Say what you like, Nitties in the groove

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Say what you like, Nitties in the groove

8th December 2006, 7:45 WST

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Loud-mouth American Bob Estes has put a hard edge on Nitties that

could help the Newcastle professional go one better than he did as a nervous

rookie two years ago in the Australian PGA Championship.

The 24-year-old Nitties returned to the scene of his best career

performance - runner-up to Lonard in the 2004 championship - to reel

off his best first-round score of 64 and lead an international field headed

by world No. 4 Adam and defending champion by.

On a day of low scoring in perfect conditions on Queensland's Sunshine

Coast, Nitties led Kiwi surprise packet Brad Iles (65) and ultra-consistent

West Australian Nick O'Hern (66), who has his family and parents with him at

the resort.

Leukaemia survivor Jarrod Lyle was one of a host of players on 66, with

Stuart Appleby and Rod Pampling among five players on 67.

Most of the big guns were on the leaderboard including US Open champion

Geoff Ogilvy, who opened with a 68. by recovered from a bad start for a

two-under 70, while favourite struggled to an uninspiring par 72.

Nitties started the 2004 tournament - his fourth as a professional - in hot

form with rounds of 67 and 65. He was so nervous when partnered with Estes

in the third round he could hardly take his club back in his two-under 70.

Estes declared the young Australian was " living on the edge " and " close to

disaster " .

His comments appeared designed to unsettle the rookie who held his nerve

over the final 18 holes to beat Estes by one shot for second after Lonard

blazed home with six birdies in seven holes.

Nitties yesterday paid out on Estes for his intimidating tactics. " I don't

think he liked that I was doing so well, so early in my career, " Nitties

said. " He was probably thinking 'this little punk, what's he doing?'

" He'd play cat and mouse and come in here (media centre) every day before me

and say something about me and you guys would ask me my reaction. "

Estes may have thought Nitties was starting his career but he had played in

a lot of professional tournaments as an amateur, including leading the

Australian Masters from by.

" I think he thought he could intimidate me but I was like 'mate, I've played

with better players than you' and it doesn't really worry me. "

Nitties is getting his game back on track after a tough couple of years with

juvenile arthritis in his right hip. He was so bad he was confined to a

hospital bed for a month while the arthritis moved through the joints in his

body and he lost 15kg.

He is now in remission, with his specialist almost certain it won't return

although he still takes a powder recommended by Steve Elkington, who had a

similar problem in his formative years.