McDonald strides out against NZ’s top pros

Tessa McDonald, the No.1 women’s player in Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay, started the NZPGA Championship in Te Puke yesterday with a round of 7-over 79. File picture

GOLF

GISBORNE golfer Tessa McDonald is mixing it with many of the country’s top professional and amateur players at the NZPGA Championship in Te Puke this week.

McDonald, the No.1 women’s player in Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay, started the tournament yesterday with a round of 7-over 79.

She was sitting in 88th equal place in a high quality field topped yesterday by professional Josh Geary, who fired 7-under 65 for a one-stroke lead.

The women are playing a 5401-metre course while the men are off the 6183m championship tees.

McDonald is also a member of the Hawke’s Bay side competing in the inaugural Rohe Trophy championships teams competition in conjunction with the NZPGA.

The Hawke’s Bay team comprise 2006 Poverty Bay Open champion and joint Poverty Bay course recordholder Pieter Zwart, Mako Thompson and McDonald.

Zwart shot 69 and Thompson 73 yesterday, both struggling on the back nine holes after sizzling front nines of 32.

Hawke’s Bay were tied for ninth with Bay of Plenty at 2-under, Zwart and Thompson’s rounds making up the total and McDonald’s a non-counter.

The Te Puke team of Geary, Jessica Greent (69), James Tauariki (71) and Jared Pender (74) led on 10-under.

McDonald is playing more big events this year as she pushes to see where her golf can take her.

She competed at the New Zealand strokeplay at Paraparaumu course last month, carding a 23-over 307 (76, 76, 82, 73) to finish 16th in the women’s championship won by Aucklander Vivian Lu (282).