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NZ Golf UpdateDecember 2012
In thIs update: › Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship: McCall finishes tied 14th
› Freyberg Masters: Waikato makes history in Napier
› NZ team named for Australian Youth Olympic Festival
› Juan Carlos: New Zealand finishes runner-up in Argentina
› Argentine Amateur Final: Munn comes up just short (Image: Josh Munn – Harewood media)
› PLUS LOADS MORE!
Welcome to the final edition of the New Zealand Golf Update for 2012 – a regular communication reviewing all the latest news and activity from New Zealand Golf.
Welcome to the final edition of the New Zealand Golf Update for 2012 – a regular communication reviewing all the latest news and activity from New Zealand Golf.
It has been a busy year for the team at New Zealand Golf with many events for golfers of all ages and abilities in the past few months completing the calendar around the country.
The biggest of them was the BMW NZ Open held at the Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch in the final week of November. The 94th staging of our national championship was a real success and was well supported by the golfing public of Canterbury with around 15,000 spectators attending.
New Zealand professional Mark Brown came within one round of winning the tournament only to be outclassed in the final round by Australian amateur Jake Higginbottom.
The 18-year-old from NSW was the first amateur to win the event in 56 years since Harry Berwick. It was a momentous win and the Kiwis will return in 2013 again looking to end the drought in the national championship.
There were other significant winners around the country. Bay of Plenty came from behind in the final of the Toro Men’s Interprovincial title to defeat Manawatu / Wanganui at the Otago Golf Club.
The title went to a playoff with Victor Janin of the Bay of Plenty outlasting his Manawatu opponent Junior Tatana on second extra hole. The Bay has now won seven of the past 11 Toro Men’s titles.
The best 70 women golfers from around the country traveled to the St Clair Golf Club for the Toro Women’s Interprovincial with Auckland looking to defend its title.
Auckland and Wellington squared off in one of the most dramatic finals played in the event in recent time. Auckland won the final 3- 2 after Brittney Dryland made a hole in one on the back nine.
Earlier on the calendar, Waikato secured their maiden win of the Lion Foundation Freyberg Masters title at the Poverty Bay Golf Club in what was an impressive performance.
At the same time at the Invercargill Golf Club, Southland, led by Robin Boniface, won the Women’s Masters title by a remarkable 11 shots. They won the Women’s Masters Trophy for a record fourth consecutive time.
Meanwhile internationally Michael Hendry qualified for the Japan Golf Tour and finished runner up on the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit to Peter Senior.
There is plenty to look forward to in 2012 with New Zealand women’s professional Cathryn Bristow securing a full card on the Ladies European Tour.
Locally we look forward to the ISPS Handa NZ Women’s Open hosted by Christchurch returning to Clearwater in February and the return of the NZ PGA Championship at The Hills later in March.
New Zealand’s top male amateurs will be heading to South Africa for the inaugural Ten Nations Cup and we’ll have a young team at Australian Youth Olympic Festival and golf returns to the Olympic stable of sports.
On a final note, we’d like to take some time to reflect and thank Philip Hassall for his service as the Chairman of the Board of New Zealand Golf for the past seven years. The proud Waikato man has been a great leader and servant of the game and is stepping down because of work and family commitments. We wish him well.
Happy golfing.
Yours in Golf
Welcome UpcomiNG EvEnts
North IslaNd U19 ChampIoNshIp
13 – 16 January Hamilton Golf Club
Charles toUr: lawNmaster ClassIC
31 Jan – 3 February Manawatu Golf Club
Isps haNda NZ womeN’s opeN QUalIfyINg
4 February Christchurch Golf Club
Isps haNda NZ womeN’s opeN 8 – 10 February
Clearwater Golf Club
New ZealaNd seNIors 8 – 10 February Taupo Golf Club
soUth IslaNd stroke play 16 – 17 February St Clair Golf Club
sBs INvItatIoNal 23 – 24 February
Invercargill Golf Club
NZ team Named for aUstraliaN YoUth olYmpic festival New Zealand Golf has announced an exciting squad to contest the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in 2013.
