Golf: Zwart clinches title in Gisborne

Pieter Zwart was driving back last night with no cellphone reception, but former Hawke's Bay amateur teammate Daniel Pearce summed it up.

"I had eight birdies in the first 12 holes and then had a bad finish at the end," Pearce said after fellow professional Zwart, of Waipukurau, clinched the Poverty Bay Pro-Am, in Gisborne, yesterday.

"Pieter shot an eight-under score and I could only do a three-under one," said Pearce, on his way back to Auckland where he married and settled.

The professionals have a rest until next month when they play in a pro-am at Hawera and in a Charles Tour event at Taranaki.

Zwart's eight-under par round of 64 yesterday held on by the one shot from a bunch of players who were making charges all over the course.

His was nine-under par through his first 14 holes but marred his excellent card with a bogey on his last hole, the par four ninth.

Dunedin's Mahal Pearce was on track to tie with Zwart when he made four straight birdies from 14 to 17 but a bogey on the 18th hole had him one short on 65.

Tauranga's Jared Pender was impressive with his seven-under par round of 65, seven birdies and no errors.

Turning through nine three-under the card, he reeled off four more birdies in a row from 10 through 13, and was a bit disappointed to only par it home from there.

Aucklander Joonsang Chung and Richard Lee, of North Harbour, were tied fourth on 66. Chung was off to a fast start, making birdies on his first three holes, got to seven-under par after 14 but made bogey on the par-four 15th hole.

Lee was also in with a big chance when he got to seven under the card through 13 holes, but a bogey on 17 had him come up short of the leaders.