Golf: Power and a delicate touch

A year ago, Steven Bowditch's golf clubs were unemployed.

For two months golf was not on his horizon.

But the burly 21-year-old Queenslander figured in much of the early talk at the New Zealand Golf Open yesterday after coming within a shot of the course record at Gulf Harbour.

Bowditch shot an eight-under round of 64, marred only by bogeys at the 14th - where he three-putted - and the last, where he had to endure several lengthy waits for rulings about drops without penalty from obstructions.

It was a magnificent round from Bowditch, helped by the benign conditions and built on a combination of enormous power from the tee with a delicate touch on the greens, where he needed only 26 putts.

Since his self-imposed timeout, the second-year professional has regathered his game and showed threatening form either side of Christmas in Australia.

He won the Queensland Open in November, tied for third in the Australian Open and was fourth in the Australian Masters.

"I was just having a tough time at the start of last year and I just did not feel like playing golf," he recalled.

"I just hung up the clubs for two months until the close people round me got me going again and I started practising there for another month.

"Then we decided to just jump in a car and go play a few troppo events, a few pro-ams around Queensland with my girlfriend. We had a great time and it all started to come together late last year and hopefully I will keep the ball rolling and see where it takes me."

That renewed enthusiasm took Bowditch within a shot of the course record of 63 set by American Scott Verplank at the World Cup in 1998.

With a new Callaway driver - which he said had added more accuracy and another 15m to his already considerable length off the tee - Bowditch drove the par four 12th and also blasted two shots to the fringe of the 593m, par-five 17th.

It was impressive hitting, the sort which made serious inroads on the Australian circuit before Christmas. Bowditch said he hit the ball well again last week in the Heineken Classic in Melbourne but did not make many putts.

He started yesterday with two birdies in a five-under first nine before nailing four successive birdies to resume his charge at the second nine.

"I thought I played okay at the end of the year," Bowditch said.

"My short game was in really good shape and that saved me a lot through the last couple of events.

"Today I hit the ball pretty good and the putts went in so the score showed how I have been playing."

Bowditch, like Craig Parry, would be undeterred if the conditions changed.

The fairways were wide and designed to deal with the wind when it hit the course, and Bowditch said he was unlikely to alter his battleplan.

"I think Robert Trent Jones has designed it that way and I sort of think it will be a big advantage for me if the wind blows.

"I enjoy playing in the wind, the fairways are really wide and my driver is in really good shape so I am just going to go out there and sort of keep hitting it hard, and if it goes on the fairway, we will go from there."

With that phlegmatic attitude it was no surprise to hear Bowditch say he was going fishing yesterday afternoon.