Golf: Straight and narrow ok with Jae An

Jae An. Picture / Daily Post (Rotorua)

Palmerston North - Emerging golf talent Jae An may have big ambitions but for the time being he would be happy enough to stay on the straight and narrow.

The Rotorua teenager finished a meritorious fourth in the New Zealand amateur strokeplay championship here yesterday despite voicing disapproval about his form off the tee.

While it is every golfer's intention to be long and straight from the tee box, An cursed a short and wide approach with his driver and vowed to spend time on the range to relocate his radar.

"I've struggled all this week with the driver, I just don't feel confident with it," An, 17, said.

"I've been hitting it short and wide."

It says much about the remainder of his game that An still managed to shoot a two-under-par 70 in trying conditions yesterday.

He completed four rounds in seven-under 281 to be the leading New Zealander and book a first round matchplay contest today in the national amateur championship against Franz Schwanner, of Auckland.

An was a distant 13 strokes behind runaway winner Michael Sim, of Australia, who blew his rivals away with a regal performance.

Sim was a commanding 11 shots clear of his nearest rival, compatriot Adam Porker, who signed off with a 76 yesterday to be one ahead of yet another Australian, Mitchell Brown, who shot 71.

While Sim could do little wrong in scorching around the Manawatu Golf Club's 6043m Hokowhitu course in 20-under 268 after four sub par rounds, An was in battle mode, appreciating his rewards after struggling for rhythm and consistency with his driver.

His closing 70 yesterday was a liquorice all sorts type of round, featuring five birdies and three bogeys, after he and the rest of the field were forced from the course for one hour when thunder, lightning, wild southerly winds and bitingly cold rain swept over the Manawatu region.

The players left the course shortly before noon and when they returned it took another hour before the winds abated and sunshine returned.

An, who had completed just three holes before officials shepherded players from the course, said he could not recall playing in tougher conditions.

For that reason alone he was relatively happy with his round, which was good enough for him to better his previous best finish of sixth-equal in the national senior strokeplay event.

"The conditions were tough on the front nine. For the first couple of holes it was really, really windy and cold, the worst conditions I've played in."

An received an early fillip when he birdied the 371m par-four second after an errant tee shot rebounded off trees, then a five-iron approach left him facing a 15-foot putt which he duly nailed.

He got on a mini-run on the back nine, posting three successive birdies from the 14th. On the par-five 15th he used driver and three wood to reach the putting surface and required just a tap-in for his birdie.

An, who is preparing to represent Rotorua Boys' High School in the trans-Tasman schools event at Paraparaumu Beach next month, leaves in June to spend several months in the United States playing amateur events.

He has trod a similar path in recent years as he looks to develop his game to the stage where he will turn professional, a decision which may come sooner rather than later.

As for Sim, a place in the paid ranks can wait as he strives to maintain a streak which has seen him emerge as one of his country's top amateurs.

His form at Hokowhitu has been impeccable, and he came home in a hurry with four birdies on his closing five holes to reach 20-under for the second time in a brief career.

He dipped that low to win the prestigious Riversdale Cup international event in Melbourne last year when he also proved his travelling credentials by winning the Southern Amateur in the US.

The latter success earned him a start in the PGA Tour's Bay Hill Invitational last month where he narrowly missed the second-round cut.

- NZPA