Eight years, to be precise.
That’s when Michael Hendry was crowned the 2017 New Zealand Open golf tournament winner.
But there was another player that day who was dangerously close to having his name etched on the silverware.
Queenstowner Ben Campbell.
The now 33-year-old ended up in an unbelievable three-way playoff against Hendry and Aussie Brad Kennedy — the hometown hope finished second.
A year later he started a battle with his body — injuries included a tear in one of the discs in his spine and problems with his left hip, ultimately requiring surgery and a year of rehab.
But by 2023 he was back in fine fettle and was runner-up in the Open again.
He admits coming up short has been frustrating — "I’ve had my chances" — but reckons he’s in good shape coming in to this week’s 104th Open, which starts at Millbrook Resort, his home course, today.
"For me, I always love playing here — it’s such a special time. They always get the green so good out here, and you’ve got to have a really hot week with the putter to definitely be out there.
"I’m working on that at the moment, and hopefully we’ll get a few putts to drop in.
"After coming second a couple of times now, it’d be great to try and put the name on the trophy."
While it’s amazing to see an event of the Open’s calibre at Millbrook — "there’s obviously a lot of pride there and to see how they do it and it turns out" — it also provides Campbell an opportunity to play in front of (and with) those who’ve supported him in his career to date.
Top of that list is Queenstown businessman Mike Davies — who’s playing as an amateur with Campbell this week — who’s sponsored him since about 2012.
While he’s clearly hitting his stride — in the past two years he’s won the Hong Kong Open and come runner-up and won the International Series Morocco tournament and recently got the call-up to Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC team, in the LIV Golf League — if he can bring it home on Sunday, it’ll most certainly be the stuff dreams, and fairytales, are made of.
Campbell and Davies, along with Kiwi Steve Alker and amateur Gary Wipfler, tee off on Millbrook’s Remarkables course at 8.02am today, and at 1.02pm tomorrow on the Coronet course.
