Golfer delighted with win

Press, 25 February 1985, Page 48

Golfer delighted with win

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Geoff Stephens spoke with conviction and unashamed delight when he said that his victory in the South Island stroke-play golf championship at Waitikiri yesterday was easily his most significant success to date. “It was my dream as a kid to win a national, North Island or South Island championship,” said Stephens, who, at 18 years, has not long graduated from the boys age group. The one-handicapper from the Titirangi club in Auckland completed what one disgruntled Canterbury spectator termed an Auckland trifecta after that city had produced the winner of the Miss New Zealand contest and the winner of the JIM lottery on Saturday evening. Stephens was not judged the South Island champion, nor did he rely on the luck of the draw. His victory came by applying early pressure in the final round of the 72-hole event and holding on strongly while all those about him folded rather dramatically. At the finish, Stephens, who had started the last 18 holes three strokes in arrears of James Angus, finished four shots ahead of the Russley golfer. Sharing third place was the Canterbury stroke champion, Paul Minifie, of Waitikiri, and Colin Taylor, of Hamilton. As the dry conditions and hot weather wearied the players, Stephens, with the physique of a rugby lock, stayed cool and confident until the last three holes when he confessed to feeling some tension.

He had done his homework on the course well, coming to Christchurch last Wednesday, having two practice rounds and planning his method of attack. “You should always have a course plan, I stuck to mine apart from a couple of times when the wind made me rethink.” Quite often Stephens used a No. 1 iron off the tee and he packed a cannonball punch behind that club. He also carried another No. 1 iron in his collection proving that the club had not become obsolete as some people had suggested. One of his No. 1 irons had more loft and he used it in place of a No. 2 iron. The biggest disappointment for Stephens in view of his excellent win was that he cannot attempt to add the North Island title next month as well. On the day it starts, he will be leaving for Adelaide with the New Zealand junior team to contest the Australian inter-state teams’ championship and the individual championship. He was a member of the national boys’ side in 1983 and was in the New Zealand junior team last year. Stephens was easily the most consistent player on show yesterday. He hit 15 greens in the morning and 14 in the afternoon. When he made his winning break in the final round, he found the first 10 greens in regulation, but managed only two birdies, both from about 4m. After two 74s on Saturday, Stephens used the information gleaned from those two rounds to telling effect. A 72 in the third round had lifted him from

equal fourth overnight to second starting the last 18 holes.

Ahead of him was Angus, whose 69 on Saturday afternoon was the only round below the par of 71. Angus looked set for another such score in the third round when he was three-under par with three holes to play. He had played exceptionally well, with four birdies in the first seven holes. On the odd time he struck trouble, he recovered with aplomb. But an exchange of words with a playing partner seemed to rattle the usual calm assurance of Angus at the short sixteenth where where he took a two-over five on the par-3 hole. Another dropped stroke at the last gave him a three-shot lead after 54 holes instead of six as had seemed probable. The pressure, however, told on Angus in the final round. He experienced the shattering feelings suffered by many other golf leaders who have seen their advantage whittled away. Stephens had taken the lead by the fourth hole and, like a marathon runner who has just caught the pacemaker, he applied further pressure and quickly stepped clear. Angus had four threeputts over the first seven holes, turned in 42, seven over par, and dropped two more at the tenth. He rallied admirably from that point, covering the last eight holes in one-under par. Stephens proved he was not invincible when he missed the greens at 11 and

12, and lost shots at both. It was a momentary lapse, however, as he birdied the thirteenth with a classy bunker shot and a one putt at the short par-five. Even though he dropped further strokes at 15 and 16, he was in control, being well clear of Angus, Brent Paterson (Coringa), who was not as convincing from tee to green as he was on the first day, Minifie, who had a disastrous three-over at the ninth, and Taylor, a national representative, who could blame his third round of 76 for losing contact with the pace. Leading scores:— 292 — G. Stephens (Titirangi), 74, 74, 72, 72. 296 — J. M. Angus (Russley), 77, 69, 71, 79. 297 — P. F. Minifie (Waitikiri), 75, 75, 72, 75; C. E. Taylor (Hamilton), 73, 74, 76, 74. 298 — B. G. Paterson (Coringa), 76, 71, 75, 76. 299 — P. E. McDougall (Balmacewen), 75, 80, 72, 72. 300 — S. C. Thompson (Hokitika), 71, 79, 73, 77. 302 — R. I. Donaldson (Greymouth), 75, 73, 78, 76. 303 — R. P. Bell (Ashburton), 72, 77, 75, 79; J. L. Reid (Rangiora), 72, 78, 78, 75; S. Morshuis (Taieri), 76, 77, 76, 74. S. W. Street (Nelson), 76, 75, 75, 77. 304 — G. Domigan (Hokitika), 73, 77, 75, 79; J. B. Sanders (Christchurch), 77, 75, 78, 74. 306 — M. G. Brown (Waitikiri), 79, 77, 71, 79; G. J. Radka (Southland), 76, 79, 72, 79. 307 — M. E. Street (Harewood), 78, 76, 79, 74; M. E. Elley (Waitikiri), 76, 79, 76, 76; P. Hayes (Gleniti), 72, 77, 80, 78.