I knew golf was cruel but it took the first round of the New Zealand Open to really expose it to me.
Today was the sort of schizophrenic weather day that morning golfers love and afternoon golfers despise.
The chaps with morning tee-times strolled around a crisp, windless Hills and posted a flurry of 65s, 67s, 68s and 69s.
Then the poor buggers with the afternoon starts rolled up to discover Arrowtown being buffeted by strong southwesterly winds.
Golf and wind go together like cricket and rain. It just doesn't work.
How brutally unfair that the blokes in the morning got blessed by the weather and the saps in the afternoon got butchered.
It changes tomorrow, of course. The groups switch positions, which supposedly evens things up.
The problem is that we hear the weather forecast is the exact OPPOSITE for tomorrow - wind in the morning and calm in the afternoon.
Today was an interesting day from a golf writer's perspective - not that I consider myself a golf writer now - because of an American bloke called
Alex Prugh.
All the good rounds were in the morning, so we were able to start writing our main stories.
Then, at about 6pm, we noticed with sinking hearts that while most of the afternoon golfers were struggling, young Mr Pugh was carving up the
course.
We were soon joined in the media centre by Mahal Pearce, the 2003 New Zealand Open champion and ODT columnist.
Mahal still had a smile for us, despite having just carded a six-over-par 78.
We finally got fed in the media tent today. Nothing fancy, just pies and sandwiches, which was a little disappointing after the delicious and
regular snacks at the PGA at Clearwater.
The Yanks have invaded - three Americans are tied for the lead after the first round.
Hopefully Steve Alker or Danny Lee or our boy Mahal can light up The Hills tomorrow.
