Golf: Heaven's eye on top team

By BOB PEARCE

Brad Heaven has won an All-American collegiate tournament in the United States, took the Bledisloe Cup for top amateur in the New Zealand Open as a 16-year-old, but still hankers after a place in the national team for the Eisenhower Trophy.

The 22-year-old, who learned his golf at the Remuera Club, is a student at Toledo University in Ohio.

Yesterday he threatened to be the first-round leader at the New Zealand Open at Middlemore when he was six under with two holes to play.

But a double-bogey six on a 169m par-three over water brought him back to 68, still the best round by an amateur and only two shots off the pace.

Nobody should suggest it was a flash in the pan. Last year in the Open at Paraparaumu he finished equal sixth at three under.

To be eligible for the Eisenhower team at that time he would have had to return during the college year to play certain qualifying tournaments. That was impractical.

But the rules have now been changed and Heaven is keen to be considered for next year.

"I will have graduated by then and my aim has always been to play for my country," he said.

"It would be the pinnacle of amateur golf to play for New Zealand at the Eisenhower."

Heaven is studying for a business degree, but intends to try his luck in the professional ranks when he graduates.

"When you're playing with these guys at college who are going on to the pro tour and knowing that you can beat them, it gives you a world of confidence," he said.

"With really good coaching and top competition, my game is much more rounded."

The tall Aucklander birdied his first hole yesterday and was five under after nine holes.

A three-putt on his 10th hole was his first blemish, but he added two more birdies before his double-bogey.

His gentle seven-iron tee shot found the top level of a two-tier green and he needed four putts to hole out on the lower tier.

Heaven described his round as "nothing freaky" and the only surprise was that it came after a short build-up in the under-23 tournaments at Taupo and Hastings.