Golf: Late errors hit Paddison's chances

Gareth Paddison putts on the 9th hole at Clearwater yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

Gareth Paddison did not know whether to laugh or cry before settling for a private chuckle after a late stumble in the opening round of the New Zealand PGA Championship golf event in Christchurch yesterday.

The Wellington left-hander looked assured of challenging for the lead before a clumsy finish over the closing holes at the 6513m Clearwater Resort course.

Paddison bogeyed the 15th and then double bogeyed the 18th in a round of five-under-par 67 which had promised to be so much better.

That left him tied for fifth place, three strokes behind the leader, Australian Kurt Barnes.

Paddison, 28, played stunning golf for 14 holes, moving to seven-under the card before encountering problems with his driver on the par-four 15th.

He blocked his shot left into nasty rough, failed to find the green and could not get up and down.

He repaired the damage at the next with a birdie two after a seven iron to 12 feet, but a blocked drive again threatened to hurt him on the 17th before a wonderful wedge from deep rough enabled him to escape with par.

There was not such a getaway at the par-four last, again a blocked drive turned left and this time it came to rest in an unplayable lie in a hazard bordering a lake.

He took the penalty drop and got a flier with his third, which flew the green and again he failed to get up and down.

So his eight birdies in the end had to share space with a lone double bogey and one bogey.

"It's just so frustrating that I had a favourable left-to-right wind for me on the two holes where I dropped my shots," Paddison said. "That wind normally helps my draw. But I really blocked my last three drives and I didn't do anything to correct it."

Paddison said he felt good coming down the stretch and was mystified why the block emerged when it did.

"I developed that block towards the end of last week [at the Moonah Classic near Melbourne] and again this week. I don't know why. It's such a frustrating miss."

Over and above the messy conclusion to his round, Paddison said he would gladly have taken a 67 at the start of the day in the Nationwide Tour and Australasian Tour co-sanctioned event.

"It's been so long since I shot six or seven-under and mentally you feel as if you go backwards. Your heart does sink with what happened on the last but there is so much good to reflect on.

"At the end of the day it is still a five-under and it's good to be around the leaderboard on the opening day."

SCORES - FIRST ROUND

64 - Kurt Barnes (Aust)

65 - Ran Hammond (Aust)

66 - Jason Enloe, David Branshaw

67 - Alistair Presnell (Aust), Jonas Blixt (Sweden), Josh Teater, Major Manning, Andre Stolz (Aust), Scott Dunlap, GARETH PADDISON (NZL)

68 - DAVID SMAIL (NZL), Michael Putnam, Adam Crawford (Aust), Scott Hend (Aust), Bryan Decorso (Canada)

69 - Won Joon Lee (Aust), Adam Bland (Aust), Peter O'Malley (Aust), RICHARD LEE (NZL), Justin Hicks, Paul Gow (Aust), Peter Senior (Aust), Roger Tambellini, STEVE ALKER (NZL), Steve Friesen, Andrew Tschudin (Aust), Craig Bowden, Len Mattiace, Michael Clark II, Matthew Griffin (Aust)

70 - Daniel Summerhays, Jon Mills (Canada), Wade Ormsby (Aust), David McKenzie (Aust), PHIL TATAURANGI (NZL), Ian Leggatt (Canada), Rich Barcelo, Steven Jones (Aust), Brian Stuard, Tristan Lambert (Aust), BRAD SHILTON (NZL), Gavin Coles (Aust), Paul Sheehan (Aust), Jeff Gove, Joe Daley, Drew Laning, Leigh McKechnie (Aust), Kevin Johnson , John Riegger.

Also:

71 - DANNY LEE (NZL a), BRADLEY ILES (NZL),

72 - JOSH GEARY (NZL)

73 - DOUG HOLLOWAY (NZL), GRANT MOORHEAD (NZL)

74 - MICHAEL LONG (NZL), DOMINIC BARSON (NZL), JARED PENDER (NZL), MAHAL PEARCE (NZL), GARTH DOMIGAN (NZL)

75 - TONY CHRISTIE (NZL),

78 - ANDREW SEARLE (NZL), GRANT WAITE (NZL)

- NZPA