Golf: Hastings accountant balances book on big hitters at women's Masters

HBPB Masters (clockwise, bottom left) Fiona Ellis, Kathy Olsen, Janie Field and Martha Manaena.

Smiling assassin Martha Manaena had the yips with her trusty putter but that didn't stop the Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay women from finishing fifth in the New Zealand Masters yesterday.

The team of top seed Janie Field (Napier GC), No 2 Kathy Olsen (Maraenui GC), No 3 Manaena (Hastings GC), No 4 Fiona Ellis (Hastings GC) spearheaded HBPB to 92 points at the Ngaruawahia Golf Club course.

"We're absolutely delighted and it's just good to have been part of the team on the first day," said Ellis who posted the second highest score 29 among all the No 2s and No 3s in the field of the par-73 course in Waikato.

Olsen top scored for HBPB with 34 points, Field matched Ellis while Manaena's score was the non-counting one after she "hexed herself" to 39 putts.

Northland and Waikato are sharing the day-one honours with 100 points although Auckland are nipping at their heels on 99 and Bay of Plenty have posted 95.

"Kathy was very solid with 34 but Janie had three no-pointers [three non-scoring holes], which is the same as me," Ellis said.

"We putted well because it's very difficult here and very fast and, I think, that's where Martha kind of wobbled a bit but it's only day one," said the Hastings amateur who turned 54 on Friday last week.

A former president of the HBPB association, the six handicapper is competing in her third Masters and didn't do anything magical.

"I just played within myself and got some long-range approaches so, yeah, it all worked out."

For Ellis it was traditionally a humbling experience when teeing off the mound against the bigger hitters in the daunting field.

"I know exactly how far I can hit with every club in my bag," said the self-employed accountant who tended to meticulously plot her way around the course.

She employs her woods and hybrids to tame the fairways on the way to the prime real estate.

"Like my putting average wasn't good today but I got on a lot of greens on regulation because I have some very. very good long approaches."

Ellis confessed to making a very shaky start.

"I was nervous. I double-bogeyed the first hole so I thought, 'Right, I'm just going to pull myself together now because I know I can do this'.

"I just got on to the job to prove to the other big hitters that I; m worthy of being part of this tournament."

The course was dewy in the morning but the region turned on a ideal day for golf.

"There's been a lot of rain but they have brought the course up to an amazing standard," she said, noting the drastic change from playing long in Thursday's practice round.

Yesterday they had a 15cm placement but Ellis suspected that preferred line would end today.