Golf: Wind too much for Diaz rivals

By BOB PEARCE in Christchurch

New Zealand PGA tournament leader David Diaz will need all his new-found relaxed attitude to the game if the wind continues to whip across the Clearwater course today.

The 36-year-old Melbourne professional shot a five-under-par 67 yesterday morning and then watched an easterly wind blow away most of the challengers to his 36-hole total of seven-under-par 137.

His closest pursuer is a comparative newcomer to the United States Nationwide tour, Canadian Jon Mills, who is one shot back.

Australian Lucas Parsons, a former NZ Open winner, is in a group of four at five under, one ahead of the leading New Zealanders, David Smail, Richard Best and Gareth Paddison. The first-round leader, Dean Alaban, is also on 140.

Diaz, whose last win on the Australasian tour came at Coolum 11 years ago, enjoyed the best of the conditions as he picked up five birdies in a bogey-free round. He had his luck, particularly when he "thinned" his five-iron to the eighth hole only to see the ball scamper along the fairway close to the pin.

"It's a win-win for me these days," he said. "Whilst I'm here playing I give it my best, but if I have the weekend off I get to see the kids. It's not the be-all-and-end-all it used to be."

Best and Paddison played in the more benign morning conditions and, while a bogey on the last restricted Paddison to a par round, Best had a three-under 69, continuing the good form which saw him finish seventh in the NZ Open.

The Palmerston North player, who works as a clubmaker, has played only two pro-ams since the Open, finishing second at Eketahuna and first at Harewood. He played yesterday in a group of three, which had no bogeys and included Japanese Ryuji Imada, who shot 65.

Smail had to battle the afternoon wind, but after eight holes had recorded four birdies and was joint leader. But he found the next 10 holes a real struggle and he had four bogeys and just one birdie.

"It was just as tough with the wind as against because it was really hard to stop the ball on the greens."

Steve Alker is five shots off the pace after a second-round 72, but Michael Long slipped to a 76 and missed the cut, which came at even par, by one shot.

Former NZ Open champion Mahal Pearce suffered a similar fate after a double-bogey on the 18th.

Among the others to miss out were local favourite Eddie Lee, who also double-bogeyed his last hole to finish two over, and Ty Tryon, the youngest player to make the USPGA tour, who slipped to a 78.

The very experienced Tom Scherrer, who had a share of the lead after seven holes, went steadily backwards from there to finish at one under after a 76, which included three bogeys and a double-bogey in his last seven holes.

* Phil Tataurangi, sidelined for months by a series of back injuries, hopes to resume his golfing career in the United States in April or May.

He had intended resuming at the New Zealand Open in January but re-injured his back and has made only a slow recovery.

"I'd intended starting in the States in February, which is my normal schedule, but it hadn't come right so I went to the States to see a couple of specialists in New York and Dallas.

"They came to a united diagnosis that I've had a small tear in the joint capsule of my lumbar thoracic junction," said Tataurangi.

But the prognosis is good and he expects to resume a full schedule when he rejoins the PGA tour.