Paterson off to Malaysia

Press, 13 May 1989, Page 92

Paterson off to Malaysia

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Brent Paterson is “reasonably happy” with his form, in spite of his recent lack of hard competition and his truancy from the practice fairways, on the eve of his departure to Kuala Lumpur to represent New Zealand in the Malaysian amateur golf open.

Paterson will leave tomorrow for Auckland where he will join the Waikato junior, Michael Long, his team-mate for the 72-hole stroke event on the Palm course at the Saujana Golf and Country Club.

The Canterbury No. 1 has been able to gauge his progress by playing a round at Shirley each Saturday and he has no complaints. . “I haven’t touched a

club from Monday to Friday for the last three to four weeks and I haven’t

been on the practice fairways either. “But I almost won a 36hole net tournament re-

cently with scores of 70 and 71 and I shot 72 off the back tees at Shirley and that included two three-putts. In another round I had six or seven birdies.” Paterson’s last competition was the Coringa 36hole open on April 23, an event he won by five strokes. “Lack of tournament play may count against me, but I think I have things under control. We have three days before the open starts and that will be of benefit.” Paterson is not worried by the expected sharp rise in temperatures. “I like the heat, it can get as hot as it likes, it suits me.” Paterson, aged 28 and a regular New Zealand representative since 1982, has been stricken by a virus in the last week, but

he feels that the worst of his illness is over.

® One of Canterbury’s and New Zealand’s leading juniors, Lyndon Cron, has been accepted at the state University of Ohio and will start his college life in September. Cron, aged 19, was the Canterbury reserve at the Government Life national inter-provincial tournament two years ago and spent several months in the United States the next year. This season Cron staked strong claims for inclusion in the province’s five-man team by finishing runner-up in the South Island championship and reaching the semi-finals of the Canterbury matchplay event. Last month he was a quarter-finalist in the New Zealand amateur championship.