Golf: Easier speech this time, but harder golf

By BOB PEARCE

Three years ago 15-year-old Kevin Chun was at a table in the Akarana clubhouse struggling to compose a thank-you speech after he had come from nowhere to win the Auckland Anniversary tournament.

Yesterday, as an assured 18-year-old, he handled with aplomb the congratulations after he was named in the three-man New Zealand team for the Eisenhower Trophy - the pinnacle of men's amateur golf.

Chun, a member at Titirangi, will join 19-year-olds Josh Geary (Mt Maunganui) and Riki Kauika (Wanganui) in New Zealand's youngest team for the tournament in Puerto Rico from October 28 to 31.

A North Shore resident since he arrived in the country as a nine-year-old from Korea, Chun was at Westlake Boys' High at the time of his Akarana success.

He had only recently joined Titirangi after winning a junior event there.

The Auckland junior selectors snapped him up and it wasn't long before he made an impression on the national scene.

He was introduced to the game at the age of 11 by his father, Man-Dong, and is coached by Rhys Bishop.

"My short game was my strength in those days, but now I think things have evened up as I've got stronger," he said yesterday.

"Perhaps the best part of my game is my pitching from 50m to 100m."

He's also increasingly long off the tee. In May, he played in the Maekyeong Open professional tournament in Korea, finishing 45th in an event won by American Mark Calcaveccia. On one day Chun won the prize for the longest drive.

Consistency at home and fine results overseas sealed his Eisenhower place. He won the Tasmania Amateur Open, was second in the North Island Amateur and showed good form in Australia, Malaysia and Japan, where he competed in the world junior championships.

Kauika, from Manor Park, is the South Island amateur champion.

He shared second place at the New Zealand strokeplay championship and also has had considerable experience in Malaysia, Australia and Japan. He is coached by Mal Tongue.

Geary has been the form player in the past few months. He won the North Island strokeplay title and two of the four national trials, cementing his place with a brilliant win in the Waikato strokeplay event at the weekend. He is coached by Brian Boys.

The team will spend time in Hawkes Bay under new performance coach Brian Doyle, before Geary goes to the Singapore Open where he will represent New Zealand with Waikato's Mark Purser.

* New Zealand have won the Eisenhower teams' event only once, in Vancouver in 1992, with Phil Tataurangi, Michael Campbell, Steve Scahill and Grant Moorhead.