Teen Star Sleeps On Tough Day At Office

Newcastle Herald

Friday November 14, 2008

NEIL GOFFET - GOLF

NEWCASTLE 15-year-old Jake Higginbottom adopted a philosophical attitude after walking away with a "terrible" 11-over-par 82 in the NSW Open golf championship at The Vintage yesterday.

Higginbottom is believed to be the youngest player ever to qualify for the tournament, but he is unlikely to make the cut after struggling during a blustery back nine yesterday afternoon.

A year 9 student at St Mary's High School, Gateshead, Higginbottom said before the tournament that he was feeling no pressure because he did not have high expectations in his first professional tournament.

He looked composed making par on his first four holes but made triple-bogey on the par-three fifth after taking two shots out of a bunker.

"I got through it all right. I just didn't hit it very good, but I can't do much about it now," he said.

"I was terrible. I just couldn't hit the greens.

"I was excited and it was good fun and a great experience."

A dominant force in junior golf for several years, Higginbottom had his father, Bruce, as his caddie at the Hunter vineyards course.

He had to battle the worst of the conditions as the wind picked up in the afternoon, but he has the chance to make amends this morning when conditions could be more benign.

"I'll just go home and have a good sleep and hopefully I can hit it a bit better tomorrow," he said.

Higginbottom played his first professional tournament alongside West Australian Andrew Martin and New Zealand's Michael Hendry.

"They were really nice guys," he said.

Cronulla's Jamie Arnold could not wipe the smile off his face after shooting 11 birdies in a course-record 62 in the first round.

The 25-year-old rattled off five birdies in his first five holes after teeing off the 10th just before midday.

He made another at the 16th to be six under par at the turn then mixed five birdies with two bogeys on the front nine to card nine-under 62.

"I'll take it. Yeah, it was good," Arnold said. "I'm happy, really happy.

"Yesterday in the practice round I was playing matchplay with my brother [amateur Scott Arnold] against Timmy Stewart and my caddie and I had no birdies standing on the 16th tee, and I think I birdied two of the last three.

"It was playing too easy."

Charlestown's Aaron Townsend is also in with a big chance over the weekend after shooting eight-under-par 63.

Townsend was three groups behind Arnold and also made five birdies on the first five holes.

"I was playing really ordinary at the start of the year, and just before I went over to European Q-school I just started playing really good," he said.

Arnold and Townsend will both have early tee times today, as will Newcastle's Leigh McKechnie, who shot 70 yesterday.

Nelson Bay amateur Grant Scott made bogey on his last two holes to shoot an even-par 71.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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