THE PRESS, Christchurch Saturday, March2, 2013 WEEKENDSPORT D5 Hey Lydia! There’s no great rush to join the tour treadmill

‘‘Let’s be careful out there.’’ LYDIA KO’S RECORD IN PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENTS respite but she recognised that But we do know that the tour is Sergeant Phil Esterhaus’s Mark they would lead to a long-term dangerous and that is why there is defining line at the start of each problem. Wright said: ‘‘There’s no an 18 age limit on membership. episode of Hill Street Blues were Reason ■ 2010 ■ 2012 Canadian Women’s Open, 1st relief from your mind’’. There have been too many intended for the dark alleyways of New Zealand Women’s Open, T7th New South Wales Women’s Open, Women’s British Open, T17th In 2010 an American golfer casualties. It can be lonely, bitchy New York City but it could also be 1st called Erica Paige Blasberg killed and unforgiving. applied to the young life of Lydia COMMENT ■ 2011 Australian Ladies Masters, T32nd ■ 2013 herself. She had been a great Catriona Matthew has been out Ko, the greatest young golfer, male New South Wales Women’s Open, Australian Women’s Open, T19th NSW Women’s Open, 2nd teenage golfer but the pro life there a while. Supermum, she won or female, to have played the game. 2nd New Zealand Women’s Open, New Zealand Women’s Open, 1st hadn’t worked out so well. Paige the British Open just a few short It is tempting to shout to the just the human side of perfection. Australian Women’s Open, T12th T17th Australian Women’s Open, 3rd was found asphyxiated with a weeks after giving birth. When whole of New Zealand: ‘‘Go see this And Ko has a distance control that New Zealand Women’s Open, T4th US Women’s Open, T39th LPGA Thailand, T14th plastic bag over her head and six Lexi Thompson, another superkid, kid play. Grab a ticket and join the is unheard of for someone her age. prescription drugs in her system. was denied entry to the British Ko-operative. This kid is super Tiger was nearly 20 before he had She was ‘‘tired of being alone’’. Open on age grounds, Matthew special. You may never see her like his short irons dialled in like Ko’s and it is responsible to protect her She has faced a couple of gnarly her first putt in the fringe grass. Of golf she said: ‘‘I know to said: ‘‘I think probably she’d be again.’’ already are. privacy at so young an age. putts and stroked them into the Her second putts slithers four feet some it’s a dream. To me it’s better off at school. All of this is true. Even now If there is a quibble, it is a slight So if it’s all going so well, what middle. past the hole. Her third putt torture’’. ‘‘She’s certainly proved she’s a only half of New Zealand has worry that she is already going is there to be so careful about? What could possibly go wrong? catches the left lip and spins out. It Her father and coach said: good enough player,but 15 is woken up to how prodigiously cack-handed with some of her Well let’s start with Sunday’s Needing only a bogey 6 for all adds up to an eight and a ‘‘Even though she didn’t want to do maybe just a little to young to talented this 15-year-old schoolgirl putts. The great, great putters finale to the Honda LPGA victory, Jutanugarn goes for the lifetime of regret. it, she got so good, she didn’t have come out on tour. She’s still really truly is. Ko has played in 15 never go there until they are about Thailand. The crowd is pressed green with her second shot after a The poor girl is in tears on her any other choice. It was like she only a child. professional golf tournaments, 60. But hey, Ko hits it so darn close round the final green, waiting for perfect drive but catches a front sister’s shoulder. She says: ‘‘I’m so was trapped in her own life.’’ ‘‘She should be enjoying herself starting at age 12. She has three most of the time, she hardly ever the 17-year-old local heroine to bunker. When she reaches the ball, sad. I didn’t live up to their (a The LPGA Tour is a dangerous more. It’s not like other sports wins, six top threes, eight top 10s needs to putt. walk to victory. It is an easy par Ariya’s happy face melts. The ball nation’s) expectations.’’ place. You can go all the way back where you’re maybe done by 25 to and has never missed a cut. She is The kid also seems remarkably five. There is nothing that Ariya is buried under the lip. A year or two earlier a fine to Laura Baugh, rookie of the year 30. Golf you can keep playing until yards ahead of what anyone else level-headed. Her coach Guy Jutanugarn, dressed in Tiger red, Ariya has to take a penalty Australian golfer called Lindsey in 1973. She ended up an alcoholic, you’re 40. There’s no great rush to her age has achieved. Wilson is clearly pretty sensible cannot do. The kid, recently turned drop, she then thins a long bunker Wright took time away from the headed for the Betty Ford clinic. grow up.’’ Ko has a superb temperament and they have a lot of fun together. pro after failing to top Ko as the shot just off the back of the green game. She suffered from insomnia Maybe that was Baugh’s destiny, That sounds like good advice on the golf course. Her rhythm and Ko stonewalls interviewers. She world’s best amateur, has already and leaves herself a wicked and depression. Two bottles of red whether she had taken up golf or for the greatest teenager to have ball striking consistency hover has every right to as an amateur had a hole-in-one coming home. downhiller to the flag. She leaves wine would offer temporary not. We will never know. ever played the game.

