Golf: Ormsby livid after dismal performance

KUALA LUMPUR - Standing on potentially the last tee of an illustrious amateur career, New Zealand's Brenda Ormsby willed herself to go out with a splash.

She wanted par or better on the uphill par-five 18th hole on the Palm course at the Saujana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur so she could at least exit the Espirito Santo world teams championships with dignity.

She and her New Zealand team-mates were denied that as they ballooned out to a 12-over 158 in the fourth and final round, slipping five places to 20th.

They were 25 shots behind eventual champions Australia, who won the crown on a countback from Thailand in the 39-nation field.

For Ormsby, the cause had long been lost as she approached the 18th tee, but she was determined to end her long reign as the uncrowned queen of New Zealand golf by doing what she does best - grinding it out.

Her hopes turned to dust as her drive drifted left and found a fairway bunker. Facing an awkward stance with the ball below her feet, Ormsby's eight-iron recovery was poorly executed and she succeeded only in advancing the ball 15m into another bunker.

She finally got on the green in five and two-putted from 25m to sign off with a double bogey for a six-over 79.

The pain was shared by team-mates Tina Howard and Wendy Hawkes, who fared no better after the side began the final day in a share of 15th place, just four strokes outside a top-10 finish.

Howard signed for a 79 and Hawkes a non-counting 84.

Ormsby, who headed to France last night for the European LPGA Tour qualifying school starting in Grenoble on October 31, was livid with her performance, in which she bettered par only once.

The 18th hole was an opportunity to save some face before embarking on a professional career. "Just when you want to finish on a high note, to finish with a double bogey really brasses you off," the 44-year-old said.

It left her in a negative frame of mind for Grenoble, where she wants a top-30 finish to gain full playing privileges in Europe next year.

Anything less than a top-30 result would mean limited playing rights in Europe. If that happened she would return home and remain an amateur.

"I figure if something miraculous happens and I do qualify, there are a number of seniors events I could also play and do quite well in.

"I've never had the chance to play fulltime. It's always only been a hobby," she said of a golfing career which has netted her 10 national titles and seven world championship appearances.

- NZPA