But, on reflection, he believes his limited build up probably worked in his favour in that he went into the tournament in a relaxed frame of mind, and played accordingly.
"I didn't really feel the pressure, I just concentrated on doing the best I could and fortunately I didn't hit too many bad shots," van Zanten said.
He led at the halfway stage after a 72 for the first 18 holes and his 74 in the afternoon was just enough to keep the hard-chasing Mazey and Pegg at bay.
The making of several tricky putts, including the last one, was a big help to the cause and he was also happy with his accuracy off the tees, an attribute which meant he seldom had to play out of the rough.
Next year van Zanten will be attending Massey University in Palmerston North to study psychology and sports and exercise science.
While his studies will take precedence over anything else, the Wellington senior and age group representative says he hopes he will manage to play golf to a level where he remains a contender for inter-provincial selection.
