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In-form Swedish golfer Daniel Chopra says the opportunity to win a national open helped bring him to New Zealand this year.
Chopra is in Gulf Harbour, north of Auckland, to contest the New Zealand Open for at least the third time and arrives after his best year yet on the United States PGA tour.
Despite being a European Tour-sanctioned event, the New Zealand Open has not attracted many top European players but Chopra says the fact that it is a national title helped bring him here.
"National open titles in my book carry a lot of weight and that's part of the reason I came over here to play," Chopra said.
"Had it just been a media corporate event I may not have played but the New Zealand Open is a national title. It always carries a lot of prestige.
"If it was whatever corporate open, nobody in the country really gets behind it. But every New Zealand golfer knows who the national open winner is."
Chopra said he enjoyed playing all around the world and was a staunch supporter of the Australasian golf tour.
"I consider myself as a global player. I've played pretty much every tour in the world, and for me it's great to come back and meet people," he said.
"I've listened to the veterans on the Australian tour and I think it's such a great tour and it needs support from its players," he said.
"You've got some of the best golf courses in the world and some of the best fields in the world. Considering the size of the purses in comparison to what they are in Europe and America you probably get the best fields anywhere in the world for the money that we play for."
Chopra's good season saw him finish 54th on the money list, his best finish being a second placing to Troy Matteson in the Frys.com Open.
"I lost by one stroke and had a 20 foot putt to take it to a playoff," Chopra says.
"But I'd eagled the 16th and birdied the 17th before that. Being in contention for that is an addictive feeling.
"The best thing about the season however is that on at least 10 occasions I was in contention to win a tournament."
Chopra said he was looking forward to the likely challenge of a windy tournament.
"It's most testing on a golfer's short game. Good golfers can keep the ball low and draw and fade it but those five to six foot putts in the wind is when it gets really tricky."
- NZPA
