Golf: HBPB cause upset of tourney

HAPPY CAMPERS: HBPB amateur rep golfers Angela Jones (left), Tessa McDonald, Jaimie McIvor, Sara Deam and Janie Field after they beat Waikato in New Plymouth yesterday. PHOTO/SUE SOWERBY

BY her own admission, Jaimie McIvor isn't really finding as much traction as she would have liked to on the man-made Garden of Eden lately.

As a chartered accountant with BDO Central North Island in Napier, McIvor has been struggling to find time to put in the effort she used to to earn the right to play as a Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay women's representative amateur golfer at No 2 or No 3 seed.

Consequently the 26-year-old Maraenui Golf Club member has been playing at No 5 at the Toro Women's Interprovincials in New Plymouth this week.

Having registered two wins in her new berth, she is relishing the lower stress levels of the rearguard, as opposed to the front, although against high-flying Auckland and Canterbury it was a different story where she could differentiate between the calibre of players.

"You're under more pressure [at No 2 or No 3] because you want to do well and lead the team through," she said yesterday after losing 2 down to Jasmine Rou in the 4.5-0.5 flogging at the hands of the defending champions Canterbury in the morning at Westown GC and beating Katherine Janphanich 3 and 2 in the emphatic 3-2 victory over Waikato in the arvo.

HBPB No 3 Sara Deam was the only one to halve against Canterbury while No 2 Tessa McDonald, of Gisborne, maintained the best form in the team with a 2 and 1 win over former HBPB veteran Jill Morgan in Waikato colours after a crushing 5 and 4 defeat to Canterbury's Juliana Hung.

Veteran Janie Field, at No 4, ground down Waikato's Zeta Syme 3 and 2.

While it is a little blow to the ego for higher seeds to drop to No 5, McIvor has no qualms about it because that's how everyone performed during their trials.

"We're working the most out of all the other girls so we don't have much time as them.

"Honestly those other girls outplayed me this year."

Besides, McIvor has never played at No 1 and isn't even prepared to accommodate any such thoughts as Angela Jones gallantly remains in the hunt for her first victory against the big guns, after a heavy 5 and 3 loss to Canterbury's Amelia Garvey as well as a 6 and 4 punishment at the hands of Waikato's Chantelle Cassidy in her maiden No 1 ranking.

"Oh my god, I never want to be on the very top. I haven't been No 1 but I know how hard it is there," she said, taking her cap off to McDonald and Deam who have been soldiering on.

McIvor sank her putts yesterday on a rain-punctuated day "and held it together although I didn't play well but I played well enough".

But she put her victory in perspective by disclosing Janphanich was about 12 or 13 years old.

So did she feel like she was bullying the teenager?

"I did feel like I was a little bit," she said but mindful one had to put such emotions aside and do what's best for the collective, especially if it's the biggest upset so far at the tourney.

HBPB have moved up to the fourth rung of division one's standings and are aware Auckland and Canterbury face off this afternoon.

They have a bye this morning and play last-placed winless Otago in the afternoon.

"It'll be good to get them out of the way," she said before their final fling against Aorangi tomorrow.

However, they have been warned matches may be halted if the course becomes too saturated considering there'll be heavy falls from 4am to 6am before easing to showers through to 4pm.