Golf: Triumph a day of firsts for Andrew Green

Andrew Green was the toast of New Zealand golf and his Shandon club in Wellington after winning the national matchplay final in Christchurch yesterday.

Green, 22, overcame defending champion Mitchell Brown, from the Bankstown club in New South Wales, 1-up in the 36-hole transtasman final.

It was the same margin as last year, when Brown downed countryman Andrew Dodt at Hokowhitu in Palmerston North.

Green's victory was the first by a New Zealander in the matchplay championship since 2001, the first by a Wellington amateur since John Durry prevailed at Paraparaumu Beach in 1979 and the first by a Shandon golfer.

Durry, a long-time Wellington selector, phoned Green on Saturday night with words of encouragement, telling him to "be yourself, see the shots then play them".

For most of the 36 holes at the Coringa Country Club Green did just that, playing many precise approaches and putting with confidence.

It was tense on the back nine: Green's 4-up lead after 25 holes was whittled back to 1-up after 30.

But he matched Brown, runner-up in the Australian amateur a fortnight ago, shot for shot on the last six holes.

When Brown was in trouble off the last tee, Green played a superb wedge to 4m below the hole and had the luxury of two putts to stay 1-up and take the title.

A Wellington representative for the past six years, Green has been a consistent performer without taking centre stage.

His main wins were the Wellington under-23 and strokeplay titles last year. In his five previous attempts at the New Zealand championship he failed to make the top-32 cut.

"I'm really, really happy and relieved it's over. I knew I was against a world-class player and had underdog status, but I concentrated on what I had to do and not what he was doing."

Green, the 22nd qualifier and conqueror of New Zealand internationals Mark Smith and Mark Purser before eliminating Australian amateur champion Tim Stewart in the semifinals, said he knew Brown would come back and was pumped up for the arm-wrestle over the last six holes.

"I hit a few errant shots and had a few putts sit on the edge near the end, but he missed a few chances and that's golf," Green said.

Both players produced some stunning play. Green was five-under at the end and Brown four-under.

Green took the lead for the first time at the 13th hole and never surrendered it. He started the second 18 holes 1-up and had four birdies in the first five holes to go 4-up after 23.

Typically, Brown came back strongly, but Green held firm and earned his place in New Zealand amateur golf history.

- NZPA