Presnell still riding high

The confidence gained from his break-through victory at the Moonah Classic was borne out again in Australian Alistair Presnell&aposs bogey-free opening 67 at the NZ PGA Championship. With his full-playing status on the second-tier Nationwide Tour secure thanks to a one-stroke win over Aussie veteran Peter O&aposMalley, Presnell is able to breathe a lot more comfortably. “I was really pushing to try to get some money together and now to have the money and a ticket to the US is a huge relief,” he said. “It&aposs brought a few changes in now instead of playing a few pro-ams or getting a job – it&aposs a big difference.” “Confidence is massive in this game and when you don&apost have any you think the world is against you.” “At the moment I am riding high as I think I have ever been. It&aposs a good feeling.” The 29-year-old Victorian rode the wave of contentment to record five birdies on a still morning in Christchurch as he teed off at 7:30am. Adjusting from the links-style Moonah course in his home state to Clearwater, where he missed the cut in his only previous appearance, proved no problem. “The course was playing a bit longer than last week but pretty fair, I think,” Presnell said. “There was no wind this morning which was a massive factor.” “It stayed pretty calm out there. We were pretty lucky this morning.” If the weather reports are to be believed for Friday, when Presnell tees off at 12:30pm, it might be a different story as wind and rain are predicted to sweep in and play havoc with the late starters.