It might be something of an exaggeration to say Rory McIlroy is suddenly feasting on the rewards, records and remuneration (a mere US$4.5 million) that come from winning The Masters. However, 15 consecutive years of failure to win at Augusta hasn’t all been in vain. It was obvious last year and again this year that McIlroy has acquired a vast reservoir of what to do and what not to do around this devilishly testing course. No-one in the field of his generation has as much innate knowledge of this unique course. Yes, it’s an age-old sporting cliché that you can learn much from your failures. Rory’s two final rounds were the clearest example I can think of where a golfer has leaned on his past experiences to finally climb to the top. After leading the field by 6 shots at the halfway stage Rory, 22 holes later, had given back all those 6 shots to the field, then when he missed a 3-foot putt on his way to a double bogey, his hopes now for a second straight green jacket looked to have died on the glassy greens of Augusta this day. Another bogey 2 holes later seemed to confirm that Rory was in the throes of letting slip another Masters. Past adversity told him, unfortunate though these two lapses were, 14 under would probably win this thing. That meant no more bogeys and 5 birdies had to be found over those final 12 holes. His mind this time was clear and his thought process logical. The results were immediate - birdies on the next two holes meant he was back on the horse. He was looking more like the Rory of Thursday and Friday. Then came the pivotal moment on the par 3 12th . He pulled a pitching wedge out of his bag and sent his ball sailing high and serenely over Rae’s Creek and landed it 6 or 7 feet from the hole. Fate and momentum combined sweetly as he poured the putt into the hole. From that moment on you sensed nobody now would stop the Irishman. He stood on the 18th tee soon after with a 2-shot lead, grabbed his 3-wood and, as he sensed the title was surely his now, lashed out at his ball, opening wide the club face which sent the ball arcing right into the thick stand of trees halfway up the 18th fairway. Fate had dealt him one final fortunate twist. He had a shot, even though another crop of tall trees obscured his view of the green. It didn’t matter. He ripped a short iron over the trees and into a greenside bunker. That was just fine. He duly popped the ball onto the green, took his two putts and became only the 4th player to win back- to-back Masters titles. The other three? Jack Nicklaus of course, Tiger Woods of course and the incomparable Sir Nic Faldo. While Rory was making more history, Scottie Scheffler reminded us all why he is still the Number One ranked golfer. He trailed McIlroy by 13 shots after 36 holes, but finished the tournament just 1 shot adrift of the winner. Scheffler became the first player in the 91-year history of The Masters to play the final 2 rounds without a bogey. He rightly, I guess, remains Number One and Rory stays at Number Two. The former, the world’s best golfer, the latter the most loved. Golf is very fortunate to have these two superstars leading the way. Sadly, the lingering side effects of kidney stone extractions conspired against Ryan Fox who went into this important golfing week with only two competitive rounds to his name in the month prior. To his credit, Ryan’s staunch determined mannerisms nearly got him into the weekend. He missed a 3-foot putt on the 34th hole and so missed the cut by 1 shot.

The golf calendar’s most awaited week has arrived. The Masters. As Ryan Fox, no longer a Masters rookie, observed a few days ago, “It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve played Augusta, every time you enter through the gates and take the drive up Magnolia Lane to the clubhouse, it’s a goose bump experience”. Ryan, unfortunately, could hardly have been more ill-prepared, after being laid low a month ago with kidney stones. Since then he’s only played two rounds of competitive golf. He is now thankfully an experienced world-class golfer and won’t be making excuses for this severely limited game time he’s had since the beginning of March. He’ll be relying on his bulldog spirit and fierce determination to get him through what will be a tough week for him. Just making the cut will be an achievement in itself. Due to the limited size of the field, usually around 90 to 95, the cut is made at 50. In other words, only the top 50 progress to play the final two rounds and that will be Foxy’s first aim. Again, in another piece of bad luck for Foxy, the 10-shot rule was removed a decade or so back. Under this rule, all players who were within 10 shots of the lead, regardless of their position, qualified for the last two rounds. So who is likely to win? Scottie Scheffler, the world’s Number One despite an indifferent year to date by his standards, or Rory McIlroy, the defending champion with 44 wins worldwide to his name? An elite American golf betting handicapper, Brady Kannon, who’s called eight Major winners since 2013 and whose most recent success came just a couple of weeks ago when he correctly predicted Matt Fitzpatrick paying 15-1 to win the Valspar Championship, is only revealing his choices to those who sign up to his betting website. However among popular betting sites, favouritism is fairly evenly shared between Scheffler, McIlroy and two LIV golfers, John Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau has acquired the knack, over the last couple of years, of peaking in the Majors. So he’s my bet. I’ll be surprised if he’s not in the hunt when it comes to the back nine on the last day. Augusta’s back nine is very gettable. There are 2 par 5’s reachable in 2 and 2 magnificent par 3’s which can be birdied as well. If you can get on a tear at the start of the last nine you can shoot up to near the top of the leaderboard very quickly. It’s part of the enduring and addictive charm of The Masters. Missing from the field this year are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson who have won 8 Green jackets between them. If you’re picking a non-American winner that might be a savvy bet. There are 46 foreign golfers in the field this year out of a field of 94. Meanwhile in Las Vegas, Lydio Ko missed out on yet another top 10 finish by 1 stroke when she tied for 11th place at the Aramco Championship, but overall she continued her good consistent form in 2026. It was however a bit of a rough ride for Lydia who opened with rounds of 75 and 76, seeing her just make the cut and in a tie for 59th place after 2 rounds. Then the next day Lydia, as she is prone to do, went out and shot a 68 to record the lowest round of the day and jump 44 places up the leaderboard.

