Scott Arnold had no idea he had shot a hole-in-one at The Hills yesterday.
Then he heard the screams.
Arnold, a 29-year-old New South Welshman, aced his 16th hole, the 183m par-3 seventh, using a 6-iron and a light breeze to perfection.
The only down side? It was on neither the 16th hole, at which a BMW i8, valued at $278,000, is at stake, nor the 10th, where the prize is a $70,000 ring from you-know-who.
''It's a pity it was on the wrong hole, but I'll take it. It's better than nothing,'' Arnold grinned.
''I had actually got in a bit of a lull in my round. I was playing quite nicely but couldn't make any putts.''
Arnold is no stranger to holes-in-one.
This was his sixth but his first in a tournament.
The ball never left the line of the pin after leaving his club, he said.
''It landed on the front and ran up. One lady screamed her head off at the back of the green, so I guessed it was in.
''It's not a bad week to have one, I guess.''
Arnold's round also included three birdies and a sole bogey as he finished with a 4-under-par 68 to be right in contention heading into the final round.
A quieter but no less effective golfer yesterday was Dongwoo Kang, who carded a tidy 4-under-par 68 at The Hills.
Kang, who competes under the Korean flag but has represented Waikato in the New Zealand interprovincial, qualified for the Open at a tournament at Royal Auckland on Monday.
''I was confident that I could make it and was confident I could play well,'' Kang said.
''Me and my coach have been focused on the New Zealand Open, and it worked well today. I played solidly all day and was putting nicely.''
Kang and the other golfers who found scoring reasonably comfortable at The Hills will now cross the road and hope Millbrook is as accommodating.
''I struggled there last year. But the nine holes I struggled on are not being used this year, which I am pleased about,'' he said.
