GOLF: Holloway craves recognition

ANENDRA SINGH
The words were softly spoken, unlike those of boxing great Muhammad Ali, but the firmness with which they were said was unmistakable.
"I am the best, and I should start getting some recognition for it," No.1 Hawke's Bay golfer Doug Holloway said last night soon after winning the Olex Taranaki Open strokeplay championship in New Plymouth.
"I'm definitely playing the best golf and it shows that I'm the best (amateur) golfer in the country," says Holloway.
The Maraenui Golf Club amateur shot a sizzling 287 10-under par (69, 66, 70, 73) after the final one-over fourth round yesterday to blitz a Who's Who of professional and amateur field from around the country.
If anything, it was a further "take that" slap in the face from the New Zealand representative to the Golf New Zealand selectors for overlooking him for the first-choice Southern Cross (Asia/Pacific) New Zealand team to play in Canberra later this month.
"I'd like to thank them (NZ selectors) for letting me play in all the other teams because I wouldn't have been able to make it without the experience. However, it would have been nicer to make the top team but I suppose I'm just happy to be moving on to bigger and better things now," he said last night.
A disillusioned Holloway, who has claimed he is better than top-five ranking Mark Purser, of Waikato, has signalled his intentions to turn professional in January in a bid to secure an Asian professional tour card in Malaysia with fellow New Zealand representatives Matt Holten and Mt Maunganui's Bradley Iles.
On Saturday, the 2004 Malaysian Open amateur champion jets off with another Southern Cross New Zealand team for the biennial 24-nation Spirit International amateur team event at Whispering Pines, near Houston, Texas, in the United States. The other amateurs are Sarah Nicholson (Wellington), Sharon Ahn (North Harbour) and Richard Wright (Waikato).
But yesterday's Taranaki Open at the Ngamotu Links course shows the 21-year-old, who shares his birthday on the same day (October 11) as Hawaiian teenage sensation Michelle Wie, is also coming of age in the mental department.
The Golf Tour New Zealand event is former professional Greg Turner's initiative to pit the country's leading amateurs together with young professionals, both male and female. Holloway, and his coach and Hastings PGA professional, Brian Doyle, spent about 90 minutes on Thursday "picking Greg's (Turner) brain".
"I learned a little bit from Greg like when you're playing bad then you should try to have a break even though it's hard and you need some money," says Holloway, who had Napier Boys' High School seventh former and two-handicapper Peter Zwart caddying for him.
Doyle says Holloway carried a "supremely, nice confidence" but what impressed him was his course management. "He's getting better with age and keeping the game very nice and simple." Not having a lot going for him, the golfer from Te Pohue says on Saturday he made a couple of "stupid mental mistakes" in carding two double bogeys and a bogey but bounced back to rattle off seven birdies in the round of 70. Things looked ominous yesterday in the rain when he started slowly and four-putted on the 12th hole, moving from two in front to one behind. "I was pretty brassed off but I stayed patient. I was sort of more relieved after my four putts than anything else," says Holloway, who recovered with three consecutive birdies on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes and two pars to finish. "This is the biggest win of my career. Winning the Malaysian Amateur last year was great but this is better to beat all the best New Zealand amateurs and all the pros in the field," Holloway said. Holloway said he turned his four-putt at the 12th into motivation. "It was a silly mistake. It fired me up and I played my best golf from then on." He rated his second from a difficult lie into the wind at 16 to set up his birdie as his best shot of the day. "Its been a great week. I've putted well all week and really enjoyed the challenge of this event with the best amateurs playing with the professionals. Former Hawke's Bay rep Guy Penrose, now a restricted Australasian tour card professional based in Hamilton, was tied in second place with Te Awamutu's Brad Shilton on seven-under 281.