"Bring it on," was Dasent's reaction when he saw the trophies which will be at stake in the annual tournament upon walking into the Napier clubhouse yesterday.
As talented as the 90kg, 2.02m Dasent is, he knows winning the Hawke's Bay Maori Young Golfer Award for the best nett score recorded by a male in the 18-hole event will be a challenge. Defending champion Sam Chadwick of the host club will be all out to retain the trophy while the chances of either of the Rahui-Turi brothers, Piki and Reuben of the Karamu club, can't be discounted.
"My best score at the Napier club's Waiohiki course is a one-under-par 71. My best on my home course is 68. It's a lot tougher at the narrower Napier course where placement is so important," Dasent explained.
The Hawke's Bay under-19 No1, Dasent, played No10 for the Hawke's Bay senior team at last month's Shand Cup tournament in Paraparaumu and recorded two wins and a loss.
At the recent Christchurch-hosted national under-19 event he was the only Hawke's Bay player to make the cut. In 2011 he was his club's junior A strokeplay champion. Last year he was the senior strokeplay champion and this year the senior strokeplay and matchplay champion. These achievements vindicated his decision to place golf ahead of any other sport.
"I was always too big and heavy for rugby in my younger days so it was an easy decision to make," Dasent said. "My next major goal is to make the Hawke's Bay Tower team next year and the long-term goal is to play overseas."
When he leaves school next year, he will start an apprenticeship with Paul Manaena at Laser Electrial.
"Paul has been awesome and will allow me to train and play golf while undergoing the apprenticeship. I like to train everyday if I can," the Jeremy Carlsen-coached Dasent said.
With the ideal build for golf, Dasent can hit the 280-metre mark with his favourite driver. Irons are a different story for a bloke who regards Tiger Woods as his golfing idol. "My long irons are a big work-on."
While his grandfather doesn't caddy for him as often as he used to, he is still likely to be found following him around during tournament play. "I can't keep up with Josh because his stride is so big but I will always follow him." He pointed out his grandson was never short of food on the course. After starting a tournament day with his favourite breakfast of bacon and eggs, Dasent will stock his golf bag up with sandwiches and muesli bars. He will stick to this approach when he fronts up alongside the likes of Chadwick and the Rahui-Turi brothers.
Hawke's Bay Maori Golf Committee chairman Alby Gray is expecting a capacity field around the 100 mark for the tournament. "As usual we will take entries on the day but I would advise starters to enter early to avoid missing out," Gray said.
Among the confirmed entries is New Zealand Maori Golf general manager John Cribb.
"John appreciates the history of our club and our connection with Maori Golf. We are the kainga (home) of Maori Golf. There is more than 100 years of Maori Golf history here."
As Gray gave his short history lesson, Dasent's eyes lit up. It was easy to see how keen he was to have his name become part of that history ... as he said:
"Bring it on."
