Golf: Chadwick's drive difference

Kate Chadwick shows her class. Photo / Paul Taylor

Age isn't always an issue in amateur golf but physique, especially if the player is a long hitter and deadly accurate, can be the difference between winning and losing.

Veteran Jill Morgan, of Te Awamutu, discovered that yesterday when Kate Chadwick, of Napier Golf Club, beat her 4 and 3 in the final of the the Sacred Hill Gunn Estate-sponsored 2016 Women's Open at the Maraenui Golf Club.

"She was just too solid. She hits such a good ball, just beautiful and she's Hawke's Bay No 1," said Morgan, who won the title several years ago, suspecting she beat yesterday's defending champion Kathy Olsen in that final.

It was the Chadwick's third matchplay Open crown with the last one in 2014.

Morgan, who won the Mid Amateur crown at Mangawhai the previous Sunday, said her raw strength and control were pivotal in the big hauls.

"On a par 5 it does they are putting for eagles and while I might be putting for birds [birdies] so, yeah, that's golf but they still have to hit the greens."

The 23-year-old felt it was a tough field, especially the top eight who provided the ideal workout before the Hastings Open this weekend as another entre to the New Zealand Open in Christchurch on February 12-14 with World No 1 Lydia Ko the headline act.

"I've got this one under the belt and in Hastings, hopefully, I'll play well there as well to give me the head space to go to Christchurch .., " Chadwick said of the 54-hole strokeplay at Bridge Pa.

For her it is a case of taking oodles of confidence, albeit from matchplay, because she is striking the ball crisply so fingers crossed it won't desert her for another month.

"Hopefully it won't be as hot but you can't complain because you'd be complaining if it was raining as well," she said with a laugh, struggling to recall ever having played in such intense heat but grateful for the sea breeze.

Chadwick, who beat Jaimee McIvor 3 and 2 in the semis, hasn't been playing much golf, bar going out for hits with her parents for 36 holes on weekends, but she was banking on upping the tempo after her demanding nursing shifts.

"I was a bit nervous coming into it because Jill was playing really well leading up to this so it was good to get one over her because she's an old Bay girl as well," Chadwick said of Jill, a former Bay rep, who beat Sara Deam (Napier) 1 up on the last hole in her semi.

The pair were neck and neck but Chadwick made her move at the turn of the second nine, going one up before opening the margin with a bit more heat.

Morgan, who has been flirting with the scratchie mark, wasn't under any illusions about bringing her A game yesterday and hoping Chadwick was off her's a little but to no avail.

"I played within myself. You know I sort of tried a little hard in the middle patch and she got ahead of me. I managed to pull back a couple but it wasn't enough."

She is in the organising committee of the Waipa Classic this weekend so won't be able to make the Hastings Open but she compete at the NZ Open.