He has been a stalwart for the Otago golf side for well over a decade. This morning, Brent McEwan will play his 100th game at the national interprovincial championships for Otago. But the curtain will come down on his representative career tomorrow. Sports editor Steve Hepburn talks to McEwan.
It has come full circle for Brent McEwan.
The 34-year-old first made his debut for Otago in Hamilton in 1999 as a 19-year-old.
Fresh-faced and keen as mustard, McEwan was one of the youngest players at the interprovincial tournament that year.
''I had a pretty good week. I think I only lost twice, playing No3. I was just a young fella and almost everyone there was older than me,'' he said.
''Now there is a lot more younger guys. I've gone from being one of the youngest to being one of the oldest. They are athletes now - big strong boys who can hit the ball a long way.
''They practise a lot. [They spend] hours and hours and time in the gym. To a lot of them, it is a job.''
McEwan, though, is at the opposite end of the spectrum.
He trains when he can, plays just at the weekend, and going to the gym is something not exactly on the agenda.
''I just do not have the time to practise. I try to fit in what I can during my lunchtime. I might do 45 minutes and then head back to work.
''I don't have a coach - haven't had one for about 10 years. If I want to, I can ask a few people about my game. But I kind of know my game well enough now. I can feel what is happening with my game. It is more about quality than quantity.
''It is a mind game. I would say 98% of it is a mind game.
''You've got to assess things yourself and that is best done in your own way ...
''I love playing in the Toro. It is a big week. There is a lot of pressure and you can't afford to play badly and make too many mistakes. You've got to be right for the whole week.''
McEwan played at No1 for Otago at the matchplay tournament for the best part of 10 years.
He racked up some good wins in an Otago side which was not always flying high.
In the past couple of years, with the emergence of some younger talent, McEwan has dropped down the order and is playing at
No3 for Otago this week in Invercargill, where he is yet to be beaten.
''It was a tactical decision to move me down. Playing at 1, 3 or 5, are keys really. They are really turning points in those positions.''
This week, the side will try to go one better than last year, when it made it all the way to the final, only to go down to home side Waikato.
''Last year was a highlight. We had worked really hard and to go all the way to the final was fantastic. It was just a pity we could not get past Waikato.''
This leaves the next two days in Invercargill the final chance for McEwan to win the Toro. Otago last won the title in 1982.
McEwan is giving up representative golf when the tournament ends.
Golf is not a sport conducive to a family man.
Brent and wife Shannon have boys Jordan (3) and Lachie (6 months) and time at home with young children is precious.
''Golf is so time-consuming. When your playing rep golf, you are looking at playing every weekend from August to December - away from home all that time.
''And I can't play any other time. I don't have the time.
''It was a very hard decision to make. But it was something that needed to be done.''
McEwan started playing golf at the Island Park course when he was 10 - his parents lived across the road from the Waldronville course.
He joined St Clair aged 14 and has played there ever since.
Picked for New Zealand in the national under-19 squad, he went on to play 24 games for New Zealand.
McEwan and Jonathan Cane, who is still playing for Wellington at the Toro, were picked for a national squad - along with Tina Howard and Brenda Ormsby - to play in the inaugural Spirit International, in Houston, Texas, helping the New Zealand men's team to second place and, combined with the two women, third overall.
He was also invited to the South Beach international amateur in Miami a couple of years ago.
Playing in those big tournaments gave him a picture of what is would be like playing the game fulltime.
But McEwan has always resisted the urge to play for dough.
''In my early 20s, I considered it but it was more of a financial thing at the time. It was a big commitment to give it a go. You're going up against a lot of good golfers.
''It was in the back of my mind two to three years ago when I had a great year. But I had family stuff going on.''
For now, McEwan will just play for the love of it and when he wants to.
And who knows?
He could soon be carrying his son's clubs.
''I've had Jordan out for a whack and he's a natural. He hits the ball very well.''
Brent McEwan
At a glance
Age: 34
Job: Salesman/warehouse at HCB Technologies
Favourite course: Millbrook
Most successful course: North Otago (won nine titles at North Otago spring tournament)
Best performance: Won individual title at Southland invitational in 2013, shooting two shots off the tournament record.
