Drive's there but fairway to go yet

She's keeping her head down all right, but not as one would expect her to on the man-made Garden of Eden.

Amateur golfer Angela Jones has been burying her head in text books and files while massaging the buttons on the keyboards of her laptop rather than driving, chipping and putting on the fairways and greens lately.

"As a third-year nursing student [at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Taradale, Napier] I don't have the time to practise much these days," the 21-year-old from Otane said last night before teeing up for the annual Kapi Tareha 72-hole strokeplay tournament starting today at the Napier Golf Club.

According to club captain Gerry Falk, the two-day tourney has lured more than 100 entries, including 26 women, from the Bay, Taranaki, Manawatu and Wellington.

"Fifty per cent of the players are under two handicap," Falk said.

Darren Wereta, of Maraenui Golf Club, has the highest handicap of 15.7.

It is a bigger field than the organisers were anticipating but again the tournament will form part of the Lower North Island Order of Merit for the top amateurs around central North Island.

"It's also a trials for the [Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay] women players [including the masters]," Falk said.

Former Central Hawke's Bay College pupil Jones has no idea where she's sitting on the order of merit but accepts it was always going to be a bridge too far to swot and make the five order-of-merit tournaments around the North Island. "I've probably just played in one or two."

The Hastings Golf Club member is mindful this time next year she'll have graduated as a nurse and, hopefully, in paid employment, albeit not necessarily at the hospital here.

"Maybe I'll move to Australia. I've always liked Australia."

Whether Jones plays golf also falls in the ambit of maybe.

"I'll probably play but not competitively."

The two handicapper is looking forward to today considering she's in a "good grouping" with fellow Bay representative Kate Chadwick (0.1 hcp), of Napier club, and the Manor Golf Club pair of Julianne Alvaraz (-2.1) and Lucy Davies (0.4), both of Wellington, when they were to tee off at 7.47am from the sixth tee.

"We can all play good golf when we want to."

The kitchen-sponge feel is not lost on Jones.

"The way the weather is means it'll play pretty long but I'm looking forward to it," says the golfer who in March finished eighth in the North Island Strokeplay Championship at Lochiel for her best result at top-tier golf.

A protege of Hastings PGA professional Brian Doyle for the past four years, Jones accepts she'll never drive the ball like Chadwick, who has boosted her upper body with swimming.

"Brian says I still need to hit the ball harder," she says with a laugh, adding gym workout isn't an option either with her studies.

Nevertheless, a left-hand low putting technique and keeping her drives and fairway shots in the straight and narrow are paying dividends.

"I have more control going towards the hole."