Shooting a score of 60 in any tournament, be it as an amateur or a top professional, is a moment of unalloyed joy which very few golfers experience at any time in their career. Yet both New Zealand’s top two golfers, Ryan Fox and Lydia Ko, have joined this elite club this year. Ryan Fox, playing in a charity event prior to starting his 2026 overseas playing schedule, wheeled out a 10-under par 60 on the Akarana Golf course in Auckland, setting a new course record that will now require a piece of golfing history to lower. Then Lydia turned up last week, showing us all that anything Foxy can do, she can match. Playing in the Ford Championship in Arizona, Lydia blasted a 12-under par opening round of 60 - 12 birdies and 6 pars. Off the top of my head, I can’t recall another round of golf at this level in either the men’s or women’s game which contained 12 birdies. Amazing. Now while Lydia wasn’t able to get close to that 60 in any of her final three rounds, H-J Kim, second to Lydia after her first round, then went out and carded yet another 61 in her third round. Again I can’t remember any golfer in a PGA Tour event at this level with 2 61’s on their card in the same tournament. With absolutely no disrespect to either Lydia or H-J, this was by no means the toughest course these women will encounter this year. A further indication of how easy this course was playing can be seen by the fact that not one player who finished in the top ten shot over par. Every round of those top ten was under par. I think if I were living in Arizona I’d be beating a path as quickly as possible to that club to get a membership. H-J Kim, not surprisingly, went on to win the tournament, finishing with a four-round score of 260, 28 under par. Lydia, with final rounds of 71, 69 and 68, finished 4 th , picking up a cheque of around NZ$170,000. Interestingly, Lydia with that 60 recorded her lowest-ever round in professional golf and it tied as the second lowest in the history of the LPGA Tour. Her career earnings now top US$21 million, leaving her just US$1 million shy of Annika Sorenstam’s record for the most money won by a woman in professional golf. Unfortunately the news from our elite men over the weekend was nowhere near as bright. Ryan Fox, in his first outing back since being sidelined with kidney stones, failed to make the cut at the Texas Open and now has just one more tournament left before The Masters starts at Augusta on 9 April. And Kazuma Kabori, the very personification of consistency on the DP World Tour from week to week, was again initially showing this strength of his game in the Indian Open with rounds of 71, 71, and 70, all under par through 54 holes, then one disaster after another befell the young Kiwi on Day 4. His troubles started on the 2nd hole with a bogey, followed by a double on the very next hole, then a double catastrophe on 8 and 9 - a double bogey followed by a triple bogey 7 on the 9th for an outward 9 of 44, 8 over the card. Kazuma managed to stem the bleeding on the back nine, playing the first even holes in even par, only to stumble badly on the two closing holes - a double bogey 6 on 17 followed by another double bogey on the par 5 18th . So out it in 44 and home in 40 for a 12- over par 84 which left him in a tie for 50th place. Did he sustain some sort of injury early in his round which caused this unusual slump? Nothing has emerged at the time of writing to suggest anything was wrong with him physically. However his driving, such a strength of his game, was well off on Day 4. He hit only 50% of fairways well, below his usual 70–80%. As a result he only hit 27% of greens in regulation. Clearly something was not right. Did he just have a mental meltdown after things started to go wrong? We may get a clearer picture later this week. If he doesn’t start this week, we can assume he is probably carrying some sort of injury.

