KEY POINTS:
Nobody won a major. In fact, there were precious few tournaments overseas won by Kiwis in the past year.
But the amateurs did give the Aussies some grief on their home turf and several pros did have satisfactory days at the office.
On the home front there was
promise aplenty both from the players and some of the administrators. Golf isn't quite the boom sport it was but Kiwis don't know how lucky they are to be able to play relatively cheaply from one end of the country to the other.
The annual round of our golfing year is unashamedly optimistic at a very competitive six under par.
1: Charles in charge
Golfers in their 70s are usually riding a cart and telling everyone how good they once were. Not Sir Bob. His par-busting performance in the NZ Open is an inspiration to young and old. A downy old birdie.
2: The hills are alive
For NZ Golf, bleeding from successive financial disasters with its signature event, Michael Hill, his course, his sponsorship and his enthusiasm are a godsend. A jewel of a birdie.
3: Costly councils
Thirty odd national councillors gathering three times a year boost global warming and achieve little. An expensive double-bogey.
4: Taking the Michael
Sure Cambo can't make a cut these days but don't forget he missed the cut in the NZ Open at Gulf Harbour and a few months later won the US Open. Par for the course, we hope.
5: Bay of Plenty
Is it the smell of sulphur or kiwifruit for breakfast that fuels New Zealand's top province? Bay players won the NZ men's amateur, the Bledisloe Cup and the men's and women's interprovincial titles. They also have the best website. A birdie.
6: Out of bounds
Auckland and a group of their players parted company over divided loyalties. Both sides suffered. It's not the first time the issue has surfaced. It should be the last. A double bogey.
7: Phoenix rising
Mark Brown was the young Wellington pro who featured in a TV ad when he was down on his luck. He gave the game away for a while but this season he has won US$191, 356 ($253,269) on the Asian tour. A birdie.
8: What Aussies?
New Zealand went to Canberra and the women won their first back-to-back Tasman Cups for 69 years. The men won their first Sloan Morpeth Trophy since 1992 and the junior boys won their first Clare Higson Trophy since 2000. Must be three under.
9: Sharon, we love you
Teenage North Harbour star Sharon Ahn helped New Zealand to win the Tasman Cup and also won the Lake Macquarie title in Aussie. But she wasn't around for much of the season. A bogey.
10: Timely Tim
Leftie Tim Wilkinson, who reckons his home is his suitcase, should be able to upgrade after graduating to the USPGA tour after years of hard grind. He keeps a New Zealand presence at the top as others fade off the tee. A hard-earned birdie.
11: Bill to pay
After a taste of league and soccer, Bill MacGowan brings his executive talents to golf. The signs of innovation and efficiency are promising but 2008 will give a clearer picture. A par-saver.
12: Twists and turns
Greg Turner's dispute with the NZPGA over the fledgling local pro circuit went from divot to fairway bunker in a few weeks. Here's hoping the young pros like Mark Purser, who won twice this year, still benefit from his initiative. A bogey.
13: Unlucky for some
Amid all the good vibes about the NZ Open, it's worth noting that the South Island now has both major professional tournaments in this country. Let's hope it inspires the golfers of Otago who failed to win a match at the men's interprovincial championships. Painful par.
14: David our Goliath
David Smail is our best golfer at the moment. He continues to earn a handsome living on the competitive Japanese Tour and showed why with his outstanding second place in the Australian PGA. Even the appalling Aussie commentators had to give him his due. An eagle.
15: Plenty of Leeway
Danny Lee was second in a world junior contest in the US, won the NZ amateur championship and was leading amateur at the NZ Open. The Rotorua teenager has the talent to go to the top. A birdie.
16: Long may she reign
Auckland teenager Larissa Eruera won the national women's matchplay title a year ago and will hold it at least until April because NZ Golf has decided to play the major men's and women's amateur championships in the same week at Wellington. A par.
17: If at first
Hawkes Bay teenager Nick Gillespie was runner-up in the NZ amateur, second amateur in the NZ Open but finished the year as player of the tournament with six wins out of six at the interprovincial in Mt Maunganui. Birdie for a star of the future.
18: Turkish delight
Waikato amateur James Gill won the NZ strokeplay crown and then the Turkish title on his way to an academic scholarship at St Andrew's University in Scotland. Gill has the perfect pedigree: His father worked for the NZ Herald and his mother for the Waikato Times. A closing birdie.
