DP World Tour rookie Sam Jones is returning to New Zealand to test himself in one of the country’s premier golf championships and rediscover his electric form that earned him a card on Europe’s main tour.
The 27-year-old headlines the Wallace Developments NZPGA Championship at Hastings Golf Club this week, returning home for two weeks to reset, catch up with friends and family, and test himself on a great golf course before returning to the DP World Tour at the Porsche Singapore Classic on March 21.
He headlines a stellar field for the PGA of New Zealand’s marquee event, which includes former champions Michael Hendry and Kazuma Kobori, last week’s Bledisloe Cup winner and Hawke’s Bay local Zack Swanwick, and New Zealand Open contender Josh Geary.
The Taranaki professional says the chance to get some competitive golf under his belt while he’s home was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
“I didn’t get into this week’s DP World Tour event in South Africa, so I had a couple of weeks free. I really wanted to come home, reset, and get some quality work in. I feel like my game is really close, and I wanted to play this week, so I see some good shots in tournament conditions before resuming my season in a couple of weeks.”
Jones has played in seven different countries to begin his career on the DP World Tour, playing in Australia, South Africa, Mauritius, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kenya. He’s had a mixture of results, with his best finish being an equal 25th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.
He says a good result this week will kickstart the second half of his season.
“It’s been different. I’ve travelled to plenty of countries that I haven’t been to before – I played in Kenya a couple of weeks ago, which was interesting. Having to adjust to different foods, cultures, and countries is all part of it, which is cool.
“I don’t think my game is very far away from being able to compete. Hopefully, I can perform a little better in the second half of the season.”
The Wallace Developments NZPGA Championship is a 72-hole championship where the 92 professionals will play 36-holes before the top 50 and ties progress to the weekend, where they’ll play a Pro-Am format over the weekend.
The 92-strong field includes players from Australia, England, Japan, and South Korea, and six Kiwi amateurs.
Play begins tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock off two tees.
Wallace Developments NZPGA Championship live scoring