Michael Hendry

Runner-up to Taichi Kho at March’s World City Championship in Hong Kong, where four Hoylake spots were up for grabs as part of The Open Qualifying Series.

Last played in the Championship in 2018 and had fallen to outside the world’s top 750 from a high of 110th when he won the Vic Open by four strokes on his home Australasian Tour in February.

Hendry's Open debut came at the age of 37 in 2017 thanks to a second-place finish at the Japan Golf Tour’s GateWay to The Open Mizuno Open. That came two months after he won the ISPS Handa New Zealand Open at the first hole of a play-off with Ben Campbell and Brad Kennedy.

He was the first home winner of the title in 14 years. ”This is for me, other than winning a major, the biggest tournament that I can win,” he said.

The Aucklander already had two New Zealand PGA victories to his name and this after giving up a promising cricket career which had seen him represent New Zealand at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

He has since represented his country at the golf World Cup in 2011 and 2013 and won in Japan at the 2015 Token Homemate Cup.