NZOC GOLF Selection Lee hits panel Reigning champ shares lead the front Defending champion New Zea- LEADERBOARD lander Michael Hendry had to New Zealand golfer Danny Lee has settle for a three-way share of the -10: Michael Hendry (NZ) 67 67, shrugged off a missed cut in his changes lead at the halfway point of the NZ (Aus) 69 65, Aaron season-opener last week to fire in a PGA Championships last night, Townsend (Aus) 66 68 seven-under par 64 and take the Marc Hinton but things could have been a lot -9: Rohan Blizard (Aus) 67 68, first-round lead at the US$700,000 worse. (NZ) 69 66, ($NZ845,400) Colombia Champion- New Zealand has a new Olympic Hendry, who is coming off a Michael Long (NZ) 68 67 ship on the Web.com Tour. selection panel, with former bowls runner-up finish at the Queens- -8: Leigh Deagan (Aus) 67 69 The Kiwi No 3 set the early international Mike Kernaghan and land PGA and fourth at the -7: Toshinori Muto (Jpn) 68 69, benchmark at the Country Club de board member Tony Hall moving Heritage Classic, starts the week- Mathew Perry (NZ) 67 70, Scott Bogota in Bogota, bouncing back into the hot seats. end at 10 under along with Laycock from a bogey at the second hole The New Zealand Olympic Australians Aaron Townsend and (Aus) 68 69, Kim Felton (Aus) 67 with eight birdies, including four Committee yesterday announced Curtis Strange. 70, (NZ) 69 68. in succession around the turn their panel for the 2016 cycle, with ‘‘[I’m] still in contention, which before closing out his round with current selector Simon Wickham is great, and hopefully it’s my turn three consecutive birdies. named chairman and joined by to finish things off.’’ morning with a six-under 66, Lee’s morning round held firm experienced sports administrator Hendry looked on course to which has him a shot in arrears at at the top despite charges in the and Commonwealth Games bronze build a handy advantage over the nine under with compatriot afternoon from Americans Sam medallist in bowls Kernaghan and back nine after getting out to 11 Michael Long and Australian Saunders and Shane Bertsch, who Hall, whose background is in under. Rohan Blizard. had to settle for a share of second business, education and economic After six birdies in his first 10 A new three wood has replaced after six-under 65s. development. holes he got the wobbles with a a club he had carried in the bag for Saunders got to eight under par The new panel will select bogey at 11. the past 16 years, and he is in a round that included two eagles athletes for the Sochi Winter A double bogey at the par four benefiting with a lower, softer but he double-bogeyed his last Olympics and Glasgow Common- 14th had him rattle briefly down approach on The Hills’ longer par hole, the par-four ninth, to drop wealth Games in 2014 and the the leaderboard before recovering fives. back behind Lee. Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. with two birdies over the final four Paddison has continued to wear The 22-year-old New Zealander They replace Mike Stanley, holes. the black ribbon on his cap that all is embarking on a full season on president of the NZOC, secretary- He overclubbed his second shot, the players wore during the first the United States second-tier tour general Kereyn Smith and board sending a nine iron into the bank round as a mark of respect as he looks to regain fulltime member Rosemary Nye. that cuddles the green. following the passing of broad- status on the PGA Tour in 2014, ‘‘The members of the 2016 His ball ended up resting caster Phil Leishman. having lost his card after a selection panel have significant against a tree, but he was given a Tee junction: Michael Hendry in action at the NZ PGA Championship at The Hills course in Arrowtown yesterday, sharing the New Zealand’s leading amateur, disappointing rookie season last experience in high performance free drop because it was also next lead with two others. Photo: GETTY IMAGES Vaughan McCall, continued to be year. sport and an in-depth understand- to a small irrigation hose and was troubled by a shoulder injury Meanwhile, New Zealand No 2 ing of the complexities of qualifi- eventually able to get down in six. overnight leaders from the first seven-under 65. ‘‘. . . I played it ‘‘As long as she doesn’t hit it yesterday. Michael Campbell is off the pace cation and selection,’’ said Stanley. After not being happy with his round, his compatriots Adam