Golf: Masterly lesson from O'Malley

By BOB PEARCE in Christchurch

It may have been St Patrick's Day, but Peter O'Malley had no need of the luck of the Irish as he won the Clearwater Classic in Christchurch by five shots.

The 36-year-old Australian, who acknowledges his Irish ancestry, gave a golfing master class on how to play the fluctuating Canterbury winds.

His total for the 72 holes was 271, 17 under par, with rounds of 67, 69, 67 and 68.

But the important statistic was his tally of only three bogeys in four days, and none in the final two rounds as others were defeated by the brisk wind that shifted around the compass from north-west to north-east and then back again.

His reward was a first prize of $220,000, which lifted him to second place in the Australasian tour final money list to earn him entry to the United States and British Opens.

Best of the rest was American Brad Ott, who emerged from the pack with a closing 68 to take second place, one ahead of fellow American Rich Barcelo, who had a last round of 69.

Of the four New Zealanders who made the cut, Steve Alker and David Smail finished in equal 13th place on 282, six under par. The pair, who have been playing golf together since their days at Hamilton Boys High, each earned $18,000.

O'Malley began the day a shot clear of American Joel Kribel, who had set the pace for the first two rounds and had kept in touch with O'Malley thanks to a last-hole birdie on Saturday.

But Kribel bogeyed the first hole yesterday and O'Malley saved his par with a long putt. From the time the Australian holed a bunker shot for a birdie on the fifth he was in control and the challengers came and went without making any impression.

He was three ahead after a birdie on the 10th. While some birdie chances went astray on the greens, his driving was immaculate and his pitching precise.

He sank a good putt to birdie the 17th and on the par-four last his second with a lob wedge finished centimetres from the hole.

"The last nine holes were as good as I've ever played," he said.

Alker birdied from three metres on the first hole and added another on the next. From then on he was steadiness personified with 16 pars.

Next month he heads for the US to play at Lafayette, Louisiana, as he continues his first full season on the Buy. Com tour.

He will drive between events with his partner, Tanya, and expects to play 25 or 26 of the remaining 28 tournaments on the second-ranked US tour. A top 15 on the money list would earn him a season on the US PGA tour.

Smail also finished two under for the day. He mixed four birdies with two bogeys and was seven under after the 15th, only to bogey the next.

He heads to Japan for a tournament next week and will then have a month at home in the Waikato before the Japanese tour resumes its regular season.

Greg Turner had closing rounds of 74 and 73, finishing level par for the 72 holes in a tie for 39th.

One better was young Wellington pro Gareth Paddison, who had three birdies yesterday but also three bogeys and a triple-bogey eight on his way to a 75.

In oddities at the Holden-sponsored event, two Richard Johnsons, one American the other Swedish, played together on the last day and finished on the same total - 288.

And O'Malley shares the same home of Bathurst with Gavin Coles, the winner of the Jacobs Creek Open in Adelaide last week.