The boy’s squad consists of Jason Yoo (Waitikiri), Compton Pikari (Te Awamutu), Sean Masters (Kaitaia), Nick Coxon (Narrows) and Kadin Neho (Whangarei) while the girl’s squad is Wenyung Keh (Titirangi), Te Rongopai Clay (Titahi Bay), Lita Guo (North Shore), Tyla Kingi (Opotiki) and Laura Hoskin (Arrowtown).
Nine teams of the best age group golfers from around the world will compete at the Twin Creeks Golf Club from January 17 – 20.
The invited nations include Argentina, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, China, Great Britain, Chinese- Taipei and hosts Australia.
The event format will include competitions for men’s individual, women’s individual and a team event (two men and two women) in 72 holes of Stroke Play.
Golfers must be under the age of 18 at 17 January 2013 and there is a handicap limit of 3.4 for the men and 6.4 for the women at the time of entry.
There will be a maximum of 90 golfers playing in the
event with a limit of 10 golfers per team (five men and five women).
The tournament, which is run by Golf Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee, sees golf return into the stable of Olympic sports for the first time since 1904.
Golf was an Olympic sport in only two Games – 1900 and 1904 – and in 2009, the International Olympic Committee decided to reinstate the sport for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“Seeing golf back at the Olympics is a very exciting time for the sport,” said Gregg Thorpe, the New Zealand Golf High Performance Manager.
“The Australian Youth Olympic Festival is a great opportunity for our young golfers to get a taste of what competing at the Olympics would be like.
“It is a great initiative from the Australian Olympic Committee and it provides an opportunity to introduce New Zealand’s emerging talent to international competition.
“New Zealand Golf believes that golf being reinstated in the Olympic movement has the potential to raise the profile of the sport in New Zealand. It will be a big motivator for young people to take up the game.”
arGeNtiNe amateUr fiNal: MuNN COMES uP JuST SHORT
Manawatu amateur Joshua Munn has finished one match short of winning the Argentine Amateur.
The 21-year-old, who recently became the first amateur to win two titles on the Charles Tour, lost 5 and 3 to Spain’s Antoni Ferrer Mercant in the 36 hole championship match at the Estancias Golf Club.
The match was a tight battle before Mercant, the number 10 seed, took control from the 26th hole to seal the win in the prestigious amateur championship.
After losing the first hole, the New Zealand rep responded by winning the following three holes to earn an early 2up advantage.
Mercant responded in kind with birdies on six and eight to get the match back to all square.
Munn lost his way on the back nine as he made bogeys on the 10th and 13th to gift his opponent a 2up lead. He birdied the 14th for a win but Mercant was 2up soon after when he made birdie on the 15th and remained 2up until the break after 18 holes.
That remained the score for the next six holes as they halved every one before Mercant made a telling birdie on the seventh to jump to a 3up lead.
Munn was now under pressure and time was running out. He forced the issue and made a bogey on the ninth, or 27th hole, to see his opponent take a 4up lead with nine holes to play.
When he bogeyed the 10th the writing was on the wall for the Manawatu Golf Club member. Even though he rallied well with birdies on 11 and 13 it was too little too late and bogeys on 14 and 15 from Munn secured the win for the Spaniard.
Munn, who recently lead New Zealand to a runner-up finish at the Juan Carlos event in Argentina alongside Canterbury rep Jordan Bakermans, had a fine week at the Estancias Golf Club as the 28th seed.
He beat Argentine Francisco Goicoechea Ruiz 4 and 3 in round one, Ireland’s Richard O’Donovan at the 20th hole, Marcos Montenegro 6 and 4, Alejandro Tosti 1up and Canadian Garret Rank 2 and 1 to make the final.
Fellow Kiwi Bakermans, from the Christchurch Golf Club, was knocked out by Rank in the quarterfinals 1up.
Munn is currently traveling to the Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch where he’ll be one of a number of amateurs looking to upstage the professional field at the BMW NZ Open.
Josh Munn
freYberG masters WAIKATO MAKES HISTORY IN NAPIER
Waikato maintained a perfect winning record all week at the Maraenui Golf Club in Napier to win the Lion Foundation Freyberg Masters for the first time.
The Red, Amber and Blacks, who had never won the title since it began in 1986 at Paraparaumu, were a class above throughout all nine rounds as they upset their more fancied rivals.
