Golf: Heaven battles to join legend

By BOB PEARCE


As Sir Bob Charles bade farewell to the New Zealand Open yesterday, Brad Heaven emerged as a strong candidate to join the left-handed legend as an amateur winner of our premier tournament.

Charles won as an 18-year-old in 1954 and no New Zealand amateur has won since.

The 23-year-old Heaven leads the field at The Grange by two shots at the halfway stage.

Such is the poise of the young Aucklander, no one would be surprised if he creates his own bit of history as Charles steps aside after missing the cut.

Heaven shot a four-under 66 to go with his opening 64, and his 10-under total of 130 has him two shots clear of experienced New South Wales professional Peter O'Malley.

One further back is Queenslander Chris Downes.

The next group includes remarkable Auckland teaching pro Stu Malcolmson, who plays one or two four-round tournaments a year but rose to the occasion yesterday with a six-under 64.

Heaven has been battle-hardened by his four years at the University of Toledo and he is used to crowds and the pressure of big events.

A few years ago he sank a monster putt on the final green to win the Savane All-American Classic at El Paso, an event restricted to the top players on the college circuit.

He relishes the challenge of being in the leading group today.

"This is my fourth New Zealand Open and I'm much more comfortable," Heaven said.

"There's something about this whole stage that gets me going. The experience I've had allows me to switch off from the pressure of the crowd and that will be my attitude into the weekend."

Yesterday's round was played in a gusty wind, which spooked some of the players. Heaven started inauspiciously with a bogey, but by the sixth he was in birdie form again.

He lopes along the fairways with an unhurried gait, never appears rattled and strikes the ball as purely as anyone in the field.

Typical of his composure was his reaction to a pushed drive on the 18th, which hit a tree. He played an immaculate iron to the green and was unlucky not to record a birdie.

O'Malley, who shared the lead with Heaven overnight, played in the afternoon when the wind was at its most fickle. He took a long time to get into red figures for the round and at one stage had consecutive bogeys.

But he finished strongly with birdies on the last two holes and will be a formidable rival this weekend.

Downes, who celebrates his 24th birthday on Sunday, got within a shot of Heaven when he eagled the par-five 12th. But he gave the two shots back on the next two holes.

Former champion David Smail had a 68 to share seventh place, five shots off the pace.

The second-best New Zealand amateurs, at two under, were Rotorua's Sam Hunt and 17-year-old Andrew Park, late of Rangitoto College but most recently representing Korea in junior internationals.

Best round of the day was a seven-under 63 by Richard Squire from Hawkes Bay, who is playing his first tournament since leaving the amateur ranks. It was 12 shots better than his opener and left him at two under.

The cut came at even-par 140 and among the casualties with Charles, who finished at five-over after a round of 71, were defending champion Mahal Pearce, top-ranked New Zealander Michael Campbell, US tour player Steven Alker and last year's leading amateur, Chris Johns.