Golf: Alaban takes his chance

By BOB PEARCE

Dean Alaban rammed his birdie putt from 10m hard against the back of his last hole. It jumped and then dropped to give the 29-year-old West Australian a one-shot lead after the first round of the New Zealand PGA Championship at Clearwater yesterday.

It's been that kind of last-gasp tournament for the unheralded Australian, who has won less than $3000 on the Australasian tour this year.

He shot a six-under 66 after starting early on a bitterly cold Canterbury morning and, while others enjoyed balmier conditions later in the day, only experienced American Tom Scherrer, New South Welshman Brendan Jones and Canadian-born Jon Mills could get within a shot of him.

Best of the Kiwis was left-hander Gareth Paddison on 68, one ahead of Michael Long and David Smail.

The burly Alaban could not make the field for the Jacob's Creek Open in Adelaide last week and was resigned to having to pre-qualify at Clearwater.

Then Brad Kennedy came second in the Malaysian Open, qualified to play in the Dubai Open and withdrew from Clearwater, allowing Alaban into the field as first reserve.

"It's over 30 degrees in Perth at this time. I don't know what it was this morning but I was well rugged up," said a rather bemused Alaban after his round.

His golf was hot from the start. Playing the second nine first, he birdied his first hole and set up his round with an eagle on the 474m 14th.

His only real blemish was a bogey on the sixth where he drove into a hazard.

Scherrer, a 33-year-old New Yorker, is one of the most experienced of the United States Nationwide Tour players at this tournament, which is the third on their schedule.

He has played extensively on the main USPGA tour and won the Kemper Open in 2000.

This year he came second in the opening Nationwide event in Panama earlier this month, but missed the cut in the Jacob's Creek Open and flew to Christchurch.

He had seven birdies and two bogeys in his 67 and appeals as a strong challenger for the title.

Mills was four under after five but cooled on the second nine and Jones had a bogey-free round.

Paddison, recent winner of the Victorian Open, was also bogey-free, sealing his 68 with birdies on the 16th and 18th. Smail bogeyed the last and dropped only one other shot, while Long had straight pars for nine holes before recording three birdies on the way in.