Pike Stays In The Hunt Until The Last

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday November 27, 2006

Martin Blake

AARON Pike went on the ride of his short life, and it lasted all the way to the 18th green at Huntingdale yesterday.

Needing birdie to have a chance against Englishman Justin Rose, he found the green with his second shot, and waved his cap to the crowds leaning over the balconies from the sponsors' marquees as he strode up to the putting surface.

Pike stood over the long putt and gave it a rap. He had badly underestimated the speed of the wind-exposed 18th green, a fact he put down to inexperience and "not playing this course every day for 10 years like these guys have".

His putt raced past the hole, trickled off the green and into a bunker, ending his chances. A couple of minutes later he tapped in for bogey and the new cult figure acknowledged his fans.

In many ways, Pike has been the story of the week. A 21-year-old from Brisbane via Darwin, he had threatened to become the first amateur to win an Australasian tour event since Brett Rumford in 1999.

Yesterday, he gesticulated, waved his arms and cussed at the ball all through his final-round 74. Seemingly out of contention after a bogey on the 10th, he proceeded to hole out from a greenside bunker for eagle at the par-five 14th and suddenly had a share of the lead with Rose.

"All the pace-setting was on me. I definitely thought, 'I can win this tournament'."

Nerves did not seem to faze him. "I was nervous, but it wasn't a fact that I couldn't cope with it," he said.

Not surprisingly, he faded at the end to finish fourth at nine under par, three shots behind Rose. Self-critical to a tee, he said the performance would not alter the timing of his ambition to turn professional. A member of the national amateur squad, he will represent Australia overseas next year.

"Maybe if I'd won it would have put some thoughts into my mind but I'm not good enough to win, so I'm not good enough to turn professional," he said.

"If you can't win then what's the point of being out there? I think [I need] a year of playing top-level golf, going over to America and playing amateur tournaments and going over to Britain as well. I think that experience would probably steady me and get me ready for it [turning pro]."

Afterwards, he said the week had been beneficial. "There's a lot of things you can take away. Being able to put myself in a position to win. I was tied for the lead with three holes to play, which was good. I think the experience is what you can take away because you can't get it anywhere else but by being in the situation. "

La Quinta, California: Fred Couples, a five-time winner of golf's skins game, shot to the top of the 2006 edition on Saturday by capturing six skins worth $US175,000 ($226,700), AFP reports.

Couples collected three skins each with birdies on the fourth and seventh holes. John Daly birdied the first hole to earn one skin worth $US25,000.

Trinidad-born Canadian Stephen Ames and defending champion Fred Funk were shut out in the first nine holes.

With his short game working, Couples birdied six of the nine holes, including one to earn $US75,000 on the fourth hole and another to win $US100,000 on seven.

"It was a good day today," Couples said. "I made a couple putts to tie Freddy , and I had some, as they say, pretty good distance for clubs. They were mostly full shots, and those are a lot easier to hit. I hit them straight and got a few in there close. I need to make a lot more tomorrow."

The foursome played for $US300,000 on Saturday and were due to compete for another $US700,000 in Sunday's final round.

LEADERBOARD

AUSTRALIAN MASTERS At Huntingdale (a denotes amateur)

276: Justin Rose (ENG) 69 66 68 73. 278: Richard Green (VIC) 70 71 68 69, Greg Chalmers (WA) 70 67 68 73. 279: Aaron Pike (QLD a) 64 69 72 74. 280: Aaron Baddeley (VIC) 68 71 70 71. 281: Kurt Barnes (NSW) 70 66 75 70. 282: Mathew Goggin (TAS) 74 70 71 67, Jarrod Lyle (Vic) 72 69 69 72, Simon Khan (ENG) 71 66 72 73. 283: Matthew Millar (ACT) 76 69 68 70, Adam Bland (SA) 72 70 67 74, Peter Lonard (NSW) 68 71 69 75, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 66 72 67 78. 284: John Senden (QLD) 69 68 74 73, Nick O'Hern (WA) 73 68 69 74, Peter O'Malley (NSW) 74 68 68 74. 285: Jarrod Moseley (WA) 73 70 71 71, Nathan Green (NSW) 73 67 71 74, Craig Parry (NSW) 68 72 69 76, Paul Casey (Eng) 71 70 67 77. 286: Daniel Chopra (SWE) 75 69 72 70, Andrew Tschudin (Vic) 71 73 70 72, Peter Wilson (Vic) 65 74 72 75, Peter Senior (Qld) 72 70 67 77.

© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald

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