Golf: Hendry aims to bridge gap to world-class

Mike Hendry (right) with his coach Craig Dixon. Photo / Sarah Ivey

When North Harbour professional Mike Hendry, winner of the US$1 million ($1.4 million) Indonesian Open, calls the shots, it pays to take note.

On May 16, standing alongside the 18th green after winning the Muriwai Open and a cheque for around $8000, Hendry told the Herald: "This win has given me confidence. It's all about consistency and I believe it's only a matter of time before I win a really big one."

The following week he finished fifth in the SK Telecom Open, a Korean event on the OneAsia Tour. Close but no cigar. Three weeks ago he won the Fiji Open. A significant victory but not the big one.

But last Sunday his confidence was justified when he extended a one-shot third-round lead in Jakarta into a seven-shot victory and a winning cheque of $244,724.

The Muriwai call was a bold one by the 30-year-old, who turned pro six years ago, but he has made a few in his sporting career.

In February 1999 he was playing for the New Zealand Under-19 cricket team against England in a test series. An all-rounder who opened the bowling, he had best figures of 3 for 41 and a top score of 22.

His teammates included future Black Caps Tim McIntosh, Michael Papps, James Franklin and Peter McGlashan.

But his career didn't develop the way he wanted, he lost enjoyment in playing cricket and made the big call of changing direction to golf, where he had already shown ability.

Cricketers have often shone as golfers in the amateur ranks.

England captain Ted Dexter was an accomplished university player, big-hitting Black Cap Lance Cairns played at inter-provincial tournaments after he left the wicket, Northlander Alex Tait has joined the paid ranks and Englishman James Morrison, a winner on the European tour this season, was a schoolboy cricket rep.

"I wanted to pursue a career as a professional sportsman in one code or another so I decided I'd focus on my golf a bit more from that point," said Hendry.

"From my early teens I'd played golf as a junior member of Pupuke with Josh Carmichael, who was playing at Jakarta when I won. That was special. We've known each other for a very long time."

He had two or three seasons of representative golf at senior level for North Harbour.

He played in the 2004 interprovincial tournament at Napier and the next week he and Carmichael headed across the Tasman to the Australasian Tour qualifying where they both earned their cards and turned professional.

Three years ago Hendry headed for the US where he progressed through the first stage of qualifying for the USPGA Tour but missed out by four shots at the second stage. He was having some success back home but no breakthrough.

At the end of 2008 he was in a form slump and wondering whether golf was going to be the answer to his sporting ambitions. He had married Tara at the beginning of the year and needed to make a living.

On the advice of fellow professional Dean Sipson, he went to the Institute of Golf in Albany to see Craig Dixon - the man he credits with moving his game to another level.

"It didn't happen immediately. I decided to commit myself to a period of time to make the changes. The first couple of months of 2009 were a little bit scratchy, too.

"Funnily enough, the very next weekend after I applied for a job I felt my game turn around at the Perry Aggregates Pro-am and I decided I didn't want to get a real job.

"I said to Tara that night I didn't want to give up on the dream yet. She said go for it. The very next event was the Mangawhai Pro-am and I won that and then I won the Tauranga Open."

This year has brought success both here on the Charles Tour and overseas and Hendry will head for the States again at the end of the year for another shot at the USPGA tour, his ultimate goal.

In the meantime, next up is a $100,000 pro-am in Australia - it was a big deal until last week's win - the Thai Open, and the chance to take Tara for a holiday in Vietnam.

Hendry has worked hard for his success. His prediction on his own form was a hardheaded assessment not a cocky self-promotion.

"There is so much ability in New Zealand and when you get out on the world stage in Asia with so many different countries and Australia, with some of the best golfers in the world, you see them play and you say 'I think I hit the ball better than him' or 'I've got a better short game than him'.

"You see these players who are supposed to be world-class and there's not that much of a gap to be bridged. I was getting confidence from the way I was playing but also on the way these other players were playing."

Good call by a guy who seems to make a habit of getting the big calls right.