Nick Voke will try and join an elite group of New Zealanders who have won their National Open, when he competes in the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport this week.

A total of 20 Kiwis have claimed the title, most notably Bob Charles – the famous lefthander and arguably the nation’s greatest player who won the tournament four times – and Michael Campbell.

Voke has had several attempts since turning professional in 2018, the year he finished a career-best seventh.

This year though is perhaps his best opportunity to claim The Brodie Breeze Trophy thanks to a much-needed return to form, which saw him win the Webex Players Series Sydney last weekend on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

“It meant so much to win,” said the 30-year-old from Auckland, ahead of this week’s event which starts tomorrow at Millbrook Golf Resort, Queenstown.

Nick Voke. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

“It’s been quite the journey, the last six months. You know golf is hard. Professional golf can beat you down. It’s really difficult.”

The victory was his first success since three wins on the China PGA Tour during a standout rookie season. It also came off the back of a fine season on the Asian Tour last year, when he ended 50^th on the Merit list – helped by back-to-back joint seventh placed finishes in the Black Mountain Championship and the International Series Thailand.

Voke attended the two events, first as a player, but also as a YouTuber and as an influencer manager, as two of his clients, Luke Kwon and Taco Golf, also competed.

And it is his work in the online golfing world that he feels has helped get his game back on track.

He explained: “I was at the point of thinking about doing other things. I got a bit of a lifeline with Luke Kwon and Taco Golf. I have been playing well for about a year now. The game is in good shape. The issue is I wasn’t optimising the game I had. I was getting in my own way. Bad stuff was happening, and I wasn’t able to handle the moment.

Nick Voke. Picture by Kaikungwon Duanjumroon/Asian Tour.

“If you ask me what’s changed. I am playing closer to my potential more often because of a change in my mindset. I kind of attribute that to some of the YouTube stuff. I have never played poorly when I played with the guys.”

In essence, his return to the winners’ circle has been the result of not trying so hard.

“It is crazy. The less pressure you put on playing well, the less wanting to win you have, the less you try to be perfect – the better things are,” he said.

“It’s almost like my chances are better by not trying too much. By not trying to be perfect. Not trying to be someone I am not.”

He tees-off at 12.47am tomorrow on the Remarkables Course with American Berry Henson, plus their amateur partners – as since 2014 the tournament has featured a popular Pro-Am format.

Michael Hendry was the most recent New Zealander to raise the trophy back in 2017, after beating compatriot Ben Campbell and Australian Brad Kennedy in a play-off, and the trending Voke will be looking to make it another week for the country to remember.

“If I play for the next six months like I have for the last six months I am going to be in contention again,” he said.

“By keeping going on the same path I have been on, there’s nothing to say I can’t get a few more trophies.”