Aussie Barnes (64) sets hot pace in
NZ PGA Championship
Australia's Kurt Barnes returned an eight-under-par first-round score of 64 to take the first-round lead in the New Zealand PGA Championship at Christchurch.
The big-hitting Barnes had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on the Bob Charles-designed Clearwater course. Australia's Ryan Hammond opened with a 65. Hammond birdied nine of the first 14 holes, including six in a row, but bogeyed 15 and 17.
Americans Jason Enloe and David Branshaw opened with 66s in the event sanctioned by the Australasian and Nationwide tours.
Americans Josh Teater, Major Manning, Scott Dunlap were three strokes back at 67 along with New Zealand's Gareth Paddison, Australians Alistair Presnell and Andre Stolz and Sweden's Jonas Blixt.
Presnell is coming off a victory last Sunday in the Moonah Classic at Melbourne.
Danny Lee, the New Zealand amateur star who won Johnnie Walker Classic two weeks ago but missed the cut in the Moonah Classic, opened with a 71.
The 18-year-old Lee, also the U.S. Amateur champion, plans to turn pro after the Masters. Born in South Korea, he moved to New Zealand at the age of eight with his family.
Barnes had a chance to tie the course record, but his 20-foot birdie try on the final hole slid past the cup. He rebounded after missing the cut last week in the Moonah Classic in Australia.
"I've been playing well the last few months but been running into trouble with the flat stick," Barnes said. "I changed putters after last week at Moonah, made a phone call to my old swing coach and got my short game on track.
"It was an eight-minute phone call that I probably should have made eight months ago ... He told me what he thought I needed to do to get back to the way I was putting and it certainly worked today."
Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim, who finished third in the Moonah Classic, had a one-under-par 71 but so low was the scoring in general that he will start the second round sharing 51st place.
Sim had birdies at the second, fifth, sixth, 12th and 16th but dropped shots at the eighth, 10th, 13th and 16th.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
Players from Australia unless stated
64 K Barnes.
65 R Hammond.
66 J Enloe (US), D Bradshaw (US).
67 A Presnell, J Blixt Swe), J Tester (US), M Manning (US), A Stolz, S Dunlap (US), G Paddison (NZ).
Selected score:
71 M Sim (Sco).
NZ PGA Championship
Australia's Kurt Barnes returned an eight-under-par first-round score of 64 to take the first-round lead in the New Zealand PGA Championship at Christchurch.
The big-hitting Barnes had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on the Bob Charles-designed Clearwater course. Australia's Ryan Hammond opened with a 65. Hammond birdied nine of the first 14 holes, including six in a row, but bogeyed 15 and 17.
Americans Jason Enloe and David Branshaw opened with 66s in the event sanctioned by the Australasian and Nationwide tours.
Americans Josh Teater, Major Manning, Scott Dunlap were three strokes back at 67 along with New Zealand's Gareth Paddison, Australians Alistair Presnell and Andre Stolz and Sweden's Jonas Blixt.
Presnell is coming off a victory last Sunday in the Moonah Classic at Melbourne.
Danny Lee, the New Zealand amateur star who won Johnnie Walker Classic two weeks ago but missed the cut in the Moonah Classic, opened with a 71.
The 18-year-old Lee, also the U.S. Amateur champion, plans to turn pro after the Masters. Born in South Korea, he moved to New Zealand at the age of eight with his family.
Barnes had a chance to tie the course record, but his 20-foot birdie try on the final hole slid past the cup. He rebounded after missing the cut last week in the Moonah Classic in Australia.
"I've been playing well the last few months but been running into trouble with the flat stick," Barnes said. "I changed putters after last week at Moonah, made a phone call to my old swing coach and got my short game on track.
"It was an eight-minute phone call that I probably should have made eight months ago ... He told me what he thought I needed to do to get back to the way I was putting and it certainly worked today."
Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim, who finished third in the Moonah Classic, had a one-under-par 71 but so low was the scoring in general that he will start the second round sharing 51st place.
Sim had birdies at the second, fifth, sixth, 12th and 16th but dropped shots at the eighth, 10th, 13th and 16th.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
Players from Australia unless stated
64 K Barnes.
65 R Hammond.
66 J Enloe (US), D Bradshaw (US).
67 A Presnell, J Blixt Swe), J Tester (US), M Manning (US), A Stolz, S Dunlap (US), G Paddison (NZ).
Selected score:
71 M Sim (Sco).
Labels: Pro Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Thursday, March 05, 2009
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