Thompson out to end on high note

Leading contender Mako Thompson plays a shot on the 14th hole during a practice round for the New Zealand Amateur at Balmacewen yesterday. Photo: Peter McIntosh

You will know if Mako Thompson wins the New Zealand Amateur at the Otago Golf Club this week.

Well, you will hear it — there will be a bloke singing Boys Light Up in the clubhouse at Balmacewen on Sunday night.

The talented Hawke’s Bay golfer doubles as a musician and singer who has a handy sideline in cover bands performing at parties and weddings.

"It’s a nice little hobby and gives me some nice balance away from golf," Thompson said yesterday.

"It’s a release, and just helps me feel really loose and free, and I’ve got a massive passion for music."

Thompson does not want to get too far ahead of himself but is happy to declare he will be belting out a victory song if he is lucky enough to win a tournament that was first contested at the Otago club in 1893.

A Metallica number might be a bit much for the hallowed walls of the clubhouse so the Australian Crawl classic might have to be on the set list.

"Boys Light Up is a bit of a go-to, and everybody knows it."

On a serious note, Thompson is very much one of the elite amateurs to watch this week.

He was third in the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2020, won a Charles Tour event two months ago, and is recently back from the Asia-Pacific Championship.

But he has one big itch to scratch.

Thompson has been knocked out of the New Zealand Amateur at the semifinal stage for three straight years, and would dearly love to use his recent momentum to carry him into the final, at least.

"I think I’ve gained some pretty good experience, and I’ve had some overseas exposure, so I hope that will help me get through to the final this year.

"A lot of people think it’s just about avoiding bogies. It’s hard to lose holes if you don’t make too many mistakes and don’t make bogies.

"I don’t think the plan will change too much. There might be some holes where you use driver because the risk is a little bit less compared to strokeplay.

"But it’s mainly about keeping the ball in play with some quite narrow fairways. And just play as smart as possible."

Winning the Mount Open in September ahead of a strong professional field at the Mt Maunganui club was a big boost to his career, Thompson said.

"It was really special, and cool to see a lot of us amateurs and national academy players starting to win well.

"It’s definitely given me some confidence to go out there and do it against some really good golfers."

Thompson had previously played as far south as Arrowtown but had never been to the Otago Golf Club.

He enjoyed browsing the history on the clubhouse walls before getting a good taste of the course when he completed 18 holes of practice yesterday.

"The course has a lot of undulation. It’s really up and down, and the greens tend to break quite a bit.

"It’s quite different to what we have in a lot of places in New Zealand, especially with that elevation change, which will be a good test of how we come into the greens."

It is set to be a big few months for Thompson.

After the New Zealand Amateur, he is fiercely determined to lead his Hawke’s Bay team to one place better than last year and win the national interprovincial for the first time in 53 years.

"That’s super exciting. We’ve got a pretty strong team, and we are pumped and excited to try to win it."

Thompson will then head to Australia on January 1 for a handful of tournaments, and to the UK in May for another long stretch of golf.

Turning professional is on the cards but he does not know exactly when.

Other leading contenders in the men’s field this week include Jayden Ford (Wellington), Tyler Wood (Waikato), Josh Bai (Auckland) and Jared Edwards (Auckland).

The women’s field is headlined by Auckland stars Vivian Lu and Eunseo Choi, Whanganui prodigy Tara Raj, Darae Chung (Wellington), Jessica Green (Rotorua) and Otago No 1 Sumin Kang.