Street ready to defend title

Press, 8 February 1985, Page 30

Street ready to defend title

BOB SCHUMACHER

Mark Street sees very little of his golf clubs from the end of the November to the end of January. That is his rest period away from a sport which otherwise occupies a good deal of his spare time.

Biit the natural ability of Street is such that he can resume without any apparent loss of rhythm or form. That he did last year when, on a miserable diet of golf beforehand, he eclipsed a talented field in the Canterbury stroke championship, winning by four shots. As Street prepares to defend his 72-hole title in the Cobra sponsored championships at Waitikiri tomorrow and Sunday, he might wonder whether he has over relaxed his strict diet.

Less than a fortnight ago, he played in the Templeton summer open and was pleasantly surprised, at his fourth placing, four

strokes from the winner, after walloping a couple of balls out of bounds.

Yesterday he took time off work to practise at Waitikiri. He intended to have two rounds, but, he said, speaking after completing his first yesterday afternoon: “the heat is too much.”

Street, who will turn 25 on Wednesday, has been a Canterbury representative since 1977, but it took some time for him to win a Canterbury senior title. The drought ended when he won the match-play championship in 1983 and he did not have to wait much longer for his stroke title.

His winning total of 285 last year, one shot above par, was one of the lowest in the history of the event. Asked if he would accept that score again, Street replied: “I would like to think I could do it but I’m not

saying I will. I’m not going to put myself under pres-, sure. Instead I’m trying to get in the right frame of mind, it’s what’s between the ears that counts.” The defence signals the start of another busy golf year for Street. He will miss the Southland invitational tournament next month because his twin brother, Brent, who is also playing in the championship, will be married that week-end. He intends, however, to compete in all the important tournaments and has already made plans to compete in the New Zealand amateur championship at Mount Maunganui from April 21 to 28. Street was complimentary about the Waitikiri course, saying that the rough was not as fierce as he had been led to believe. “It is playing good and the gretgis are excellent.”

With the foremost golfers from neighbouring districts both north and south of Christchurch competing, Street and his fellow low handicappers from Canterbury have no easy task to ensure that the trophy does not leave the province. It was extremely hard to be accepted in the field: the senior grade was for players with handicaps 0-2, the intermediate cut was 34, and five handicappers and some six handicappers formed the junior grade. Apart from Street, six other former Canterbury stroke-play champions have entered. The incomparable Ross Murray, whose seventh success was in .1981 and who was beaten in a play-off two years ago, will give a lesson or two to many aspiring younger players before the tournament ends. Geoff Saunders, twice the champion, Murray Brown (1976), James

John Williamson (1982) and John Sanders (1983) are all in a field which has the quality to match the quantity.

A score similar to last year’s winning total might be required again for victory. In such an evenly balanced field, there are many winning chances. The joint runners-up last year, Brent Paterson and Paul Minifie, are in the top five in Canterbury, while Fred Poskitt, Joe Whitaker, Rick Vincent and Joe Gantley are highly rated. Robbie Bell, lan Donaldson, Stephen Street and Peter Hayes, all proven players at national interprovincial level, are respected golfers who will come from further afield An alert mind will be needed to keep one’s person as well as one’s mind on the right path as the playing order of the holes has been changed.