Blizard off to solid start at NZ Amateur
IN: News | New Zealand Mens Amateur | New Zealand Amateur Championship (2007) | by Bruce Young : iseekgolf.com | 16 Apr 2007
Australian Amateur champion, Rohan Blizard, and Bay of Plenty junior, Andrew Stewart, shared the lead in the New Zealand 72-hole stroke-play championship with the morning field having completed their round at the Hamilton Golf Club today.
Blizard, from the New South Wales Golf Club, and Stewart, from the Western Bay club near Tauranga, both carded four-under 68 to lead a group of five players by a shot on a morning conducive to good scoring although a heavy dew decorated the greens for the first 90 minutes.
Blizard, 22, eagled his starting hole, the par-5 10th, and went three-under at the 13th. He dropped his only shot at 16 and birdies at the fifth and eighth on the front nine had him two-under for both halves.
Stewart, off the first tee, turned in one-under 36 and came home in three-under 32 with six birdies and two bogeys to go with 10 pars.
Former New Zealand under 19 champion, Peter Spearman-Burn (Miramar), carded a three-under 69 as did Australians, Grant Scott, winner of the foursomes title on Sunday, and Tom Prowse as well as Scott Wightman (Muriwai) and Sean Kells (Paraparaumu).
Spearman-Burn had an eagle two on the par-4 eighth hole to go with three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine. He was a model of consistency on the homeward half with nine pars.
Scott, 28, started badly, dropping a shot at the first and second holes, but the birdie flow began soon after and he had seven in all as did Prowse, the Victorian who won the Shirley 72-hole open in Christchchurch last year.
Wightman had six birdies in his three-under round.
Defending match-play champion, Andrew Green, from the Shandon Club in Wellington, kept his qualifying chances alive with a one-over 73.
Source – NZGA
Photo – Anthony Powter
