Golf: Titleholders in nationals clash

The Australian holders of two New Zealand major amateur golf titles, the match-play and stroke-play, will clash in an appealing opening quarter-final of the national championship at Coringa, Christchurch, today.

Won Joon Lee, the New Zealand stroke-play titleholder, and fellow New South Welshman, Mitchell Brown, the defending match-play champion, progressed to the last eight after contrasting wins in the second round yesterday.

The stroke-play champion has not gone on to win the match play crown in the same year since 1988 and Lee looked as if he might become a victim of the curse when unheralded Wellington player Richard Pegg (Shandon) lined up a match-winning 2.5m birdie putt at the 18th.

But his putt died just to the right and, at the first extra hole, Lee slotted a 1m birdie putt before watching Pegg lip out with a putt of similar length.

Pegg had been 2 down after 14 but won 15 and Lee had a lucky break on 16 when his tee shot found trees but fell into a gap. Pegg squared the match with a 2.5m par putt at 17, but missed chances at the next two holes.

Brown won comfortably and "played pretty solid" against 17-year-old Justin Han, the first-round conqueror of last year's beaten semifinalist, Danny Lee, from Springfield.

Brown, 20, won his two games yesterday 3 and 2.

New Zealand representatives James Gill (Hamilton) and Troy Ropiha (New Plymouth) had a nailbiting second-round game, Ropiha showing plenty of resolve to recover from 4 down after five and 2 down at the turn to take the match into sudden death.

Gill, 20, holed a pressure 2.5m birdie putt at the 19th to halve the hole and Ropiha chipped and one-putted the 20th to match Gill's par, but he was unable to repeat that at the 21st after hitting his approach through the green. Gill safely two-putted for his par and the win.

Gill booked himself a quarter-final against in-form Western Australian Steve Dartnall, recent winner of the Australian foursomes and Riversdale Cup.

Dartnall was square with Taupo's Jason McIntosh at the turn, but won four of the next five holes to have the match in safe-keeping.

On the bottom half of the draw, third qualifier Mark Purser (Hamilton) disposed of 2004 Australian champion Victorian Andrew Martin at the 16th. Purser was 3 up after 5 and at the turn and held that lead through 14.

Regular Wellington representative Andrew Green capitalised on a good start to repulse Bay of Plenty's Mark Smith, while Australian match-play champion Tim Stewart, from Monash Country in New South Wales, was able to halve the last in bogeys with Josh Geary (Mt Maunganui) to win 1 up. Geary found the trees at the last and rued some missed putting chances.

Australia had a fifth player into the last eight when Queenslander Aaron Pike won the 16th and 17th with two-putt pars to beat 31st qualifier and South Island stroke-play champion Leighton James.

James, who slid a 3m birdie past the cup at the last to take the match into overtime, had eliminated second qualifier and The Grange clubmate Travis O'Connell at the 14th in the first round.

The quarter-finals and semifinals, both over 18 holes, will be played today with the 36-hole final tomorrow.

- NZPA