Golf: Geary takes fourth place in Australia

Tauranga golfer Josh Geary shot tournament-low six-under 66 to finish fourth in the Australian Amateur strokeplay in Melbourne yesterday.

Geary, fifth individual in last year's Eisenhower Trophy world teams championship in Puerto Rico, finished with a 72-hole total of 282, six-under par.

Four members of the Titleist squad qualified in the top 32 for the matchplay championship including Geary, Mark Purser (Hamilton), Kevin Chun (Auckland) and Jae An (Rotorua).

Korean Sung Hoon Kang won the strokeplay, qualifying with a brilliant 15-under par 273, a shot ahead of Australian Andrew Tampion.

Geary was in superb form with six birdies without blemish, and narrowly missed some excellent birdie chances on the outward nine.

Purser shot a final round one-over par 73 to finish in a share of 18th place on one-over par 289, the same as Chun and An.

Chun, a member of the Eisenhower Trophy team last year, fired a one-under 71 while An was in excellent form with three birdies in his 69.

The Waikato pair of James Gill and Mathew Holten missed the cut by one shot after ill-fortune on Royal Melbourne's demanding finishing holes. Gill dropped shots at two of the final three holes, while Holten bogeyed the last three.

Doug Holloway (Hastings) was two-under with three to play but finished with a one-over 73 for a four-round total of 295.

Geary, Purser, Chun and An will begin the battle for the Australian Amateur title today with two scheduled rounds of matchplay.