They finished off their perfect week with a 3-2 win over Taranaki this morning before finishing it off in style with a 3-2 win over Auckland - the most successful team in Freyberg Masters history with 10 wins.
Waikato was superbly led by their No.1 Andrew McKechnie who won all of his eight matches, often under pressure, to steer his team home. He was rightfully named as the player of the tournament.
McKechnie, Phil Hunter and John Gatley managed the wins this morning over Taranaki and then McKechnie, John Shea and Gatley were the heroes in the tight contest with rivals Auckland.
Seven-time champions Wellington rallied late to draw with 2011 champions Canterbury and secured second place as the medals were up for grabs right up until the last matches.
Aorangi, who beat Hawkes Bay and Bay of Plenty on the final day, performed superbly to finish third. It was just reward for their play this week at the Maraenui Golf Club.
Auckland claimed fifth and Canterbury were sixth with North Habour claiming seventh as they were all outclassed by the underdog Waikato team.
This was the Mooloo Men’s time to celebrate. For this first time in 26 years they were toasting success at the Freyberg Masters and, by winning all week in a perfect performance, it was worth the wait.
2012 Freyberg Master round eight and nine scores (Maraenui golF club, napier)
round 8
southland 3 hawkes bay 2
Karl Mariu bt Tony Sutherland 2/1
Blair Sinclair lost to Steffan Hepburn 4/2
Gary Radka bt Paul Beachen 3/1
Paul Adams bt Lachlan McKay 3/2
Craig O’Rorke lost to Gary Campbell 1up
aorangi 3 bay oF plenty 2
Jason Leary halved with Blair Murdock
Simon Wright bt Darryn Lowans 3/2
John Smitheran bt Justin Rasmussen 2up
Peter Fox halved with Jason Madden
Robbie Bell lost to Tony Hewlett 3/2
canterbury 4 otago 1
Scott Ritchie halved with Andrew Hobbs
Andrew Dufton bt Gary Creedy 1up,
Aaron Forsyth bt Stephen Hitchcox 3/2
Paul Bailey bt John McIntee 4/3
Jason Sincock halved with Kyle Geary
auckland 5 tasMan 0
Brent Paterson bt Matt Bulfin 5/4
Martin Tumata bt Wayne Robbins 4/2
Michael Barltrop bt Lyell Marfell 6/5
Tom Duffy bt Blair Bavin 3/2
Mike Leitch bt Peter Bourke 5/4
waikato 3 taranaki 2
Andrew McKechnie bt Aarun Langton 7/5
Wybo Veldman lost to Murray Martin 1up
Phil Hunter bt Tony Hardy 3/1
Ken Shea lost to Brian Martelletti 3/1
John Gatley bt Brian Rowland 6/5
wellington 3 Manawatu / wanganui 2
Peter Brinsdon lost Malcolm Wells 1down
Frank Borren lost to Stuart Smith 2/1
Rodney Barltrop bt Tony Chettleburgh 2/1
Malcolm Gullery bt Roddy McCabe 4/3
Myles Averns bt Chris Treen 1up
round 9
northland 5 poverty bay ec 0
Bob Shirley bt Wynn MacLellan 1upTony Mayo bt Peter Clayton 5/4Paul Young bt Tene Goldsmith 2/1Scott Wilson bt Neville West 6/4Iain Power bt Brent Colbert 7/6
tasMan 3 1/2 taranaki 1 1/2
John Murray lost to Aarun Langton 6/5Matt Bulfin bt Murray Martin 3/2Wayne Robbins bt Brian Martelletti 4/3Lyell Marfell halved with Robbie SimBlair Bavin bt Brian Rowland 1up
waikato 3 auckland 2
Andrew McKechnie bt Brent Paterson 4/3Wybo Veldman lost Martin Tumata 1downPhil Hunter lost Michael Barltrop 3/1Ken Shea bt Tom Duffy 2/1John Gatley bt Mike Leitch 2/1
canterbury 2 1/2 wellington 2 1/2
Scott Ritchie halved with Peter BrinsdonAndrew Dufton lost Frank Borren 1downAaron Forsyth lost Rodney Barltrop 1downPaul Bailey bt Malcolm Gullery 2upJason Sincock bt Myles Averns 3/2
