all too rare match play events. Take 2025 for example, what has been the best and mo