Kieran Muir -Wins Taranaki Open

Kieran Muir has blitzed the field in the final round to win The Taranaki Open by four and win his second Jennian Homes Charles Tour event.

Muir fired a sizzling eight-under 64 to finish at 14-under for the tournament at New Plymouth Golf Club. He started the final day four shots back following rounds of 68 and 70 in the wind-affected event, and knew he had to come out of the gates quickly in order to make his presence felt.

He did just that.

Muir opened with a birdie at the first and made three more at the fourth, fifth, and seventh to make the turn at three-under par after a bogey at the nineth.

Although he wasn’t watching the leaderboards all day, he started the back nine two shots back of overnight leader Daniel Hillier and knew he couldn’t take his foot off the gas.

He made back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th to tie the lead and took full control of the tournament on the 13th. He drove the green and rolled in a 20-foot eagle putt to move two shots clear; a lead he’d never relinquish.

After playing the toughest stretch of holes on the course in four-under par, he’d cap off a stellar round with a final birdie on the 18th.

He says it feels great to get his second Jennian Homes Charles Tour title under his belt.

“I knew my game was close. I just wanted to go out there and shoot the lowest score I possibly could, and I managed to do that. I’m stoked.

“Two titles sound better than one. I was starting to question whether the first one was a fluke,” Muir laughs.

His game has been trending in the right direction all year but unfortunately, he fell ill right before the three-week stretch of Jennian Homes Charles Tour events.

He says he feels a lot healthier this week, and it showed in his performance.

“I was playing really well leading up to the DVS Pegasus Open and I got a bit crook. I went missing for a couple of weeks which was poor timing. The game is feeling right where it should be,” he says.

Muir is a stalwart of the Jennian Homes Charles Tour, and getting his second win is the icing on the cake for all his hard work.

He says he couldn’t be happier.

“I’ve been a professional for 10 years now and there has been a lot of hard work that has gone into my golf.

“It’s not easy to win out here, I was talking to Dom [Barson] and we were saying it’s very hard to win these events as there are plenty of good players now. I’m just stoked to get another over the line,” Muir says.

He beat five players by four at 10-under, including Momoka Kobori who finished as the low female golfer and the leading amateur this week.

Lachie McDonald, Michael Hendry, Josh Geary, and Daniel Hillier also finished on 10-under.