KEY POINTS:
There's something which sets James Gill apart from the country's other top amateur players. Not only does he have two degrees from Waikato University, he's also taken a lead from his journalist-turned-spin doctor mother and made sure the country's sports media know who he is, what he's been doing and what's coming up.
About once a fortnight for the last year or so, an email has arrived from the 21-year-old, our top-ranked amateur, with his latest results, comments on his most recent tournaments, his next events and his international rankings.
I haven't heard from him this week but that's hardly surprising. He left for Sydney and the Australian Amateur almost immediately after the South Island championships last Sunday in Christchurch.
Gill might have crossed the Tasman just a bit grumpy after his efforts in Christchurch. For the second year running he couldn't win the South Island event after dominating most of the way. Last year in Dunedin he double-bogeyed the final hole to lose by a shot. This time he led into the final round at the Shirley links but dropped four shots in the first four holes, blew out to a 77 and finished fifth. His nemesis, Rotorua's Danny Lee, stormed home with 68 to win and confirm himself as the actual top amateur, despite the world rankings.
On the American Scratch Players list this week, Gill is number 23 in the world and Lee 37th. On the R and A rankings, collated at St Andrews, Gill's final round at Shirley meant he slipped 10 places to 47th while Lee is closing the gap, now at number 51.
After the Australian Amateur, there are two significant events before Gill embarks on an ambitious international programme through till September. He'll play the North Island Championships at Wanganui over Easter and the New Zealand Amateur a week later at his home club, Hamilton.
Then comes five months on the road, a young man paying for himself, organising himself and his travelling companions, Wellington players Andrew Green and Jonny Dittmer. He'll play the top events of the American summer and try to qualify for the US Amateur. Then he'll go to Europe in September.
Gill's big decision comes after the international schedule. If he has stellar results in America and Europe the temptation will be to try to qualify for the European PGA Tour.
He also has a scholarship offer for post-graduate study in strategic management at St Andrews University in Scotland. As a place to combine study and golf, one could think of worse places.
There's no doubt he'll play professionally one day but, as he observes the struggle his one-time amateur contemporaries Josh Geary, Mark Purser and others have trying to make a living as a pro, Gill realises that having some academic letters after your name is a significant insuranc for later life. For now he's just battling to pay his way as an amateur. Five months in the US and Europe doesn't come cheap. Gill's having a fundraiser next weekend in Hamilton.
I know that because he wasn't afraid to put the word about in the media.
