American pro has his first victory

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32474, 8 December 1970, Page 32

American pro has his first victory

(N.Z. Press Association) TIMARU. T. Nettles, aged 25, an American who turned professional on the way to a “tax write-off” holiday in New Zealand, yesterday won his first golf tournament when his 67 headed off by two strokes the 80strong professional field in the Timaru $l5OO pro-am at the Levels golf course. Behind him were R. J. Charles (New Zealand) and L. Sharpe (Australia), both on 69, and P. W. Thomson, T. Woolbank, G. B. Wolstenholme, R. Vines (all of Australia) and M. Bembridge (England). Nettles, who confessed he had never wop any golf prize “either as a kid, an amateur, or a professional,” outstripped them all with a round which was an odd mixture of good golf and good luck, plus some very heady tactics.

Unlike the others he was largely unconcerned with the boisterous near 50 m.p.h. westerly which blew across the course for three-quarters of the event and all the time Nettles was playing. Nettles, whose score was his best in a round of golf, had never played the course before or even walked it, but he wisely decided to play to the rough off the tees. “I did this deliberately, and there were only two holes on which I was on the fairway —the first and the eighteenth,” he said. He reckoned the wind would accentuate spin on the fairways, but if he played in the short rough he would “fly out without spin.” Nettles was out in 34 (two under) and back in 33 (three under).

He birdied the 532-yard, par-5 second, and scored a sensational eagle at the third. He hit his drive perfectly, and the ball hurtled towards the green 326 yards away. It reached the green while the four ahead were still on it. The ball was racing towards trees and out of bounds when it struck J. Smart’s boot and deflected to about eight feet from the pin. Nettles calmly sank the putt

later for the eagle 2 and a special prize of $5O. Nettles boomed a big drive down the right rough on the homeward nine and placed a magnificent No. 4 iron second on the green. He sank a 60footer for his second eagle. He dropped his third shot at another par-3 hole when he played—twice—into casual water, but picked up two more birdies to finish with 67. Leading scores:— 67—T. Nettles (United States). 69—R. Charles (New Zealand), L. Sharpe (Australia). 72 V. Bennetts (Australia). 73 M. Bembridge (Britain), P. Harvey (Australia), H. Kennedy (New Zealand). D. Welch (Australia), G. Wolstenholme (Australia). 74 J. Carter (New Zealand), T. Woolbank (Australia), R. Vines (Australia).

I xx 7 (New Zealand), B. Osborne (United States), B. Moran (Australia); G. McCully ' (Australia), F. Malloy (New Zea- } land), S. Suvanapongse /Thail land). I „ 76—8. T. Boys (New Zealand), 1 L. Brown (New Zealand), D. ■ Clarke (New Zealand), B. Coxon (Australia), R. Tuohy (South - Africa), W. Godfrey (New Zea- ' land), A. Murray (Australia), S. - Onsham (Thailand), J. Vaughn I (United States). i 77—J. Ballard (Australia), A. Palmer (New Zealand), P. Murray (Australia), W. Logan (New Zeland), J. Lister (New Zealand), R. Howell (Australia). 78— J. Cleland (New Zealand), A. de Jpux*. K. Gardner (Aus* , tralia), D. J. Park (Hong Kong), P. Morgan (Australia), R. Metherall (Australia). 79 R. Brian (Australia), G. Holst (New Zealand), K. Preston (Britain), J Smart (Australia), T. Kendall (New Zealand), D. Ingram (Australia), M. E. Usshcr*, G. P. Vesty*, R. C. Murray*. amateur.)