Peter Williams: Holloway is a major prospect

A few reflections on the second Taranaki Open...

1 Doug Holloway is an outstanding prospect to be a really successful professional. He said being overlooked for the New Zealand team to the Asia Pacific Championships last month and the Southern Cross Cup next week hastened his decision to turn pro in January. But if any of the current generation of top amateurs is ready to play for money, it's Holloway.

The Hawke's Bay boy, who'll be 22 this week, is blessed with a stronger natural physique than most of his contemporaries. On a lush golf course at Ngamotu he hit two mighty blows to the green at the 527m 10th, where the second shot must carry all the way. He reached the 17th, which measures 404m, with a drive and a sand wedge. Maybe I'm a bit overexcited because I saw him make five birdies in 10 holes but any amateur who can beat tournament pros like Richard Best, Marcus Wheelhouse and Steve Gordon deserves some noise to be made about him.

2 Why were officials or representatives from New Zealand Golf not present? Chief executive Larry Graham said he's 100 per cent behind Greg Turner's concept of Golf Tour New Zealand tournaments, where amateurs and pros play alongside each other. If so, why not have the chairman, some board members or senior staff there to watch the operation and provide the encouragement for Taranaki Golf to keep the tournament thriving?

3 If the New Zealand Golf people, both men and women, were absent from Taranaki, should Greg Turner have justifiable concerns about the New Zealand Strokeplay and the North and South Island Championships being folded into GTNZ? Turner, who's personal cash contribution to GTNZ so far has been in excess of $200,000, is not prepared to keep funding the scheme if top-level verbal support is not matched by action. He thought he had an undertaking that the country's top amateur strokeplay events would become part of GTNZ and hoped it would have happened this year. Now he's far from certain even about next year.

4 Was the scheduling of the National U-19 Championships on the same weekend a good idea? If the idea of GTNZ is to get our best young talent together then a date clash like that is hardly appropriate.

5 The tournament could have done with at least one player bringing a slightly higher profile and playing pedigree. Maybe David Smail could have come down for a day or two as guest of honour.

6 This club golfer was once more firmly put in his place about the difference between those who play for a living or will do so in the future.

Long, lush rough and tight pin positions can quickly add a few shots to a course's degree of difficulty. At least I can say I didn't shoot in the 80s. But sadly I was in the 70s only in one round before I missed the cut.