Week 4 Approach Shots: New Zealand Open

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HOME COOKING: Host New Zealand enjoyed a sweep of the top-three places in last week's HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship. Steven Alker won the event, with Josh Geary and David Smail sharing second place.

Alker played the Nationwide Tour in 2002 and 2004-2006, winning the Louisiana Open in 2002. In 2007 and 2008 he played on the European Tour and the European Challenge Tour, respectively. He has homes in London, England, and the Phoenix, Ariz., area.

Quick Facts

WHAT: Fourth of 29 Nationwide Tour events WHEN: March 12-15 WHERE: Queenstown, New Zealand COURSE: The Hills Golf Club WHAT'S AT STAKE: $600,000 purse ($108,000 for winner) KEY LINKS: Tee times | Leaderboard | Tournament page | "THE 25"

With his wife in London, Alker indicated after his victory he was leaning toward taking advantage of the full status on the Nationwide Tour he earned for 2009 and 2010 but "the plans are a bit up in the air at this point."

SIM RETURNS: In 2005 Michael Sim was the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world. In 2006 he was a winner on the Nationwide Tour. In 2007 he played on the PGA TOUR only to have his career derailed by a stress fracture in his spine.

Now, after a few frustrating years, he appears to be healthy again and back on track. In his first four starts of 2009 he has tied for 23rd (at the Nationwide Tour's Panama Digicel Championship), tied for seventh at the Johnnie Walker Classic (PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour co-sanctioned event), was third (Nationwide Tour's Moonah Classic) and tied for fourth (Nationwide Tour's HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship).

The 24-year-old was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and has lived in Australia since he was a child.

A FAMOUS FACE: World Golf Hall of Fame member Bob Charles, the first lefthander to win a major championship (the 1963 British Open), is playing in this week's Michael Hill New Zealand Open.

A four-time winner of the event, the Kiwi native last competed in his home country's open in 2007 when it was played at The Hills. He tied for 23rd. He twice shot his age in that championship and became the oldest player in history to make the cut in a PGA Tour of Australasia event.

Charles has played in only one other Nationwide Tour event, the 2002 Holden Clearwater Classic in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he missed the cut. On Saturday of tournament week, (March 14), Charles turns 73.

Weather forecast for Michael Hill New Zealand Open

THURSDAY, Rd. 1 FRIDAY, Rd. 2 SATURDAY, Rd. 3 SUNDAY, Rd. 4 Showers Temp: 59 high/49 low Cloudy Temp: 62 high/38 low Mostly sunny Temp: 72 high/38 low Partly cloudy Temp: 70 high/45 low

DTN/Meteorlogix is the official weather provider of the PGA TOUR. For more information, click here

Michael Hill New Zealand Open snippets

Oldie but newbie: The Nationwide Tour remains in New Zealand this week for the first of four new events on the schedule for 2009. While it is a new event on the Nationwide Tour schedule, the Michael Hill New Zealand Open is hardly a newcomer. It was first contested in 1907. Down Under adventures: Joseph Sykora, a rookie on the Nationwide Tour, has been blogging for PGATOUR.COM about his three-week trip to Australia and New Zealand. He discusses his recent experiences. Read Sykora's blog Volunteer of the Year: Even after losing his wife to cancer, Gary Eastburn of the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft continued to dedicate himself to the tournament. Read Eastburn's story