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It is a case of the wanderer returns as Swedish golfer Daniel Chopra quenches his thirst for travel at the New Zealand Open which tees off today.
Chopra is something of a misfit on golf's world stage in that he genuinely loves to be on the move and does not require the guarantee of an appearance fee to get the passport out of his pocket.
He is one of the class acts of the 90th Open - the first to be staged on jeweller Michael Hill's 6610m private course on the outskirts of Arrowtown - coming off his best year in the United States and fresh from losing a four-hole playoff to Australian Aaron Baddeley at the Australian Masters in Melbourne on Sunday.
At 119th in the world, he is also the highest-ranked player in a field featuring four rated among the top 200, the others Australian veteran Peter O'Malley at 141, New Zealander Michael Campbell 155 and Englishman Robert Dinwiddie 189.
Chopra, 33, is rather bemused to learn others have anointed him as the Open favourite, saying that alone is a unique experience and one he does not agree with.
"I don't see myself as the favourite," he said yesterday after firing a four-under-par 68 in hot, still conditions in the pre-championship pro-am. "I don't think that even Tiger [Woods] would publicly admit he was the favourite in a tournament.
"You might be playing well but there are a lot of young kids playing this week that not too many people have heard of. That doesn't mean they can't play. I learned that someone [Wellington amateur Peter Spearman-Burn] shot 62 in the Monday qualifier.
"There is plenty of talent out there," said Chopra. "You only need one round like that and a couple of solid rounds around that 62 and you win."
The $1.5 million New Zealand Open marks Chopra's 37th and final outing for the year, which most players would consider a heavy schedule.
But Chopra - paired in the opening round this morning with New Zealand's Phil Tataurangi and Australian Craig Parry, the 2002 New Zealand Open champion - said it was not too onerous.
He is not one to bang balls on the range until his hands are raw and the motivation to compete spurs him on to stay active.
"I play a lot of tournaments because I love to compete. I love playing golf competitively," said Chopra. "Sitting at home watching it on TV just frustrates me, I want to be out there amongst it."
Chopra, who tied for 12th in last year's New Zealand Open at Gulf Harbour, considers The Hills has the making of a wonderful layout, but cautions that the greens - so new they have yet to fully compact - require close monitoring.
"As long as we can keep the greens soft I think they will be very playable. They're still a bit borderline in being too firm," said Chopra, who finished 48th on the PGA Tour money-list in the US with income of US$1.75 million this year.
"The fairways are good but the greens are a little too bouncy for where the tour wants to put the pins. If they get a little water on them in those areas to soften them up I think we'll have a fantastic layout."
Chopra won his 12th career title, and his first on the PGA Tour, in the Ginn sur Mer Classic at Tesoro, Florida, last month, form he carried to Melbourne and hopes will last him another four days.
Naturally an aggressive type, he said The Hills suited him off the tee because he felt extra length would be important.
"I think you have to be aggressive off the tee to get it as far down there as you can in order to get some control on to the greens."
The 156-strong field is dominated by Australians, who fill 86 places, while the European uptake is particularly light at 32. That has left more places for New Zealanders, who number 33, including 10 amateurs.
The championship's co-sanctioning status between the Australasian and European tours will be discussed by officials this week in light of the modest line-up of continental players, although it is not expected to change.
Just half the European allocation has been filled, and of the number here, about one-quarter come from the second tier Challenge Tour, highlighting those difficulties.
- NZPA
