Amelia Garvey, 16, of Christchurch, lifts the IQ of amateur golf every time she tees up. PHOTO/www.bwmedia
Some golfers like to stay in the leading bunch before making a charge on the final day but not Mark Hutson and Amelia Garvey in the New Zealand Strokeplay Championship in Hastings this week.
Hutson, of Auckland, raised the bar on day one with 67 in persistent drizzle at the Hastings Golf Club but yesterday maintained his lead with a 69 on the par-72 course at Bridge Pa.
"It can always be quite hard to follow up with another good round but I'm just basically trying to give myself as many opportunities as possible," said the 20-year-old plus-three handicapper from Muriwai Golf Club who will be among almost half the field after a cull for today's 7.45am start.
"I definitely like to be in front than trailing. I don't mind having a bit of a lead. If I play badly other people can catch up with me but if I play well I feel I can stay ahead of everyone else," said Hutson, a right hander.
The men's cut was made on six-over par with 64 players going on to the second stage after ideal conditions yesterday.
Asked what worked for him, Hutson said he found a lot of greens which gave him multiple opportunities to convert into six birdies.
It's not a case of waking up and wishing the sun will be aligned with the moon and stars but actually working methodically towards peaking for the marquee events.
"You sort of go out and play really well but you try to manage your game for these type of big events," says the North Harbour amateur who is in the hunt for his maiden national bragging rights after clinching the South Island Strokeplay a fortnight ago.
With half a dozen strokeplay nationals under his belt, Hutson's best finish was fifth at the Paraparaumu nationals in 2015.
Daniel Hillier (Manor Park Golf Club) on six under is two shots behind Hutson. Henry Spring (Whakatane Golf Club) and Nick Coxon (Riverside Golf Club) are on five under and Luke Brown (Northland Golf Club) on three under.
The rain forecast this weekend doesn't faze Hutson considering he is accustomed to the four-seasons-in-one-day-type of weather which has hardened his resolve.
"I don't mind playing in the wind and rain," said the bloke who played here in the 2012 tourney and rates the course highly.
Hutson said the course suits his game but finding real estate on approaches on a longish course was imperative.
His putting was on fire and something he found was the difference on what he entered in his scorecard.
"Because of the rain we've had, the greens haven't been as fast as they were on the practice green so I'm not finding them overly fast."
Patience, Hutson said, was important going into the final two days.
"There are a lot of fine players behind me so I'll have to keep going."
An employee of JK World of Golf at Auckland airport, Hutson hasn't got anything set in stone on turning professional.
A grinning Garvey, of Christchurch, also relished taking the outright lead in the women's tourney with a scorching course-record equalling seven-under 67 on a par-74 challenge.
"I just played pretty smart off the tee today and got into positions to attack for the flags and got pretty close in on a couple of holes so I didn't really miss many putts, really," said the 16-year-old from Kaiapoi Golf Club.
Smart, by the way, equals only taking out the driver three or four times yesterday as she reached more often for her three wood.
"It's playing pretty short for us so it's all about standing on the fairway and pitching in with a pitch or nine iron so you can still control the ball," said Garvey pointing out there was no point in getting oneself into trouble.
Trouble, by the way, equals getting a ball stuck up a tree to end up with a double bogey and three putting while adjusting to the green speed on day one but a rain-free yesterday had ignited her putter.
"I just play my own game," said England-born Garvey who arrived in New Zealand aged 4 but has a tensile template from competing overseas alongside elite golfers. "When I play my best I can compete against all of them."
She picked up a set of plastic golf clubs her father bought when she was 6 but at 12 competitions beckoned so she dropped soccer at an elite level because the demands of training at Burnside High School ate into her study time.
"My cousin in England, Jamie Tipper, is a professional so it runs in the genes," she said of the 30-year-old who also coaches.
Turning professional isn't something the teenager has had to think twice about.
"Yeah, that's the goal, eh," she said with a laugh. "You've got to make some money out of it."
Garvey hasn't decided whether she would go to university after her final year at school but accepts it'll be a huge decision in the next couple of months.
Going to the United States for a playing university scholarship as a back-up plan is among the options.
"Either way I'll be playing a lot of golf and, hopefully, at a high level."
Garvey won the South Island Strokeplay a couple of months ago in Dunedin at the hilly St Clair Golf Club course.
"It'll be awesome to get the job done this week and get the national title with the South Island one as well," she said.