pretty nice and shot it in six under past me. After carding a five-over 77 on after the opening round of the ‘‘We are especially pleased to game during the opening round he Bland and Matthew Ballard fading so I was pretty happy with that,’’ ‘‘I’ll have to tell her that at the Thursday, he missed the cut with a European Tour’s Tshwane Open in welcome a non-standing board put some work in on Thursday to five under and four under Strange said. first tee box.’’ 72 yesterday. Centurion, near Pretoria in South member to the panel. We know afternoon, but still sees room for respectively. With the amateur field joining Japan’s Toshinori Muto also Australian Brendan Jones, the Africa. Campbell opened with an Mike will bring a considered improvement during the weekend. Strange’s outrageous back nine the professionals at the weekend, threatened before a double bogey 82nd world-ranked player, missed even-par 72, and shares 80th. He is perspective from outside the NZOC ‘‘ I’m hitting my fair share of was the talk of the tournament Strange echoed the fears of any on the 18th had him tumble to the cut after rounds of 67 and 76. seven shots behind the leader, board.’’ good shots . . . but I’m just not as during the afternoon. He turned in professional who plays alongside seven under. Craig Parry, David Smail and South African Darren Fichardt, Typically selectors had been clinical as I want to be.’’ four birdies and an eagle for a 30 world No 1 female amateur Lydia Wellington’s Gareth Paddison Mahal Pearce were other high- who had a seven-under par 65 to appointed from within the board Townsend was the best of the on the back nine on the way to a Ko. led the New Zealand charge in the profile casualties. Fairfax NZ lead by one shot. Fairfax NZ but expressions of interest were sought from the wider sports community. Planning is also under way to appoint a new staff member HOCKEY to focus on selection within the NZOC, Stanley said. The proposed appointment will provide additional resource NZ, Argentina in series decider after draw throughout the qualification, nomination and selection process, supporting both the selectors and New Zealand and Argentina will return of star player Luciana ‘‘A lot of our basic skills yesterday, through Noel Barrion- national sporting organisations. play a series decider today after Aymar. weren’t good in the first half, I uevo, Martina Cavallero and ‘‘Selection is complex and we squaring the fourth women’s It was the second draw of the think it was a lucky halftime Carla Rebecchi, with Anita Punt are confident the additional hockey test 3-3 in Rosario. series and with each team having score. However, second half was and Katie Glynn able to answer resource will assist under- The youthful women’s Black claimed a 4-1 win, the series will pretty solid. We really controlled them. resourced sports in the buildup to Sticks trailed 3-2 after an end-to- be decided in the fifth and final the game, got our structure on Flynn grabbed New Zealand’s games,’’ Stanley said. ‘‘It’s about end first half but they tightened test at 10.30am. attack and defence back. Very third goal and the Kiwis almost making sure our athletes have the up defensively in the second half ‘‘First half was poor, lacked much a game of two halves.’’ pinched the match on fulltime best processes in place . . . as they and found an equaliser through structure and didn’t have flow,’’ The Olympic silver medallists from a penalty corner but they strive for selection at Olympic and Gemma Flynn against an Argen- New Zealand coach Mark Hager and world No 2-ranked hosts were thwarted by the home Commonwealth Games.’’ Fairfax NZ tina side strengthened by the said. scored three times in the first half keeper.

NEW BRIGHTON RUGBY CLUB Junior Registration Dates: Mon 4th March 6pm to 8pm Weds 6th March 6pm to 8pm Sun 10th March 10am to 12 noon Weds 13th March 6pm to 8pm Registration $30 per Child or $50 per Family. FREE RUGBY BALL for the first 250 Kids Registered All Junior Grades - Under 6 to Under 15 Welcome. Contact: Junior Club Captain Riki Bolton Ph 03 980 4188 or MLB 021 910 226 email - [email protected] www.newbrightonrugby.co.nz CRUSADERS VISIT NEW BRIGHTON RUGBY CLUB. Monday 4th March 6pm to 8pm POWERBUILT TOOLS RACEWAY, MARCH 9/10 Everyone Welcome. BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW NEW BRIGHTON RFC WWW.TICKETPROS.CO.NZ Rawhiti Ave, New Brighton

5199415AA 5219280AA