Aussies in contention at NZ Amateur
IN: News | New Zealand Mens Amateur | New Zealand Amateur Championship (2007) | by Bruce Young : iseekgolf.com | 16 Apr 2007
Canterbury’s latest international, Andrew Searle, from the Russley Golf Club, fired a six-under par 66 in the first round of the New Zealand 72-hole stroke-play championship at the Hamilton Golf Club to hold a one-shot lead over Australian Jamie Arnold.
Two off the pace after a four-under 68 were Australian match-play champion, Rohan Blizard, 17-year-old Bay of Plenty amateur Andrew Stewart, and North Island stroke-play champion Nick Gillespie.
Searle was a member of the four-man national team which won the Sloan Morpeth Cup against Australia at Royal Canberra recently. He wasted little time in showing his class at St Andrews, carding six successive birdies from the third to the eighth holes.
At the third, fourth, and sixth holes he sank long putts, while he hit it close to the flag at fifth and seventh and at the eighth he drove the green at the 270m par-4 hole and two-putted for his sixth birdie.
On the homeward half he had nine straight pars, several times seeing birdie putts caress the cup but also making some fine par saves after a few wayward shots found either the rough or a bunker.
Searle said the course was in fine shape and while rewarding good shot-making it penalised the poor shot.
Arnold, from the Cronulla club in New South Wales, did remarkably well after playing the course “blind”. Unlike his Australian teammates, he did not play the foursomes on Monday, but he made the right start, an eagle on his opening hole, the par-5 10th, and he had four further birdies with his only bogey at the 12th.
Gillespie, 18, from the Hastings club, had five birdies and one
bogey, saying he played solidly and much better than in the
foursomes. Even then he felt he left some putts on the
course.
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 (Western Bay) turned in one-under 36 and came home in three-under 32 with six birdies and two bogeys to go with 10 pars.
Three of New Zealand’s leading amateurs, Troy Ropiha, James Gill, and Danny Lee all remained in contention on one-under 73.s
The second round will be played tomorrow after which the top 72 players and ties will qualify for the final 36 holes on Wednesday and Thursday.
Source – NZGA
