Off the tee: Chasing champion's mantle

Rotorua star Penny Newbrook, who disturbed some diehards when she qualified to play in the men's pennants in the Bay of Plenty, will be among a strong field chasing the national women's strokeplay title at Ashburton today.

There will be a new champion as Australian Melanie Holmes-Smith, who won at Shandon last year, is not defending her title.

But the Australians will be well represented with six contenders, including Heidi McCulken and Dana Lacey, who made the cut in the Australian Women's Open won by Laura Davies at Concord this week.

Another to perform with credit in that event was Sarah Nicholson from the Hutt, who followed up her second placing in the Riversdale Cup with 64th placing in the Australian Open with rounds of 78,76,77 and 79 on the demanding Sydney course.

She should find the flat Ashburton course, with its 5797m and a par of 72, rather less demanding.

When Holmes-Smith won at Shandon, she shot 66 in the final round to overtake Taupo's Tina Howard and Akane Iijima from Pakuranga, who finished joint second.


The field will play 18 holes today, 36 holes tomorrow and the final 18 on Sunday.

Unlike the men's championships, the women's strokeplay is held separately from the matchplay, which will be at Wanganui later this year.

ACCORDING to the National Golf Foundation, the odds of an amateur golfer hitting a hole-in-one are 12,600 to 1. Figuring the odds of what 68-year-old Bill Hilsheimer from Florida accomplished could short-circuit a calculator.

After playing golf for 50 years without an ace, he has had three in the past six months - playing with only one hand.

His most recent ace was at the 152m, par-3 13th hole at the Bird Bay Executive Golf Course in Venice, Florida. In January, he aced a 154m hole at the Gulf Gate course in Sarasota, Florida, and in September, he had another ace on a 100m hole on a course in Ohio.

Not bad for a player who lost most of his right hand 59 years ago when he was run over by a train. Hilsheimer, who has a 15 handicap, doesn't use his right arm when he swings. He says that with a busy life - career, wife and six children - he never had much time to play golf. "Now, I'm playing four or five times a week."

WAIKATO deservedly won plaudits for downing Bay of Plenty and avenging their provincial tournament defeat in the SBS Invitational at Invercargill over the weekend.

But Josh Carmichael from North Harbour earns a special mention for producing the best individual tally, 10-under par for the 72 holes at Otatara, after a final round of 65.

THE REDOUBTABLE Polly King, many times Maori champion, has retained her title as the top women's veteran golfer.

Playing at the championships at Tinwald in South Canterbury, King (Onewhero) beat the 2000 winner Mary Mackwell (Hamilton) 5/4 in the final.