Golf: Lunch with legend caps solid first year

By MARTIN DAVIDSON

Gareth Paddison ended his rookie season as a touring professional sharing stories and a meal with one of the game's legends in Melbourne.

Having completed the fourth round of the Australian Masters with playing partner Tom Watson, the Wellington left-hander left the scorer's hut at Huntingdale and headed straight to a sponsor's tent to share a meal with the American great, the winner of eight majors.

Paddison's day was expected to get even better as he was heavily tipped to win the Australasian PGA Tour's rookie-of-the-season title.

The latter was to be presented at an awards ceremony late last night.

A closing round of one-over-par 73 meant he outscored his aging but still illustrious playing companion by one stroke as he put together a four-round card of five-over 293 to finish in a share of 39th place.

"It was great to play with Tom and we're about to have lunch, which will be nice," Paddison said after leaving the scorer's hut.

"He probably didn't play as well as he wanted to, but he was an absolute gentleman around the course and we spent a fair bit of time talking."

Paddison entered the Masters in 23rd place on the Australasian tour's order of merit.

Watson, at 53, remains a crowd magnet, illustrated by the huge galleries that followed him and Paddison.

"He is no longer the force he once was, but he still brought the crowds out with him," said the 22-year-old New Zealander.

"There was plenty being said. We discussed rugby, where he lives and what he's doing for Christmas."

Paddison was aware he was in line for the rookie-of-the-year honours and excited at the prospect of being officially recognised by Tour officialdom.

"I hope, fingers crossed, to get that. It would be a fitting end to what has been a reasonable first year for me."

The last New Zealander to win the Tour's rookie title was Marcus Wheelhouse in 1996.

Paddison announced himself in his opening professional tournament when finishing third in the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland late last year.

In March, he collected his first winner's cheque, at the $125,000 Dunedin Classic, before heading to Europe to compete on the secondary Challenge Tour.

He managed just eight starts on that tour, which meant he was more inactive than he would have liked, but regards his time there as invaluable as he comes to grips with life on tour.

He will return to the Challenge Tour next year with plans to secure his European Tour card for 2004, but not before competing in the New Zealand Open in Auckland from January 16-19.

In preparation, Paddison will return home and spend a lot of time on the greens.

He has identified his putting as needing serious work.

"My putting is nowhere up to standard at the moment," he said.

"It hasn't been uncommon for me to have 30-plus putts a round, which is not very good when you're playing as a professional."

- NZPA