Golf: Jarred wrist hampers Fox at Muriwai

So close: Ryan Fox dropped shots on two of the last six holes. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Auckland amateur has to settle for share of first place with five others

A jarred wrist in the closing holes threw Auckland amateur Ryan Fox out of his rhythm as he threatened to get a break on the field in the first round of the Muriwai Open yesterday.

With the rain and wind of Wednesday replaced by blue skies and a slight breeze, there were 47 scores under the par of 72. Fox was six under after 11 holes heading for the lead.

He dropped shots on two of his last six holes and settled for a five under 67 and a share of first place with professionals Mahal Pearce and Michael Hendry and amateurs Scott Manyweathers, Steven Heyes and Peter Spearman-Burn.

Fox, from the Royal Auckland Club, finished third in the Tauranga round of the Charles Tour two weeks ago.

"Tauranga gave me a lot of confidence and I hit it really good. If I'd holed a couple of putts, it could have been anything," said Fox. "I jarred my wrist with a few holes to play and lost it a bit."

North Harbour professional Hendry finished second at Tauranga, but took the prize-money behind the amateur winner, Ben Campbell. He had six birdies and dropped only one shot yesterday afternoon when his ball was plugged in a bunker on the par-three 11th.

"I've been going really well for the past 15 months after changing some of my techniques," said Hendry.

He was in Korea last week, making the cut in a OneAsia tour event, and flies back on Sunday at the close of play at Muriwai. Pearce, NZ Open winner in 2003, has also been playing in Korea.

Wellingtonian Spearman-Burn has happy memories of the West Auckland course where he won the North Island title a couple of years ago in mixed conditions and Manyweathers, who now plays out of the North Shore Club, was a member at Muriwai for a year.

Heyes, an 18-year-old from Taranaki, was a member of two New Plymouth Boys High championship-winning teams. He was bogey-free in his 67.

Among a host of other outstanding scores, Westlake Boys' teenager Cameron Jones shot 68 with another amateur, Pieter Zwart from Waipukurau, and professionals Dale Clarke, Marcus Wheelhouse, Richard Lee, Ben Guilford and Doug Holloway.

Former world long-driving champion Phillis Meti had 69. The women amateurs, who will play 54 holes, produced 70s for Cecilia Cho and Emily Perry.

The whole field will play 18 holes today before the cut to 60 and ties. On today's form - and weather - that could be one over par.