Green leads Brown at NZ Amateur after 18 holes
IN: News | New Zealand Mens Amateur | New Zealand Amateur Championship (2006) | Grand Final | 09 Apr 2006
Wellington's Andrew Green (Shandon) led fancied Australian Mitchell Brown (Monash Country), 1 up, after the first 18 holes of the New Zealand match-play 36-hole golf final at the Coringa Country Club in Christchurch today.
Brown is trying to become the first player to win back-to-back New Zealand amateur titles since Terry Pulman in 1976 and 1977 and earlier this month he finished runner-up in the Australian match-play championship.
But Green, who had not made the top 32 cut in five previous appearances at the New Zealand amateur, was not overawed by the reputation of his opponent from New South Wales, even though Brown birdied two of the first three holes to be 2 up.
Green had fought back to square at the turn with both players being three-under for the nine holes and after they halved 10, 11 and 12, Green hit the front for the first time with a 5m birdie putt on the par-3 13th.
At 14, Green slotted a two metre birdie putt to be six-under par and 2 up, but he played 15 poorly and lost that hole before halving 16 in pars. At 17, Brown chipped weakly and missed a 2.5 metre putt to put Green 2 up, but the Australian won the last hole with a par. He nailed a 3.5 metre putt while Green misread his par attempt from just under two metres.
Source - NZGA