north harbour 3 1/2 southland 1 1/2
Mike Leeper bt Karl Mariu 1upReg Fleet lost Blair Sinclair 2/1Phil Mosley bt Gary Radka 1upMark Dawson bt Paul Adams 6/5Rob Noffke halved with Craig O’Rorke
aorangi 41/2 hawkes bay 1/2
Jason Leary bt Tony Sutherland 2/1Simon Wright bt Steffan Hepburn 6/5John Smitheran halved with Paul BeachenPeter Fox bt Lachlan McKay 3/1Robbie Bell bt Gary Campbell 2up
otago 3 Manawatu /wanganui 2
Andrew Hobbs lost to Malcolm Wells 2/1Gary Creedy lost to Stuart Smith 3/1Stephen Hitchcox bt Tony Chettleburgh 3/2Kyle Geary bt Rick Harding 4/3Greg Johnson bt Chris Treen 1up
2012 Freyberg Masters - Final leaderboard
Place Team Wins
Individual Wins Team
Location
1 8.0 27.0 Waikato
2 6.5 24.0 Wellington
3 6.0 26.0 Aorangi
4 5.5 25.5 Auckland
5 5.5 24.5 Canterbury
6 5.0 25.0 North Harbour
7 4.0 23.0 Northland
8 4.0 21.5 Manawatu / Wanganui
9 4.0 21.5 Bay of Plenty
10 3.5 19.0 Otago
11 3.5 17.0 Southland
12 2.5 20.0 Taranaki
13 1.0 12.5 Hawkes Bay
14 1.0 12.5 Tasman
15 0.0 1.0 Poverty Bay EC
asia-pacific amateUr champioNship: MCCALL FINISHES TIED 14TH
New Zealand No.1 Vaughan McCall finished as the leading Kiwi at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand.
The 21-year-old from the Gore Golf Club carded a three under par 69 in the final round at the Amata Spring Country Club to finish on a three under par total in a share of 14th place.
He was 12 shots back from China’s Tianlang Guan as the 14-year-old won by one shot from Chinese Taipei golfer Cheng-tsung Pan to secure an invitation to the 2013 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Guan and Pan both earned spots in International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship.
McCall, who finished 13th on the individual standings at the Eisenhower World Amateur Team’s Championship in Turkey, got off to a fast start in the final round.
The Southland golfer birdied three of the opening six holes to climb the leaderboard before a double bogey on the par three 8th saw him drop back and make the turn in one under par 35.
He added further birdies on the 15th and 17th coming home to sign for a 69 and secure another top 15 finish in a quality international field.
It continues McCall’s fine year after he became the first golfer in 24 years to win both the New Zealand Stroke Play and New Zealand Amateur titles in the same year.
He will rue his third round four over par 76 that saw him slip from inside the top seven players to tied 19th.
Ashburton golfer Daniel Pearce, who was second after carding a four under par 68 in round one, shot an even par 72 in the final round to finish on a one under par total and claim a share of 18th place.
Tasman No.1 Blair Riordan was one shot further back on an even par total after finishing with a disappointing three over par 75.
Bay of Plenty golfer Peter Lee finished tied 29th, Compton Pikari was tied 55th and James Beale finished in a share of 57th place.
Previously New Zealand amateurs have come close to winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur and earning the right to play at the Masters. In 2010 Peter Spearman-Burn and in 2011 Ben Campbell finished fourth and third respectively.
The event is organised by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A, and featured 120 players from the APGC’s 36 member associations.
