Golf: Birdie barrage unsettles Kiwis

New Zealand No 1 Lisa Aldridge will long remember the birdie blitz thrown at her by the experienced Canadian Mary Ann Lapointe at the Commonweath women's golf tournament in Vancouver yesterday.

The left-handed Aldridge, who was unbeaten and was playing her best golf, was feeling comfortable at all square after two holes in the No 1 singles match.

Then Lapointe, who a week earlier had won the Canadian amateur title, unleashed five birdies over the next seven holes and a shaken Aldridge was seven down at the turn.

She rallied as the magic left Lapointe's putter, but by the 13th Aldridge had run out of holes and she conceded the match 6 and 5.

New Zealand's hopes were high after they halved both foursomes in the morning - until Lapointe's barrage.

Playing behind the top pair, New Zealand No 2 Tina Howard pulled her drive on the 14th hole - for the second time during the day - and her opponent Kareen Qually took full advantage to go one up.

Howard had fought back from two down to square the match at the fateful 13th - but four holes later she was beaten 2 and 1.

New Zealand's only success came in the No 3 singles when in-form Catherine Knight beat Fiona Brown 2 up by slotting a brillant birdie on the 18th after being three down at one stage.

In the foursomes the New Zealand pairings squandered three up leads. After Aldridge struck a magnificent three wood to three metres of the pin on the last hole, Howard just missed the tricky downhill putt for victory.

And the Canadians in the other match three-putted the 18th to give relief to Knight and Wendy Hawkes, making her senior international debut.

Australia won two crucial singles matches and halved another to beat Britain 31/2-21/2 and continue to lead the tournament with three wins.