Golf: Strokeplay finalists can't repeat form at NZ amateur champs

By BOB PEARCE

Australian and New Zealand golfers will face up in an even-handed Anzac battle when the quarter-finals of the New Zealand amateur championships tee off at Taupo this morning.

But all but one of the four players who contested the playoff for the strokeplay title on Thursday evening will be missing in action.

The sole survivor of that playoff is 22-year-old Victorian Jarrod Lyle, who beat American Nickolas Carter comfortably in the morning, but had to eagle the par-four 17th hole to see off Levin's Andrew Henare in the second round.

That hole also provided a spectacular finish for another of the Aussies, Queenslander Gavin Flint, who had beaten the strokeplay winner, Andrew McKenzie, in the morning.

Terry Hong from Rotorua hit his teeshot 6m away on the 250m hole only for Flint to respond with a magnificent two-iron to within a metre to win their match with an eagle.

This morning Flint will play another Rotorua player, Mark Smith, who accounted for New Zealand representative Doug Holloway (Maraenui) 6 and 4.

West Australian Michael Sim, who was taken to the 20th by Jim Cusdin (Hamilton) in the morning, beat another Waikato player, Mark Purser, on the 18th in the afternoon. Sim reached the semifinals last year in Dunedin, falling to the eventual winner, James Nitties.

Today he faces Auckland number one, Logan Holzer, who beat Steven Han (North Shore) in the first round and then eliminated his Grange clubmate, Leighton James, in the second. James had earlier ousted Wanganui's Riki Kauika, who contested the strokeplay playoff.

The sole surviving South Island representative - and he's originally from Taupo - is the burly Andrew Searle from Russley. He beat 14-year-old Samuel Shin (Gulf Harbour) 6 and 5, when the youngster lost his putting touch.

Today, in an all-New Zealand quarter-final, Searle will meet New Plymouth's Troy Ropiha, who ended the run of 1989 winner Lester Peterson and then beat Dimitrios Amos (Manor Park), another of the quartet in the playoff.

There will also be an all-Aussie clash. Lyle will play 22-year-old Queenslander Justin Maker, who had one of the hottest rounds of the day when beating Brad Shilton (Te Awamutu) 4 and 3. Maker, who won the professional Aichi Open in Nagoya in November, was six-under after nine holes and finished at the 15th seven under.

The quarter-finals will start at 8am today with the semifinals to follow. The 36-hole final tomorrow will begin at 9am.