asia-paciFic aMateur chaMpionship Final scores: aMata spring golF club, thailand (par 72)
273 Tianlang Guan (CHN) 66 64 72 71
274 Cheng-tsung Pan (TPE) 75 67 67 65 276 Oliver Goss (AuS) 70 65 69 72 278 Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 71 69 70 68 279 James McMillan (AuS) 73 69 69 68 280 Soo-min Lee (KOR) 69 70 69 72 282 Nattawat Sucajanakorn (THA) 71 72 72 67 Nathan Holman (AuS) 75 64 75 68 Cameron Smith (AuS) 74 66 73 69 Brett Drewitt (AuS) 71 71 71 69 Natipong Srithong (THA) 69 69 73 71 283 Chikkarangappa Senapaa (IND) 69 74 71 69 284 Mikumu Horikawa (JPN) 71 72 67 74 285 Vaughan McCall (NZL) 72 68 76 69 Gyu-Bin Kim (KOR) 71 73 72 69 Khalin Joshi (IND) 74 71 69 Prin Sirisommai (THA) 70 65 72 78
also:
287 Daniel Pearce (NZL) 68 73 74 72288 Blair Riordan (NZL) 73 69 71 75293 Peter Lee (NZL) 78 70 73 72303 Compton Pikari (NZL) 72 81 77 73 304 James Beale (NZL) 76 76 74 78
Vaughan Mccall
Us pGa toUr QUalifYiNG school fiNal staGe:LEE AND WILKINSON COME uP JuST SHORT
New Zealand No.1 Danny Lee has missed qualifying for the PGA Tour in La Quinta, California by one shot.
There were six rounds in the final qualifying event with 172 players competing for only 25 places on the PGA Tour in 2013.
The 22-year-old Rotorua professional carded a two under par 70 at the Stadium Course in the final round of the six round event to come up just short in a five-way share of 27th place.
If Lee had qualified it would have been the fitting conclusion to a remarkable comeback.
The former uS Amateur Champion, who had opened with rounds of 72 and 75 to be in a share of 150th place, played the following four rounds in 19 under par to give himself a chance of returning to the PGA Tour.
But the former World No.1 amateur will return to the web.com Tour in 2013 and play the odd event on the PGA Tour with conditional status.
Lee will rue the double bogey he made on the par five, fifth hole that was the difference between him qualifying for a full card. He made two birdies coming home on the 11th and 16th but it was not enough as the damage had been done.
He was not alone as Manawatu professional Tim Wilkinson was also counting a day of missed opportunities.
The former PGA Tour pro, who also began the final round only one shot back from the qualifying mark, lost his momentum with a one over par 73 in the sixth round to slip back to tied 49th.
Wilkinson finished on a 13 under par total to miss the cut by four shots and, like Lee, will return to the web.com Tour.
It was a frustrating day for the former NZ Eisenhower rep. Every time he made a birdie he followed it with a bogey the next hole.
He birdied two and bogeyed three, he birdied six and bogeyed seven and then birdied 12 and bogeyed 13. His fate was sealed with a bogey at the par five 16th.
It was a disappointing end to a week that offered so much promise for Lee and Wilkinson. To come so close to qualifying is cruel but that is the reality of professional golf at the highest level.
The Kiwis were in good company as high profile players like Camilo Villegas, Heath Slocum, Alex Cejka, Rod Pampling, Tim Pernice Jnr and Nick O’Hern were among the many who missed the mark to secure a full card.
Danny lee
Photos courtesy of Getty’s & Photosport Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko
JorDan BakerMansJoshua Munn
New Zealand amateurs Joshua Munn and Jordan Bakermans have finished runner-up at the prestigious Juan Carlos tournament in Argentina.
The Kiwi pair finished on a one over par combined total of 577 for four rounds to finish 17 shots back from runaway champions Australia.
Munn, who recently became the first amateur to win two Charles Tour titles when he claimed the Harewood Open, led the way for New Zealand.
He opened with a five under par 67 at the Los Lagartos Country Club to be the leading player after round one. Munn added rounds of 71, 73 and 72 to finish on a five under total of 283 and in a share of third place on the individual leaderboard three shots back from Australian Geoff Drakeford.
Munn was well supported by Bakermans on his first international trip of this note.
The Christchurch Golf Club member, who earlier this
year won the South Island under 19s at the Timaru Golf Club, had rounds of 75, 74, 71 and 74 for a six over par 294 total.
They were two shots ahead of Ireland, who claimed third, and Argentina and South Africa were a further shot back in a share of fourth place.
It is a great result for the Kiwis who came close to following in the footsteps of Marcus Wheelhouse and Mark Brown who famously won the event in 1995.
