Aussie cricket great Ponting not wanting on fairways

There’s a reason Ricky Ponting is a +1 handicapper at famed Royal Melbourne – and he showed exactly why at the New Zealand Open’s pro-am championship in Arrowtown yesterday.

The professionals were lighting up The Hills and Millbrook Resort with birdies, but none could better the former Australian cricket great who notched eight, yes eight, in his opening round at Millbrook.

Playing with compatriot Daniel Popovic in the pro-am, and in the same group as Kiwi pro Mark Brown and his partner Stephen Fleming, the ex-New Zealand cricket captain, Ponting had eight birdies, three pars, two bogeys and five holes where he picked up his ball.

None of the 132 pros had as many birdies in the opening round of the national open.

‘‘I was a bit rushed this morning, which was probably a good thing. I didn’t have time to sit back and take it all in,’’ Ponting said.

‘‘I wasn’t too bad on the first tee. Actually, the pros teed off and we just got down there and snuck one away, and off we went.’’

The amateurs play off tees slightly forward of the professionals, and do not compete in the $850,000 New Zealand Open, rather the $50,000 Pro-Am Championship that runs concurrently.

The latter is based on a best-ball format, so the best net score on each hole counts.

Generally, if it looks as though the pro’s score will be the counting one, the amateur will not complete the hole, en- suring they don’t hold up play. Ponting did that five times.

Still, his birdie-laden round impressed Brown, who had five birdies of his own in a bogey-free five-under 67 to lie tied for fourth in the open.

Popovic and Ponting combined for a six-under 65 in the pro-am competition, one shot back from Brown and Fleming, who was in awe of his professional.

‘‘I loved it, but it didn’t help my golf at all. I certainly tried to drag Mark down as much as I could but he stayed strong,’’ Fleming said.

Meanwhile, Southland amateur Vaughan McCall overcame early nerves to card an impressive opening round yesterday, then gave rave reviews about Millbrook Resort.

McCall, the former NZ No 1 who is now fifth in the amateur standings, signed for a three-under par 69 in yesterday’s opening round after a shaky start, and is the leading amateur by three shots from compatriot Cameron Jones.

McCall is tied for 17th overall, three shots behind the lead held by Australian professionals Andrew Dodt, Terry Pilkadaris, Jake Stirling and Scott Strange.

Teeing off on the 10th at Millbrook, McCall had to settle for par at the first two par-fives he played while dropping a shot at the par-four 13th. He was oneover through six holes but then rattled off four birdies in six holes, including three in succession from holes 10-12.

‘‘It’s a great way to start off the national open,’’ McCall said.

‘‘I was pretty nervous and starting off those first three or four holes, I hit some errant drives and shots that cost me a couple.

‘‘But I did really well to pull it back together. I backed my form, because I am playing well, and pulled some birdies back. I just couldn’t quite capitalise in the final few holes.’’

McCall said the new back nine at Millbrook was superb.

‘‘I think that back nine is just so cool, I love what [course designer Greg Turner] has done with it. I got to the turn and was just fizzing about playing that back nine.

‘‘I hope I can just get into the same rhythm at The Hills [today] as I had on the back nine.’’

McCall described himself as a ‘‘nervous golfer’’ but he was starting to feel more comfortable among the pros and is relishing the prospect of taking on The Hills today.