Gates, Smail, Dodt top NZ Open leaderboard
QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand - New Zealand’s David Smail and late-charging American Robert Gates and Aussie Andrew Dodt hold the first-round lead in the Michael Hill New Zealand Open after firing seven-under-par 65s at The Hills Golf Club.Trailing the leaders by a shot are another American D.J. Brigman and Aussie Andrew Bonhomme.
Off early in the day, local favorite Smail held the lead for much of the day thanks to pin point accuracy off the tee and into the greens in near perfect conditions on New Zealand’s South Island.
Smail shared the lead today in fairways hit (86%) and was second in greens-in-regulation (89%), but it was his 27 putts that he was most pleased with. The 39-year-old Smail opened with two birdies and made two more before making the turn.
“After those two birdies (on 10 and 11) I certainly got my confidence back,” Smail said. “I’m still not 100% happy with the way I hit it today, but I putted superbly. Even the putts I missed were right on the line I wanted to hit them. It’s almost a year since I have putted that well.”
Smail is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia and plays regularly on the Japan Golf Tour where he has an additional three victories. He competed in three of last year’s majors, the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship. Smail won the New Zealand Open in 2001 in Auckland.
Gates, a six-foot six-inch native of Gainesville, Fla. who was playing in one of the last groups of the day, finished fast with birdies on the 16th, 17th and 18th holes. He started his round with an eagle on the par-5 1st hole. Today’s round was his first as a member of the Nationwide Tour. At 24, Gates is a 2008 graduate of Texas A&M University. He earned his Nationwide Tour privileges through last fall’s PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament.
“Being my first event I tried to stay calm beforehand and the eagle was a nice way to get going,” Gates said. “I was picking the targets and getting the yardage right.”
While not related to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, he is well acquainted with the former Texas A&M president whom he views as a mentor. The younger Gates was a college roommate and teammate of Martin Piller, last year’s New Zealand Open runner-up who is also n the field. He indicated he has attempted to pattern his swing after another tall golfer, Ernie Els.
Like Gates, Dodt was playing late and in his first competitive round at The Hills and found it much to his liking. Dodt equaled Gates’ birdie run on the final three holes but took him one step better when he hit his iron shot into the par-3 15thto six inches. He capped his day by hitting the flagstick on No. 18, then converting his fourth straight birdie from 10 feet. Today’s round was Dodt’s first competitive one since last month’s Australian PGA Championship.
The Aussie played the bulk of his golf in 2009 on the Asian Tour. A finalist in the 2005 New Zealand amateur championship, he felt his mental strength was the key to his day. “I started practicing three weeks ago but have not been hitting the ball all that well, but I sunk some great putts and was mentally strong.”
This 156-player event is co-sanctioned by the Nationwide Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, with the field split evenly between the two tours. Alex Prugh won last year’s Open. Prugh finished fifth on Monday in the PGA TOUR’s Bob Hope Classic in his second start since earning his PGA TOUR card.
First-Round Notes:
* The Michael Hill New Zealand Open is the country’s oldest championship dating back to 1907.
* 21 players are within three shots of the lead.
* With conditions perfect, The Hills played to an average of 71.32 today vs. last year’s first-round 73.00 average. Temperatures were in the 50s and accompanied by 10-15 mph winds during last year’s first round which was played in mid-March.
* Jason Gore rode golf’s roller coaster today. Starting on the back nine, he shot a four-over-par 40. He turned things around dramatically on the front nine with six straight birdies before closing out his round of 70 with three pars. The six-time Nationwide Tour winner is tied for 44th.
* Two days after completing all five rounds of the PGA TOUR’s Bob Hope Classic (T48) on a sponsor exemption, Californian Jamie Lovemark posted a 70 and is tied for 44th. The former University of Southern California All-American who turned 22 last Saturday left Los Angeles on Monday night, arriving at The Hills Golf Club on Wednesday afternoon 90 minutes prior to his pro-am time.
* The last New Zealander to win this championship is Mahal Pearce in 2003.
* Australian Peter Senior is in the field this week. In two weeks he will make his Champions Tour debut in America in Naples, Fla. Senor was medalist in the Champions Tour Qualifying Tournament last December. He has won 26 times on the PGA Tour of Australasia and around the world. Senior recorded a three-over-par 75 today.
* Last week’s New Zealand PGA Championship winner Mitchell Brown of Australia shot 69 (T22).
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