Golf: Smail beats the pain but Tataurangi can't

By BOB PEARCE

New Zealand professional David Smail hopes his sore ribs will be a good omen for the New Zealand Open, which begins at The Grange in Papatoetoe on Thursday.

Smail has decided to ignore the pain of the cracked ribs he received when trying to rescue his three-year-old daughter, Emily, from a swimming pool five weeks ago. He slipped and fell.

Emily was saved by her five-year-old brother, Charlie.

Confirming his decision to play despite limited practice, Smail recalled yesterday that when he won the last Open at The Grange in 2001 he had injured his back going into the final day but went on to win.

Smail's decision to play is a relief for organisers after Phil Tataurangi decided not to jeopardise his recovery from a back injury by making a premature comeback at The Grange.

Tataurangi had surgery on his back in May, returned to competition in August, but suffered a further setback and has been undergoing extensive rehabilitation.

He began light practice in November and has progressed to playing several rounds, with more intense practice in recent weeks.

"Really, I knew all along that I was battling against time and it would be a bit of a miracle if I recovered in time to play in the Open," he said.

"The Open means a lot to me. This year it was especially significant with Sir Bob Charles playing for the final time.

"While I have been able to play rounds of golf, there was no way I was ready to play competitive golf. It's very disappointing."

Tataurangi, who has never won the New Zealand Open, said he was not putting any deadlines on his return to competition.

Smail himself came close to withdrawing from this week's tournament because of the rib pain.

"On Tuesday last week I decided I had better get back into practice and I chipped and putted for a while and it was pretty good. I hit some from 30 and 40 yards, and then from 50 yards I mishit one and the pain was just immense," he said. "I didn't get back into practice until Friday. I saw another doctor. He said if I could handle the pain I should be okay. On Friday I managed to hit about 30 balls.

"On Saturday I hit about 100 and started to feel a bit better, though I was pretty sore afterwards. Yesterday I hit about 150."

Smail said he had been assured he could not do any more damage to the ribs by playing. It was an advantage that The Grange was designed to reward accuracy rather than length.

He has a special affection for the course because it provided him with his first big win as a professional. With that confidence in his game, he went across the Tasman and won the Canon Challenge the following week.