Golf: Gates leads into final day

Robert Gates of the US plans to stay positive today. Photo / Getty Images

If first impressions really do count, then American golfer Robert Gates has already won over many new admirers ahead of today's final round of the New Zealand Open.

The tall Texan has the cushy comfort of a three-shot lead entering the last round, when he looks odds-on to become just the 13th player in Nationwide Tour history to win his maiden tour outing.

Gates, who has shared or had sole ownership of the lead after every round, posted a bold and confident four-under-par 68 yesterday to give himself plenty of breathing space when he bids to go all the way and collect the US$108,000 winner's cheque.

That left him on 16-under for the championship, three ahead of Andrew Dodt, who posted 70, with a further two strokes back to another Australian Michael Curtain, who shot 68.

Former PGA Tour member Mark Hensby, of Melbourne, put himself into the mix with a flawless 66, the day's best score, as he improved from a tie for 38th to fourth equal alongside compatriot Matthew Griffin and American Kevin Chappell.

Phil Tataurangi, the leading New Zealander, shelled two shots late in his round to sign for a 71, which left him sharing seventh place.

Gates, 24 and with one season on the low-key Canadian Tour behind him, had already imposed himself on the US$600,000 championship with opening rounds of 65 and 67 and interest yesterday centred on how long he could keep his nose in front.

He was more than up to it as a brisk southwesterly wind fanned the course, responding to the first of two bogeys at the par-four 11th by peeling off four successive birdies to leave his rivals gasping for air.

He didn't have time to make amends for the only other slip up, after bogeying the last when failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker.

"Eighteen was playing extremely difficult straight into the teeth of the wind and it was disappointing to bogey that but that will give me a little fire for the morning," he said.

Aside from those two dropped shots, Gates barely put a foot wrong, with his run of four successive birdies on the back nine coming courtesy of spookily accurate iron play.

He is comfortable having a target on his back tomorrow.

"It's just golf. It is a different scenario, a different situation but at the end of the day there are 18 holes and I need to go out, stay aggressive and make as few mistakes as possible."

Tataurangi, a one-time PGA Tour winner in 2002, stumbled towards the finish, dropping one stroke at the 16th before shelling another at the par-five 17th, when his tee shot veered left into a water hazard and his long par putt sat on the edge of the hole.

It was a tame end to a round of promise when he had been three-under after birdieing the short par-four 15th.

"I had been there or thereabouts all day and mental errors at 16 and 17 meant costly bogeys," Tataurangi said.

The other New Zealanders to survive the second round failed to fire.

Gareth Paddison was the best of them with a two-under 70, despite a double bogey at the 16th, to be 34th equal. He was one shot behind Josh Geary and two shy of David Smail and Brad Iles.

- NZPA