By STACEY BODGER
Eight-year-old Zoe-Beth Brake is so crazy about golf she putts on the lounge carpet and tees off in the paddocks of her family's farm near Whakatane.
The tiny golfer, who convinced her parents to let her take up the sport two years ago, aged six, is competing in her first major tournament.
At just over 4ft and weighing 32kg, Zoe-Beth is half the size of some of her competitors in the PGF North Island Girls Age Group Tournament.
But size is not a barrier - she is lying fifth in the under-13 division of the under-19 tournament and hopes to make the placings by scoring under her personal best of 106 in today's round.
Like all her girlfriends, Zoe-Beth was netball-mad until the day she went with her golfer mother, Janet, to the Whakatane Golf Club and decided to swap sports.
"I'm trying to be someone like Tiger Woods because he hits the ball a long way and nearly always wins," said Zoe-Beth. "I sometimes practise on the carpet or in the paddocks but if the grass is long, it's really hard to find the balls again."
Mrs Brake, whose relatives are well-known Bay of Plenty golfers, said she enjoyed watching her daughter play.
"She's got a real talent, but it strikes me how tiny she is when I see her on the course with her custom-made clubs."
Zoe-Beth's coach, Whakatane Golf Club professional Grant James, said she was a "great all-rounder."
Playing off a 35 handicap, Zoe-Beth shot a net 73 in yesterday's round, after a 74-shot round on Monday. The tournament ends today.
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