Juan carlos golF tournaMent – los lagartos country club, argentina
560 Australia 577 new Zealand (Joshua Munn 67 71 73 72
– 283, Jordan Bakerman 75 74 71 74 – 294)579 Ireland 580 Argentina, South Africa 583 Mexico 584 Canada588 Peru
JUaN carlos: NEW ZEALAND FINISHES RuNNER-uP IN ARGENTINA
Australian Jake Higginbottom became the first amateur golfer for 56 years to be crowned New Zealand Open champion with his one-shot victory in the BMW-sponsored tournament hosted by Christchurch at Clearwater on the last Sunday in November.
Fellow Australian Harry Berwick achieved that feat also in Christchurch, but at Shirley, in 1956 that win coming two years after left-handed Bob Charles had won his country’s showpiece event as an amateur.
Higginbottom, a 19-year-old from New South Wales, started the final round three shots adrift of Mark Brown, New Zealand’s main hope of ending a drought of nine years since a Kiwi held aloft the winner’s silverware, the Brodie Breeze Trophy.
But his final round five under par 67 was good enough for a one shot win from Australian professionals Jason Norris and Peter Wilson who took home in the $A56,400 each from the event.
“It is a great feeling and it means a lot me,” said the 19-year-old from Sydney.
“It is good to come over here and play against the professionals and know that I am as good as them.”
Had Higginbottom been a professionalhe would have earned $A72,000.
He spoke with his parents shortly after who were emotional after his win.
“Mum was crying and Dad was just happy that I made a good speech….he is an idiot,” laughed the Aussie.
The teenager, who hit his approach shot into the water in round two when he was leading, showed nerves of steel on the final time coming down 18 with a massive drive.
“I actually talked about the 18th with my mates before the final round. They asked me what I would do if I had a one shot lead down the last and I told them I would just rip one down there.
“I was most nervous when I had that short putt on the last but it was nice to see that drop and to win is really good.”
After an inauspicious start where he bogeyed the first hole, Higginbottom reeled off eight birdies with his only other blemish being a bogey at the par-3 16th.
“It was good to be a couple behind after the front nine because I knew that I had to make birdies. That is what I did so it was good.”
His play was laced with pin-point approaches and steady putting and he showed no signs of nerves playing alongside professionals with birdies at 13, 14, 15 and 17 giving him a one-shot lead playing the last.
The final hole ranks among the toughest finishing holes on any championship course with water down the left and fairway bunkers down the right, but Higginbottom never wavered, putting his approach to 6m and holing the par putt from less than a metre.
That kept him a shot ahead of fellow Australians Norris and Wilson. Norris fired seven birdies in his round of 66 and fellow Victorian Wilson slotted a long birdie putt at the last to join him on six-under 282, a shot ahead of fourth-placed Brown.
No two days in golf are ever the same and Brown would attest to that after a final round in sharp contrast to his third round on Saturday when he fired seven birdies and just one bogey in his six-under 66.
He had good birdie chances on the first two holes to get the momentum going, but they slid by and nothing really happened for him until he broke a run of pars with a birdie at the seventh. That was to be his only birdie for the day.
Pars at the eighth and ninth had him two ahead of three Australians starting the back nine, but Brown seldom hit his approach shots close enough on the homeward half to set up birdies and bogeys on 11 and 13 – through a three-putt on 11 and double bunker trouble two holes later – had him off the top of the leaderboard.
Brown joined a notable list of New Zealanders including Brad Heaven in 2004, Michael Campbell in 2006 and Josh Geary last year who came agon+isingly close to claiming the coveted title but that honour still belongs to Mahal Pearce who prevailed at Middlemore, Auckland, in 2003.
Frustration was how Brown summed up his day.
bmW NZ opeN: AuSTRALIAN AMATEuR MAKES HISTORY
Jake higginBottoM
“I played well enough, I played beautifully for first 10 holes and didn’t miss a shot,” said the 37-year-old.
“But I only really holed one putt and had 34 for the day which is never going to win a golf tournament.
He couldn’t explain why his putting failed to match Saturday’s round when he needed only 28.
“I don’t know. I didn’t start them on line so there’s a technical issue there. I gave myself a lot of chances and think I hit 33 greens for the last 36 holes so that’s a lot of chances I didn’t take.
“It’s frustration and probably been a career thing for me so I’ve got to get better if I want to reach the goals I want to meet. I’ll go away, work hard, and try and get better.’”
