Putting the key for Barnes

A change in attitude and his putter proved the catalyst for a superb 64 to give Australian Kurt Barnes the first-round lead at the NZ PGA Championship. The big-hitting Barnes has been considered a talent of the highest order since his amateur days but has not always offered the hard work to make it count since turning professional in 2003. A call to his friend, and former swing coach, Simon Deep last month signalled an intent to turn things around and it paid rich dividends at Clearwater, a course that set up perfectly for Barnes with the wind absent and the greens holding well due to rain early in the week. “I&aposve been playing well the last few months but been running into trouble with the flat stick. I changed putters after last week at Moonah, made a phone call to my old swing coach and got my short game on track,” Barnes said. “It was an eight-minute phone call that I probably should have made eight months ago but I made the call and he told me what he thought I needed to do to get back to the way I was putting and it certainly worked today.” “I needed a change – my short game wasn&apost there and I just needed my memory jogged from when I was putting so well six months to missing a lot of makeable putts, especially in Australia.” “I felt comfortable when I came out to have a putt on Tuesday and it certainly made the difference.” It made such a difference that following a holed bunker shot for eagle on the 14th and a birdie at the 15th, Barnes needed one more red number to tie the course record held by Ryan Palmer and Steven Bowditch. A six-metre putt that slid mere millimetres past the hole on the 18th saw that opportunity pass him by but it wasn&apost enough to spoil his mood. “I&aposm just happy to be playing well again,” he said. “If you equal the course record then that&aposs great, if you break it that&aposs even better but just to be playing well and actually see the ball go into the hole I&aposve been striking the ball really well over the last six months without any luck.” “Today I had a little bit of luck go my way, I made my own luck and the putts finally went in for me.” “To be honest I don&apost think I could have shot any worse today, just for the simple fact that my ball striking was unbelievable today.” “Every line we picked I hit it right on line bar a couple of loose ones, but other than that my ball striking was exactly how I wanted it to be. It just felt nice again.”