Golf: Eisenhower Kiwis ready, willing and able

Josh Geary is particularly pleased with the De Zalze course and is looking forward to the opening round there. Picture / John Borren

The New Zealand Eisenhower Trophy golf team are primed for competition beginning tonight (NZ time) near Cape Town, South Africa.

The New Zealand trio of Josh Geary, from Tauranga, and Mark Purser and James Gill, both from Hamilton, are fizzing and raring to put some good scores on the board, team captain John Gatley said from Cape Town yesterday.

The world amateur teams championship is being played on the De Zalze and Stellenbosch courses in the winelands region near Cape Town.

New Zealand's playing partners for the first two rounds are Austria and El Salvador.

"We are happy with the draw. The team are absolutely superb. They can't wait to get into competition tomorrow."

Gatley said the team had completed their final practice round at Stellenbosch ahead of the official opening ceremony.

"Practice went pretty good although it was very windy today.

"The courses and greens are similar to courses in Australia that we have played on so we are reasonably confident going into competition," he said.

"The guys are all happy with their games and with the courses.

"Josh [Geary] was particularly pleased with the De Zalze course and is pleased to have the opening round there."

New Zealand play at Stellenbosch for the second round.

If their scores are in the top half of the record 71-strong countries battling for the title this year, they will return to Stellenbosch for the third round before returning to De Zalze.

They have their sights set high and are particularly keen to eradicate memories of the 21st placing in 2004.

"They are confident and if they all play to their potential they see no reason why they cannot figure in the top five, which is our goal," Gatley said. "That will be no easy task with the field particularly strong with some exceptional amateurs on display."

Gatley said Australia, the United States and Britain would be among the frontrunners.

Among the players in Cape Town are a number who were in Auckland earlier this year for the winning European team in the Sir Michael Bonnallack Trophy.

That includes Englishman Oliver Fisher, Norwegian Marius Thorp, the leading amateur at the British Open, French champion Julien Guerrier and Dutch champion Joost Luiten.

The Americans are led by the outstanding prospect Jonathan Moore, Wales have Rhys Davies, who won in the US this year, while Australia have a strong side led by the talented Won Joon Lee.

New Zealand won the Eisenhower Trophy in Canada in 1992 and posted a third in Italy in 1964 and a second in Spain in 1970. In 24 appearances since 1958, New Zealand have finished outside the top 10 only four times.

- NZPA