At +4.5 she's easily the lowest handicapper in Monday's field, although teammates Caryn Khoo (0.7), Celyn Khoo (2.2) and Daniel Crichton (5.2) are no slugs on the fairway either.
Each team's best three scores count over 36 holes of gross strokeplay, Pakuranga's advantage amplified by having their three females play off Tauranga's red tees, with a two-shot allowance on their male rivals who are off the back-blue tees.
Neal and his Tauranga Boys' College teammates have been spending plenty of time working out the nuances of the par-70 layout (although it'll be par-69 next week with the 8th hole shortened to a par-3 and the 17th playing as a par-4) and plan to take an uncomplicated formula on to the course.
"Three of us need to par every hole and someone going low would help too," Neal said. "It isn't a course to smash driver on every hole because you need to be on the fairway to score well."
Neal, who played championship pennants for Otumoetai, is on a 2.1 handicap, with Jin Hwang on 3.4, Charlie Hiller on 5.4 and James Cannon 5.0.
Tauranga Boys' have been at the club each Monday working as a team with club pros Mark Leach and Jay Carter, and Richard Craven, an old boy of the school.
"All three have given freely of their time and have been great, breaking the course into six-hole blocks and really helping the boys analyse the hitting areas and working on course management," said team manager Neil Howard.
"They realise at Tauranga you need to back away from the tendency to pull out a driver on every hole.
"Home course advantage has to count for something and the contribution of each team's third player will be key, as will the par-threes, which all play in different directions, each with their own features and characteristics."
Tauranga Boys' won the right to represent Bay of Plenty for the third time in five years in Taupo back in April when they won the district decider by three shots, three scores of 76 enough to hold off Otumoetai, Mt Maunganui and Rotorua Boys' High. Hwang is also the Super 8 golf champion, winning by five shots at Poverty Bay.
New Zealand secondary schools golf champs teams:
Whangarei Boys' High: Kadin Neho, Sean Masters, Luke Brown, Ethan O'Shea.
Westlake Boys' High: Jason Gulasekharam, Jared Bellas, Jayson Zulch, Harry Yang.
Pakuranga College: Cecilia Cho, Caryn Khoo, Celyn Khoo, Daniel Crichton.
St Peters College: Troy Scott, Compton Pikari, Matt Morris, Agni Bhokar.
Tauranga Boys' College: Cameron Neal, James Cannon, Charlie Hillier, Jin Hwang.
New Plymouth Boys' High: Sanjay Modgill, Jay Maaka, Charlie Boon, Brad McLachlan.
Hastings Boys' High: Max Gill, Hamish Carruthers, Povoa Kaa, Joshua Dasent.
Gisborne Boys' High: Peta Westrupp, Danny Gibbs, Daniel Marsh, Taine Lincoln.
Tu Toa College: Kaylin Huwyler, Rhys Harold, Keita Durie, Te Wetini Amaru-Tibble.
Wairarapa College: Brayden Mazey, Adam Ross, Kerry Mountcastle, Katie Smart.
Nelson College: Nick Loach, Ben Norrish, Daniel Allan.
St Bede's College: Jordan Bakermans, Michael McAuley, Shaun Allan, Jack Harlin.
Ashburton College: Jordan Green, Catherine Bell, Josh Smith, Troi Kingsford.
Otago Boys' High: Thomas Facer, Kayne Wardell, Ryan Littlejohn, Thomas Griffin.