Brown said the calm conditions did not suit him and the wind he was hoping for never eventuated.
His one-over 73 and four-round total of 284, four-under par, was still good enough for him to finish as leading New Zealander, one shot ahead of Auckland professional
Richard Lee, who mixed five birdies with two bogeys in his three-under 69 which left him alone in fifth place.
The 2003 champion Pearce and Michael Hendry, one of the pre-tournament favourites along with Brown and Australian Nic Cullen, finished in a tie for 10th on even par.
bmW NZ opeN: HIGHS AND LOWS OF THE WEEK AT THE CLEARWATER GOLF CLuB
The 2012 BMW NZ Open hosted by Christchurch was once again a special week at the Clearwater Golf Club. As always the closing stretch of the Sir Bob Charles and John Darby designed layout served up plenty of drama on Sunday afternoon. We look back now on the highs and lows of the 94th New Zealand Open that proved once again why it is the premier golf tournament in the country.
higginBottoM Making history:
The 19-year-old from NSW, who finished as the leading amateur in the event in 2011, was in a class of his own on Sunday afternoon. When he bogeyed the par 5 10th to slip back to one under for the day his title hopes looked gone. But Higginbottom wasn’t fazed. He made
five birdies in seven holes to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck and become the first amateur winner since Harry Berwick back in 1956. That is 56 years of history that changed courtesy of an incredible final round five under par 67. The Aussie also became the first teenager to win the title since Sir Bob Charles famously claimed the NZ Open as an 18-year-old amateur at Heretaunga in 1954. The way Higginbottom secured his win was perhaps most remarkable. The teenager, who hit his approach shot into the water in round two when he was leading, showed nerves of steel on the final time coming down 18 with a massive drive. “I actually talked about the 18th with my mates before the final round. They asked me what I would do if I had a one shot lead down the last and I told them I would just rip one down there. I was most nervous when I had that short putt on the last but it was nice to see that drop and to win is really good.” The Aussie rep looks like he has the game to be a very successful pro.
the run oF brown:
You had to feel for Mark Brown on Sunday. He took a three shot lead heading into the final round as he looked to become the first Kiwi to win the title in nine years. The Wellington pro, who finished as the leading amateur at the NZ Open in 1994 and 1995, looked set to add another prized piece of silverware to his collection. But all of the putts that found the cup on Saturday afternoon, when Brown shot a remarkable six under par 66 on moving day, just grazed the edge or lipped out. It could have been so different. The first 10 holes Brown set up a number of chances. He missed two birdie putts on the opening two holes by the smallest of margins and that would have made all the difference. His first birdie came at the seventh and then he fell away chasing the lead after bogeys on 11 and 13. But it was a fine week for the 37-year-old from the Shandon Golf Club. It was his first NZ Open in five years and he came within three shots of winning it. Let’s hope Browny is back next year at the BMW NZ Open as the more he plays down here the more likely he’ll be in that position again. After the career he has had, Brown deserves to join a list of NZ greats as a New Zealand Open champion.
r.lee showing his quality:
A notable mention here has to go to Richard Lee. The Japan Tour pro flew beneath the radar all week at the Clearwater Golf Club and popped up in the final round to be a real contender. He finished fifth in the end, one behind Brown for his best finish at a New Zealand Open. Lee, who is the only man to shoot a 59 in competitive golf in NZ, had rounds of 76, 70, 70 and 69 for a fine performance. What will be most pleasing for R.Lee is the fact that when he was in contention on the weekend he played his best golf. He should be encouraged by his week heading into 2013.
the weather and conditions oF the course at clearwater:
It was one out of the box at the Clearwater Golf Club. The weekend golf was played in idyllic conditions and over the many years of hosting NZ PGA events and NZ Opens it is hard to remember a time when it was this pleasant and warm. It saw a good number of locals come out on the weekend and enjoy the activity in the
Village Square. Special mention has to be made to Course Superintendent Ryan Adams and his team for the immaculate condition of the Clearwater Golf Club throughout the week. In the words of Phil Tataurangi: “Clearwater has really come on as a course in the past few years and matured to become a great and testing layout.”
