Nathan Green takes out NZ Open title
IN: News | Australasian PGA | New Zealand Open (2006) | Wrap | 03 Dec 2006
Nathan Green Interview
*Audio by Bruce Young
A three-hour nervous wait for New South Welshman Nathan Green had its reward when he won the Blue Chip New Zealand Open golf championship at Gulf Harbour by two strokes from a group of six.
Green, 31, finished three hours before the last pair completed their rounds on another day where the strong, gusting wind blew away the hopes of the 38 players who teed off after him in the final round.
Green did not initially believe his brilliant six-under 65 for a 72-hole total of five-under 279 was stand the test, but the wind had the final say and the next best, on thee-under par 281 were New Zealand's number one golfer, Michael Campbell, Englishman Nick Dougherty, who had partnered Green in the last round, and Australians Wade Ormsby, Jarrod Moseley, Brett Rumford and Marcus Fraser.
Three shots from the winner and tied for eighths were Australians, Scott Strange, Greg Chalmers and Peter O'Malley and Englishman Simon Wakefield and the next best of the New Zealanders, left-handed Tim Wilkinson and Michael Long who were on one-under along with Sweden's Daniel Chopra, the Irish pair, Peter Lawrie and Daniel McGrane, and Australia's Kim Felton, who had shared the overnight lead with Fraser and Englishman Graeme Storm.
Fraser was the only player to reach seven-under, that at the 59th hole, but he had just one birdie after that and five bogeys.
Green, who had a highly successful rookie year on the United States PGA tour, intended to catch a shuttle to Auckland airport mid-afternoon, but he decided to wait around even though he felt one or two players would finish at least two strokes better than his total.
The stay was financially rewarding with Green, who won US$1.7 million in the United States after making 24 cuts in 30 starts and finishing runner-up in the Buick Invitational, as he pocketed the top purse of $270,000 from the $1.5 million on offer in the New Zealand event.
"It was tough watching the guys coming in and seeing Michael Campbell and Marcus Fraser have great birdie chances on the par-5 17th. You don't wish bad on your fellow rivals but my heart was in my mouth with every putt."
Green admitted that it was an advantage being off earlier and posting a score - he had seven birdies and just one bogey - as he knew the sapping wind would continue and the greens would harden and become bouncy.
After turning professional seven years ago, Green started to have doubts whether he would ever win a significant open.
"I always struggled with my confidence and beat up on myself, not giving myself a chance. But for the last two years I've been to a sports psychologist and we've bounced off ideas and I've worked hard."
"I've played well and it's a rarity to have such a good first year on the US tour," said Green who will head to Coolum tomorrow morning to join wife Michelle who expected her husband to join her in Brisbane tonight. He felt he had a reasonable excuse for being a day late.
Campbell tried his hardest to win his second New Zealand Open and said he was obviously disappointed to have come up short.
"It wasn't meant to be," said Campbell. "I kept hitting it close but the putts would not drop like at 16, 17, and 18. Some days they do, some days they don't.
"Perhaps I wanted it (championship) too badly and tried too hard. But it was very tough out there and it wears you down, but I'm proud I hung in there and the support I've had in the last four days has been phenomenal."
Source - NZGA
Photo - Photosport
