By Joy Chakravarty
For the second straight day, Zack Swanwick dug himself out of a deep hole. Two days of grit and determination have taken him to where everybody thought he’d be – very much in contention.
The 20-year-old from Napier is the second highest-ranked player in the field at No. 24 and one of the overwhelming pre-Championship favorites at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship this year.
He did not have the best start on Thursday, stumbling to four over par after eight holes with five bogeys.
But one thing Swanwick knows very well is not to give up. He strung together seven pars after that, and then birdied the last three holes to give himself a respectable score of one-over 72.
Zack Swanwick, First Round
Friday’s start wasn’t as bad, but it followed a similar script. Even par for 11 holes, the Florida Gators senior shifted gears when the conditions were becoming brutal. Having started on the back nine, he made birdies on the third, fourth, fifth and seventh holes in howling wind to post a four-under 67 – the best round of the day.
“I think it is just about sticking with the gameplan. It is very, very tough out there, so getting to the greens and fairways is very valuable. And instead of a score, I was focused on just hitting greens and fairways. I managed to roll in a few. It was fun,” said Swanwick, one of nine players from the host country attempting to secure a first Asia-Pacific Amateur crown for New Zealand.
"Instead of a score, I was focused on just hitting greens and fairways. I managed to roll in a few. It was fun."
“In these conditions, it can definitely get away from you very quickly. You have to be a bit patient, and getting those three birdies in the last three holes was important. I was happy with the 72, even though Fifa (Laopakdee, eight-under 63) playing in our group made it look very easy.
“Today, I bogeyed the second hole, and I hit the driver on three to get up close and made a big birdie putt. Hit driver on the next hole as well. I just tried to be a bit more aggressive. The pins seem to be more gettable today, so got a couple close to them.
“I have had a few rough days on a golf course, but these last two days were as rough as they get. The finish yesterday was important. I just gave me a lot of confidence for today.
“The start today was OK. But making those putts on the back nine helped, and that put some smile on my face.”
Actually, the famous Swanwick smile never left his face through it all – when he was struggling, or when he was making birdies.
“I have got my coach (Andrew Henare) on my bag and he does not like any bad attitude on the golf course. And I have got so many friends and family watching me. My grandad is out here, watching me play the last couple days for the first time. It’s pretty special to have them out here. We are just trying to have fun out there.”
Among the six birdies Swanwick made, the one that stood out for him was on the stunning par-3 fifth hole. It came courtesy of a well-read putt from nearly 20 feet.
“That was very pleasing. The fifth is a short hole, but it is not easy at all. I made a few putts on the back nine, and that one was probably the best,” said Swanwick.
“I just freed myself. It’s very easy to overthink a few shots out here with wind and more break. I just freed up and picked a target and it started going in.”
