Brent Paterson gives N.Z. golf selectors a reminder

Press, 20 April 1987, Page 32

Brent Paterson gives N.Z. golf selectors a reminder

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

As a member of New Zealand’s fourman team for the golf international against Australia and Canada last month, Brent Paterson could justifiably have expected to be one of the players invited to the North Island amateur championship in Levin at the weekend.

He was overlooked, however, so turned to the Canterbury amateur championship at Shirley and left the course yesterday afternoon as the new provincial title-holder when he won the final against the home course golfer, John Williamson, 1-up. Because he has often been competing in the North Island event which unfortunately clashes with the Canterbury championship, Paterson has appeared in the provincial tournament only four times. Yesterday was the first time that the Canterbury No. 1 had reached the final and his victory gave his Coringa club its first winner of the match-play title. For Williamson, aged ,32, the old saying of ‘ third time lucky held no truth. He first appeared in the final 10 years ago, only to lose at the 23rd hole. When he made the last two the next

year and again lost, it was written that Williamson must soon take away Canterbury’s most coveted title. It has been a long time between finals for Williamson, but the intervening years did nothing to change his luck when the chance once more arose. As a spectacle the final was anything but spectacular. The only birdie occurred at the seventeenth and that well-judged 3m putt by Paterson put him ahead for the third time. Insufficient holes remained for Williamson to counter, although his birdie attempt from 5m at the last started on course before diverting to the left A freshening easterly, more difficult pin placements and battle weariness all possibly contributed to the very average scoring. Both had four-over-par rounds of 77, Williamson had 35 putts, Paterson 33, although Williamson hit one more green than his rival (12 to 11). Paterson, however, may have correctly assessed the situation after the sendi-finals when he commented both finalists had possibly played their best golf. In winning his first three matches, Paterson had been nine under the card.

Williamson, who had a 69 on the way to qualifying first, played superbly yesterday morning to beat Fred Poskitt at the sixteenth. Poskitt had birdies at 8, 10, 11 and 13, but was still 1 down after his fourth one as Williamson carded five and finished four under par. Both players matched pars and produced very sound golf for the first six holes of the final, but Paterson was 2 up after his opponent missed the fairways and greens at the next two. Until the ninth Paterson had not missed a green, but when he did he repeated the act three times and lost 9, 10 and 11. At the twelfth, Paterson had his first one-putt of the match and it gave him the bonus of a win, for Williamson missed a very short one for the half. At the fourteenth he had his second oneputt and that par gave him the lead again. It was short-lived as Paterson played 15 poorly and he was in danger of dropping 16 after three less than memorable shots. Again he one-putted from 5.5 m to escape with a half — “that putt was the telling one” lamented Williamson — and the putter did the trick again at 17 where Pater-

son, after long, considered deliberation, read his slightly breaking putt to perfection. , In the semi-finals, Paterson beat his cousin, Steve,, by winning four successive holes after they had been deadlocked after 11. Steve Paterson lost both his ball and the hole at 13. A young reprobate seized his ball as it just bounced out of bounds, and rode off. He was chased by a member of the gallery on a borrowed BMX bike and another in a car, but the offender shook off his pursuers. Results.— ■ CHAMPIONSHIP First round. — J. N. Williamson beat L. Cron, 3 and 2; M. E. Elley beat R. N. Brightwell, at the 22nd; F. J. Poskitt beat P. W. Hayes, 3 and 2; P. MacDonald beat J. Louwman, 1 up; B. G. Paterson beat S. Priest, 2 and 1; B. T. Tucker beat K. L. Frazier, 3 and 2; C. Kennedy beat S. L. Greenall, 1 up; S. J, Paterson beat A. C.-Bishop, 6 and 5. Quarter-finals. — Williamson beat Elley, 1 up; Poskitt beat MacDonald, 5 and 3; B. Paterson beat Tucker, 5 and 4; S. Paterson beat Kennedy, 6 and 5. Semi-finals.— Williamson beat Poskitt, 3 and 2. B. Paterson beat S. Paterson, 4 and 3. Final.— Paterson beat Williamson, 1 up.

Plate.— Semi-finals: Brightwell beat Hayes, 2 and 1; Greenall beat Frazier, 2 up. Final: Greenall beat Brightwell. 5 and 3.