Final round pressure sinks Hodge

Levin golfer Tyler Hodge had a harsh lesson in playing well at the death of a tournament after a tough final round cost him dearly at the Australian Master of the Amateurs tournament on Friday.

Playing at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, the 19-year-old New Zealand representative had excellent rounds of 72, 71 and 71 to be only four strokes back from the lead in a share of fifth place after 54 holes in very hot conditions.

However, Hodge saved his worst for last after carding a nine-over par 81 in the final round to slip back to a seven-over par total.

His Manawatu-Wanganui teammate Josh Munn (75, 74, 68, 75) finished the best of the Kiwis with a four-over par 292 total to claim a share of 16th place.

Munn, who last year claimed the prestigious Lake Macquarie Amateur, was 10 shots back from Australian Simon Viitakangas, who won by two strokes.

It was disappointment for Hodge, who was looking to win his second title in Australia after he claimed the Australian Junior Boys crown in 2012 for his breakthrough international win.

The left-hander had also impressed on his senior debut for New Zealand when he finished as the leading Kiwi in the Ten Nations Cup in South Africa in 2013 as his team finished runner-up by one shot.

Both Munn and Hodge were part of the Manawatu-Wanganui team who won the Toro Men's NZ Interprovincial title for the first time in 49 years in December.

During the Australian Master tournament, elite amateurs from 10 countries were also taking part in a World Cup format.

Australia's Taylor MacDonald and Lucas Herbert won that competition by seven shots from the United States, England and New Zealand.