Visit Us At Our Driving Range, And Pro Golf Shop, Plus Get Golf Club Repairs, Fittings and Coaching at JK's World Of Golf, Auckland. Email us info@jksworldofgolf.co.nz or Call 0800 557 6853. ABOUT Welcome to JK's World of Golf! Discover affordable fun for the entire family or group at our golf shop and driving range. We offer quality products at reasonable prices, with honest advice from our knowledgeable staff. Enjoy a healthy pastime with us, where everyone is welcome to improve their game and enjoy the sport. Visit us today for a fantastic golfing experience! SHOP DRIVING RANGE

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Golf Driving Range, Auckland Airport, South Auckland. Whether it's to improve your game, give golf a go or have some fun, JK's Driving range is the place for you! We are open 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year including ALL public holidays. UNLEASH YOUR GOLFING POTENTIAL! CONTACT US PRICING GET YOUR SWING ON! OPEN 24 HOURS, 7 DAYS A WEEK INCLUDING ALL PUBLIC HOLIDAYS Looking to improve your game, try golf for the first time, or simply have some fun? JK's Driving Range is the perfect destination for you! We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including all public holidays. No bookings are required for groups of less than 10 people. JK's Driving Range is an ideal spot for a variety of gatherings, including stag and hen parties, corporate events, family outings, friends get-togethers, church groups, school trips, holiday programs, special needs groups, sports teams, and youth groups. Conveniently located near Auckland Airport at 10 Nixon Rd, Auckland Airport, we look forward to seeing you soon! Visit us and experience the best golfing fun any time of the year! TAKE A LOOK WHY VISIT JK'S? Over 40 Sheltered Bays - Practice your swing comfortably in any weather New Zealand’s Only 24-Hour Driving Range - Golf anytime, day or night 270m Long Field - Enjoy using standard golf course balls without distance restrictions Outdoor Synthetic Chipping and Putting Green - Sharpen your short game with our purpose-built facilities Top-Notch Pro Shop - Find all the top brands at competitive prices in one of the best-stocked golf shops in the country No bookings required - Just drop by, unless you have a group of 10 or more Experience the best golfing environment at JK's Driving Range, open 24/7 for your convenience! Please note there is strictly No Alcohol Permitted. Anyone found with alcohol may be refused entry and/or removed from the premises. No refunds will be given. ITEM PRICE Early bird special* Full bucket (approx 100 balls) Monday - Friday 7am - 11am *Not including public holidays $12 Full bucket (approx 100 balls) $16 Half bucket (approx 50 balls) $10 Adult club hire - Drivers $3 Adult club hire - All other clubs FREE Kids club hire - All clubs FREE PRICING ITEM PRICE Early bird special* Full bucket (approx 100 balls) Monday - Friday 7am - 11am *Not including public holidays $12 Full bucket (approx 100 balls) $16 Half bucket (approx 50 balls) $10 Adult club hire - Drivers $3 Adult club hire - All other clubs FREE Kids club hire - All clubs FREE PRICING GROUP BOOKINGS We cater for groups such as seniors, special needs, corporates, social clubs, schools, holiday programmes, youth groups, church groups and sports teams. For group bookings it is advised to book or let us know that you are coming in so that we can ensure you have the right amount of space for your group. We provide an affordable, spacious, casual, relaxed environment - so what are you waiting for, get in touch with us to let us know you are coming - we may be able to offer you a discount if you're lucky! Unfortunately during our busiest times, due to the nature of the range, we are unable to take bookings. We do apologise for any inconvenience. CONTACT DRIVING RANGE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL* MONDAY - FRIDAY 7AM - 11AM FULL BUCKET $12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Will I get wet if it is raining? No, we have over 30 covered bays. Can I drink alcohol or bring in alcohol? No - there is strictly No Alcohol Permitted. Anyone found with alcohol may be refused entry and/or removed from the premises. No refunds will be given. Do I need to book? Bookings are only necessary for groups of 10 or more people and also for club fittings. Can I bring my own clubs? Yes you certainly can. We do have drivers to hire for $3 and all other clubs are free including kids clubs. Can kids do it? What is the minimum age? We are open to all and any age groups, although adults must be responsible for young children and supervision is required at all times. How long does a bucket last typically? Children tend to go through a basket fairly fast, but adults can draw it out, it all depends on the person and how they like to play. Is smoking permitted? If no, where can we smoke? The driving range is considered an open area so smoking, while discouraged, is permitted. How many people can fit in a bay? There is a limit of one person in a bay at a time, for safety reasons. There is a bench behind the bay where people can wait for their turn and watch their friends and family. Are spectators allowed to come in? Spectators are welcome and there is no charge. Is there a time limit on how long we are there for? You can hit your balls as fast or slow as you like. We do ask that you are considerate to others and that if you see people waiting try not to delay too much. Are you open on public holidays? Yes. We are open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Do you sell drinks and food? We have some drinks and confectionery. Can I book out a certain amount of bays? Yes, but we only take private bookings for large groups. Can someone help me and show me how to do it? There are coaches that we can put you in touch with. However, the majority of people who come through have never picked up a golf club before and manage just fine. You may be able to get some tips from staff at the counter if they are not too busy. Can I book the whole venue or part of the venue out for a function or work event? Potentially, please email us at info@jksworldofgolf.co.nz with your request. What if I don’t use all of my balls, do I get a refund? We do not offer refunds on driving range purchases. How do I know which club to use? The majority of our clubs are standard length. We provide irons free of charge or drivers for $3. Irons are generally used for shorter, more accurate shots, while drivers are designed for distance. With irons, the higher the number (and any letters) on the iron, the higher, and shorter the ball will go. So if you are looking for distance you want a driver or an iron with a low number on it. What is the short game area? We have an artificial green. This is designed for golfers to practice their pitching and putting on free of charge, all they need to do is bring their own equipment. Do you have golf coaching? Yes we have coaching professionals that operate out of here. They come in to JK's World of Golf regularly. They don't work for us but we can put you in touch with them. At night are there lights on the field so I can see where my ball goes? Yes, once the natural light starts to drop we turn on some floodlights to illuminate the range. If they are not already on, and you are having trouble seeing your balls, just let the staff member know and they can turn them on for you. FAQ FAQ