Golf: Paddison third in first outing as a pro

BRISBANE - New Zealand rookie professional Gareth Paddison showed fine composure in windy conditions to card a three-under-par 69 and finish in a tie for third in the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane yesterday.

The Wellington left-hander, playing in his first tournament as a professional, ended with a four-round total of 11-under 277 at Royal Queensland, four shots behind winner Robert Allenby.

Paddison's target going into the $A1 million ($1.26 million) event, the first of the new Australasian PGA Tour season, had been to make the cut.

But he exceeded his own expectations by grabbing a share of the lead during the afternoon before earning $A57,750 and gaining direct entry into the Australian Open this week.

"I'm just absolutely rapt," said the 22-year-old.

"I came here just wanting to do as well as I could and I played solid all week.

"It's just been fantastic."

Paddison, who was four strokes off the pace overnight, made a superb start with three birdies on the first six holes before bogeying the seventh.

He then produced pinpoint approach shots to the eighth, ninth and 10th greens, leaving himself with three successive birdie attempts of under six feet, all of which he converted.

As he stepped up to the 11th tee, he was 13-under for the tournament and in the heady position of being in a two-way tie for the lead with Victorian Geoff Ogilvy.

However, the rest of the round became a test for the rookie, who found his accuracy off the tee wavering.

He scrambled well out of difficult situations, but bogeys on the 11th and 14th halted his momentum.

"It got a bit rough out there at one stage, but it was a case of grinding it out, really," he said.

"I tried and tried and I just gutsed it out."

Allenby, the defending champion and leader after each of the previous rounds, picked up $A180,000 for his victory.

He also became the first player since former world No 1 Greg Norman to win successive Australian PGA titles.

His 69 put him 15-under for the tournament, one ahead of Ogilvy (69), while New South Welshman Craig Parry (70) was the player tied with Paddison.

After being caught early in his round, Allenby, a two-time winner on the American Tour this year, kicked clear again on the par-five 13th, when he holed out from a bunker for an eagle.

"I didn't putt too well on the front nine and that was pretty much the story of the last couple of days," he said.

"I just gritted my teeth and said, 'Come on', and pulled together."

The biggest mover of the day was tournament drawcard Norman, who set the course alight with a six-under 66 to finish nine-under and alone in sixth place.

Norman thrilled the gallery, producing six birdies, an eagle and two bogeys for the best round of the final two days.

One shot further back was Aucklander Richard Lee, who returned a 71 to be tied for seventh.

Lee had seemed to be heading for a disappointing score to match his 74 on Saturday, but three birdies over the last four holes pulled him back into the top 10.

Of the other New Zealanders who made it to the weekend, Mahal Pearce and Michael Long each carded a final-round 77 to finish one-over and in a tie for 45th.

Reon Sayer also had a 77 to end at five-over and tied for 57th.

- NZPA