Golf: In form, out of practice

Stu Malcolmson is enjoying the New Zealand Open because tournament golf is not his "bread and butter". Picture / Dean Purcell

Stu Malcolmson is enjoying his golf and it shows. After topping the qualifiers for the New Zealand Open with a 67 at Middlemore on Monday, he headed the Kiwi challenge at Gulf Harbour yesterday.

The 32-year-old, who teaches at the driving range inside the Ellerslie Racecourse, shot another five-under 67, one of the best scores of the afternoon. It was only his second competitive round since April and gives him a share of 17th.

At one stage he was six under after holing a 10m putt on the 12th. He missed the green on the 14th and found a bunker on the 16th to drop two shots. But he holed a 5m slippery downhill putt to regain some ground.

"I putted really well," he said. "Funnily, in my practice round on Tuesday that was the one thing that scared me - how quick the greens were.

"I don't want to seem arrogant, but I've done no practice and I'm just playing. Because it's not my bread and butter there's not the same pressure."

The best of the other Kiwis were the experienced Steven Alker, Stephen Scahill, Tony Christie and Mahal Pearce with three-under 69s.

Alker, who plays on the Nationwide tour, had a top-10 finish in the opening event in Panama a couple of weeks ago and looked in good touch with five birdies and two bogeys.

Pearce, winner of this tournament two years ago at Middlemore, had an eagle at the par-four 285m 12th, three birdies and a couple of bogeys. Scahill had five birdies and dropped shots on the ninth and 15th.

Gareth Paddison, David Smail, Richard Lee and Steve Gordon are two under in 74th place, needing another good round to make the cut tonight. Michael Campbell birdied the last to finish one over and last year's runner-up, Brad Heaven, was five over.

Tim Wilkinson, the New Zealand left-hander who won a place on the United States Nationwide tour last season, was three under after eight holes, but disaster struck on the par-four ninth, where he had a triple-bogey seven. He had a double-bogey at the next and a bogey on the 11th, before finishing with a 75.