'Steady Eddie' keeps his cool

By Terry Maddaford

MT MAUNGANUI - The rockets fired at the New Zealand golf team after the 1998 Eisenhower tournament in Chile were not fazing Tauranga's Eddie Burgess as he shot three under par to successfully defend his Omanu Classic title yesterday.

Four shots off the pace at level par with nine holes to play, Burgess stormed home with birdies on 10, 13 and 16 to win the country's richest amateur tournament by a stroke from overnight leader Richard Best and Les Miller.

The $20,000 tourney attracted many of the country's best players, who relished the conditions as they battled all the way to the 72nd hole where Burgess holed his par putt for a one-under 71.

That held off Miller, who had a birdie-birdie finish after being one over with four to play, and Best, who started the day three strokes clear and shared the lead at four under with Michael Wilson with nine to play.

Wilson, a greenkeeper at the host club who had a successful Tower tournament at No 1 in the Bay of Plenty team, self-destructed in the run home with dropped shots on the 12th, 13th, 16th and 18th holes.

Best had a double-bogey on the par four 11 and dropped another on the next before getting back with a birdie on 12.

"Steady Eddie" Burgess really wrapped it up on the par four, 307m 16th, when he fired his tee shot to within 15m of the front of the green and made certain of his birdie.

Kent Skellern, who shared second place after 36 holes with Burgess and Wilson, dropped a shot on the 12th and two on the next to drop away and eventually finish in a creditable fifth equal place with Wilson on even par, a shot behind Blair Dibley, who could not buy a putt all afternoon in firing a two-under 70 for a final one-under 287.

"It's a good way to start the year," said Burgess, who lost in a playoff in 1996 before winning for the first time last year. "I'm not too worried about what has been said about the Titleist squad. I've always been focused on what I'm doing."