GOLF: The winner's Rostron

PLEASANTRIES at Pleasington had only been exchanged when the peace was disturbed by an almighty thud.

The unmistakable sound of golf ball on car grabbed everyone's attention.

But it was the reaction of the car's occupant that excited us most.

After all, it was the lady captain driving through.

"She said, 'Oh don't worry about it, I'm just sorry that I stopped your ball from making it to the green'.

"I couldn't believe it - the number plate was almost split in two!" reported the culprit, Natalee Evans, when she made it to the 17th green.

On the adjacent 18th tee, Kim Rostron was unfazed by the commotion - or the chants of "Come on chump" from her playing partner and the recently-arrived car vandal now waiting to putt on the nearby green.

A steely drive with a hint of draw found the middle of the fairway and, when Gill Nuttall failed to find her ball in the right hand rough, an honourable all square was declared.

"I might ask her for an 18-hole play-off - she'll never make it," suggested Gill.

Kim concurred. "I've exhausted myself this week," she said. "I played 36 holes on Monday, 36 again today (Tuesday) and I'm feeling a bit tired. "This weekend in the St Rule strokeplay championship at St Andrews, I'll be playing 18 holes on Saturday and 36 on Sunday."

Gee, it's a tough life.

"My fitness has improved.

"I work out at Lee Carter's gym in Clitheroe, not far from the golf club, which is great because I can pop in when I finish my golf or vice versa.

"There I'll do a lot of work on the bike and the running machine and the treadmill and the rower to build up my stamina.

"But I haven't been for a bit!"

Maybe that's because the golf has taken on a life of its own.

In the past 12 months Rostron's career has exploded.

Selection for England in the home internationals was followed by selection for the Great Britain and Irish squad.

Then she made the Great Britain and Ireland representative side to face South Africa at Letham Grange next week.

That was celebrated by picking up the Scottish strokeplay title. Disappointment came next when she was beaten in the Lancashire final but the pain was banished with a powerful display at Saunton East in Devon last week when Kim won the English Women's Close Amateur Championship.

Phew!

That's almost enough silverware to justify reinforcing the mantelpiece.

Recent success, however, has not caused any reconstruction of Rostron's character.

In the balmy heat of a May afternoon at Pleasington, and in the clubhouse afterwards, she was so underwhelmed by mention of her achievements that we could have been reading a shopping list instead.

"I don't think I'm really a confident person," she confessed.

"I mean I could go next week to a tournament and think 'Oh my God, I could miss this putt' - have a confidence crisis almost.

"I try never to get too big for my boots because I know what golf's like.

"It's done it to me before.

"I got to girls' international level and suddenly it hits you.

"It sends you backwards as quickly as it can send you forward."

It helps that Kim is surrounded by understanding people including Jane Forrest, her coach, who has tightened up Kim's game.

The swing strikes the perfect balance between being long and loose and controlled and tight.

The posture is relaxed, the arms given ample room to manoeuvre.

But it is the rhythm and balance which make it such a decisive motion.

Whether she is driving on a par five or pitching to a short hole, the action remains the same, undeterred, unrestricted, unhurried.

"Off the tee, I'm pretty straight which is quite important," she said.

"I rarely spray it off-line. "My short game is solid too.

"What Jane has told me and done with my game has worked great. And I think I've got stronger too."

Mental toughness is required as well, both on the course and off.

Money is tight.

One of the many disadvantages of competing on an amateur circuit, even at such a high level, is the lack of adequate funding.

Of course, by nature, amateurs can never expect to make the kind of living their professional counterparts do.

But there is surely enough money in sport today to compensate those who don't wish to commit themselves to full professional status.

For Kim, the major drawback of being a professional is the weeks spent in isolation, away from home.

Not for her is the travelling, the hotels, the warm climes, different people.

She is a girl who likes security around her, not the kind of heavy mob now assigned to Tiger Woods but the gentle, ever-present arm of mum Nina, dad Fred and boyfriend Robert. They have helped provide steady financial support in addition to emotional comfort

But she has to prioritize and that means cutting down on socialising.

"Going out costs money and there isn't an awful lot of that," she said.

"Turning professional might alleviate the pressure somewhat but I'm not contemplating that at the minute."

It would seem the natural progression, however, if Kim continues to shine in the amateur ranks and particularly if she makes the prestigious Curtis Cup team to face the United States next year.

She seemed destined for great things when she got her handicap down to single figures by the age of 11.

"Golf's a bug, maybe not a bad bug, but once it takes hold you just have to keep going," said Kim.

Schoolwork was never high on the list of priorities.

The only exam she ever passed was art.

Homework was trying to persuade daddy to venture out to the golf course after tea. Her attention span didn't last any great length of time.

"I wasn't a great school lover," she said. "Anything like mathematics or English, I just wasn't into.

"As long as I can add up to 80 or 85 (strokes) I'm happy. I don't want to go any higher!"

If she manages to keep the counting down to 70 or so next week, the Rostron locomotive will continue to gather momentum.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.