Golf: Deam completes winning exits from amateur ranks

Sara Deam collects the silverware at the end of the Maraenui Open. Photo/Duncan Brown

Relief enveloped the face of Hawke's Bay golfer Sara Deam as she exited the fairways of the Maraenui Golf Club's course yesterday.

"I've been trying for five years for this one so it was good to get it in my final attempt," Puketitiri two handicapper Deam said as she reflected on her 2 up victory over host club stalwart and three handicapper Kathy Olsen in the final of the 54-hole Maraenui Open.

"Those two titles at the New Zealand Maori Championships were the perfect send off from the amateur ranks on the national stage and this weekend was the ideal send off from the provincial stage. It's been an awesome two weeks," Deam, 24, said referring to her winning of the strokeplay and matchplay titles at the national Maori tournament in Taupo the previous week.

"The amount of local people supporting me was crazy. I suppose I am part of the furniture here at Maraenui now," Deam said.

Deam has worked for Maraenui professional Scott Overend for the past year and next month will start her professional coaching apprenticeship at the Maraenui club's Golf Matters Pro Shop.

"I was thrilled Scott gave me the weekend off as it meant I didn't have to worry about work as I set out to improve on last year's second placing to Waikato's Julie Gee," Deam said.

Against Olsen Deam hit a three-over par 77.

"Kathy and I both played well. It was a seesaw-type match which could have gone either way. Kathy was 1 under the card for the first nine but we were still all square. I always managed to get back to 1 up when she closed the gap," Deam recalled.

Deam produced a par round in her 5 and 4 semifinal win against Manawatu six handicapper Lilly Griffin. Deam described Griffin as an " up and coming teenager."

She opened the weekend with a round of her 79 in her 3 and 2 quarter-final win against Cambridge 6 handicapper Sian Stevenson. Deam had former Maraenui player Paris Brown on her bag during the weekend.

In addition to her professional coaching apprenticeship Deam, who took up golf as a 17-year-old, intends to continue with the coaching and managing of Hawke's Bay representative teams.

"My priority is to boost the female playing numbers here in the Bay. I remember when I cane through the ranks there were heaps of girls playing . . . I want to see those days return."

"There's talk Hawke's Bay will be hosting the Toro inter-provincials in a couple of years' time. My dream is to have a team ready to be competitive in that."

The Sacred Hill Winery-sponsored tournament attracted 99 players from 26 clubs throughout the North Island. Olsen won the shootout and her clubmate Cheryl Ranford won the award for the best overall stableford over two rounds with 85 points.

Division two honours went to Trish McBride of the Riverside club in Hamilton, Marton's Jenny Ritchie won division three, Maraenui's Brenda Thomas division four, Rotorua's Marian Irvine division five, Apiti's Kathleen Henderson division six and Puketitiri's Helen Donald division seven.