Golf: Harbour's Meti makes new mark

Rising golfer Phillis Meti has already distinguished herself in numerous other sports. Picture / Kenny Rodger

As North Harbour captured the women's interprovincial golf championship at Ngaruawahia last week, spectators were impressed by the power of the Harbour number five, Phillis Meti.

She boomed out the drives on the windswept course as Harbour beat Bay of Plenty 3-2 to win the title for the third time in the past four years.

Meti's power should have been no surprise. She is a former national age-group shot and discus champion with an impressive record in a range of sports.

In 2002 she represented New Zealand at the Australian Youth Olympics, finishing fourth in the shot and seventh in the discus. Later she was third in both disciplines in the Oceania championships in Samoa and fourth in the shot and eighth in the discus at the Commonwealth youth championships in Bendigo, Australia.

At Epsom Girls Grammar she was in the winning dragon boat crew. She has competed at club level in outriggers and as a netballer has played for College Rifles, the Auckland Diamonds development side and the Auckland Waitakere under-19 team, who were third in the nationals. But golf has become her priority. She has played the game since she was 12 at Redwood Park, where her father, Raz, is also a member. She has brought her handicap down from seven at the beginning of the year to two with the help of her coaches, Zane Nicholson and James Kupa.

After leaving school she has been involved in the golf programme at Unitec with an eye to making golf her career. "I've put athletics on hold for the moment," she said. "I still keep in touch with my coach but golf is my priority.

"Maybe strength training has helped my golf but it's more about timing. I've really improved my short game, which used to let me down. When I get into trouble it's there to save me."

North Harbour development manager Pam Sowden, herself a successful professional in Europe, says Meti hits the ball a long way but is still young in her game.

"She is a fantastic striker of the ball with a high ball flight," she said. "When she fires, she really fires."

Meti had three losses on the way to the semifinals at Ngaruawahia, but she showed her competitive spirit as Harbour walloped Auckland 5-0 in difficult conditions to make the final.

She won her match in the final 7 and 6, including a chip-in birdie at the seventh, and was able to cheer the rest of the team home. "I think having somebody finish early really lifted up the girls," she said. It certainly worked. Catherine Mitchell won 6 and 4 and Mi Kyung Kim kept her unbeaten record for the week, 5 and 4. The final was already Harbour's when Jenna Hirst lost 3 and 1 and Sharon Ahn was beaten by Penny Newbrook on the last green.

At 1.83m tall, Meti can look to the success of American superstar Michelle Wie. Her own ambitions are to head overseas to play in Australia or Japan.