Golf: Pender scores slice of history

Jared Pender played the final three holes in five under par to fire 29 on the back nine at the Tauranga Golf Club.Photo/John Borren

Jared Pender needed something special for a slice of history as he stood on the 16th tee at the Tauranga Golf Club during a practice round last week.

Seven under the card with three holes to play, he pulled a Taylormade driver making its second loop out of the bag that had barely graced a fairway all day.

The new stick found its mark down 16, before Pender jarred a sandwedge from 99 metres for a two to get to nine-under.

The 17th brought another fairway and another eagle, as well as a flock of players and course staff who had heard what was happening down Tauranga's closing stretch.

Pender found the right rough 45 metres short of the 18th green off the tee, before almost pulling off the incredible.

His approach landed a metre short of the hole before rattling the flag, coming to rest about eight feet from the pin and an unofficial tie for the course record with fellow New Zealand professional Richard Lee.

The putt was no gimme - a downhill sideways slider in front of a growing crowd and the camera phone of coach Jay Carter.

"Jay was out there videoing me, saying 'Jared Pender for 59'," Pender said. "I was nervous, it was pretty good. It's gutting it wasn't in a competition, but I still know I had a 59."

Pender admitted he had thought 59 was out of the question after a number of missed opportunities on the back nine.

"I made par on two and seven - two of the easier holes. I was five-under at the turn and birdied 10, then made par on 11.

"I held about a 20-footer on 12 and thought 'here we go', but then I parred 13 and missed a 10-footer on 14 and parred 15."

Then his driver woke up, his wedges got hot, his borrowed blades sat largely idly by and his Yes! putter did the rest.

All up, he hit three fairways, 16 greens and had a silly 23 putts, including those from the fringes that did not require a pet eight-iron bump and run.

Promising Bay rep Karl Knedler had three birdies and three bogeys - including one at the last - to shoot an even-par score of 71. He said it felt like 90.

Pender plans on taking the ball out of his bag so he does not use it in practice rounds before he leaves for an assault on the Queensland Order of Merit in a week.