upstaging the guys…again:
Lydia Ko made a cameo appearance at the BMW NZ Open pro-am and her press conference was as packed as any staged during the week. She has had that sort of year where she is always in demand. Lydia spoke well, as she always does, before going out and hitting a casual seven under par 65 in the blustery conditions. Lydia played alongside NZ Golf President Patsy Hankins and former NZG Board member Eileen Bateup who were in awe of her round that included eight birdies and a bogey. It bodes well for the New Zealand Women’s Open from February 8 – 10 at the same venue as she spearheads the Kiwi challenge looking to become the first home champion of the national open.
the return oF turns:
At the other end of the age bracket it was great to see Greg Turner playing his first New Zealand Open for 10 years. The two-time champion reminded everyone of his quality on Friday afternoon to jump into contention and suggest a third win at the event was not beyond him. He faded on the weekend with rounds of 79 and 75. But Turns, who is 50 in February, has plenty of game still and will be competitive on the Seniors European Tour. There is no doubt about that. But he brought far more to the event than just the scores he handed in. His presence in the field was great and every time he came in for a press conference he was engaging and entertaining. He is one of New Zealand’s sportsmen who when he speaks, it pays to listen. Let’s hope he is back for another NZ Open. Let’s also hope that 10 years after Mahal Pearce’s famous win at Middlemore we are toasting another home champion in 2013. The Kiwis are due.
Mark BroWn
NZ sQUads Named for aUstraliaN eveNts iN 2013New Zealand Golf has announced its men’s and women’s squads who will contest the series of Australian amateur events early in 2013.
The men’s squad includes Tyler Hodge (Levin), Blair Riordan (Takaka), Josh Munn (Manawatu) and Vaughan McCall (Gore).
The four players will compete in three events – The Australian Master of the Amateurs from January 8- 11, The Australian Amateur Championships from January 15- 20 and the Lake Macquarie Amateur from January 24 – 27.
The three women who will compete in the Lake Macquarie Cup from January 8 -11 are Julianne Alvarez (Manor Park), Sarah Bradley (Cambridge) and Munchin Keh (Titirangi).
They will all stay on to compete in the Australian Amateur from January 15 – 20 where World No.1 Lydia Ko will join them and look to defend her title at the Commonwealth and Woodlands Golf Clubs in Melbourne, Victoria.
Gregg Thorpe, the New Zealand Golf High Performance Manager, welcomes the introduction of some of the younger talent to the senior ranks and has an eye on these players for the future.
“As is often the case at the conclusion of an Eisenhower and Espirito Santo year a number of players make the transition to the professional ranks,” said Thorpe.
“This year is no different with the likes of Emily Perry, Ben Campbell, Mat Perry, Dan Pearce and Fraser Wilkin all making the switch.
“The very nature of a player development pathway is that players continue to progress and move on from amateur golf, now it’s the turn of a new group to step up, it’s an exciting time for these players.”
Both squads will head across the ditch with a high level of confidence after some stellar results in 2012.
McCall made history when he was the first golfer in 24 years to win both the NZ Amateur and the NZ Stroke Play in the same year. He went onto finish runner-up at the Welsh Stroke Play and tied 13th on the individual standings at the Eisenhower World Amateur Team’s Championship in Turkey.
Munn made history of his own when he became the first amateur to win two titles on The Charles Tour when he claimed the John Jones Steel Harewood Open in Christchurch. He followed that up with a runner-up finish at the Juan Carlos tournament in Argentina (alongside Jordan Bakermans) and was a finalist in the Argentine Amateur.
Hodge also rewrote the record books when he became the first New Zealand golfer to win both the Australian Age Group and New Zealand Age Group titles in the same year. He was also a member of the Manawatu - Wanganui team who won the SBS Invitational.
Riordan, who was part of the team that won the Sloan Morpeth trophy in Australia last year, was the leading individual at this year’s SBS Invitational and runner-up at the Carrus Open on The Charles Tour.
Meanwhile the women have been equally impressive. Ko’s record breaking heroics around the world have been well documented. She was the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history and the first Kiwi to win on that tour when she claimed the Canadian Open.
But the others have also had moments in the sun. Munchin Keh won the New Zealand Amateur Championship at Mount Maunganui and was impressive in her senior debut at the Espirito Santo World Amateur Team’s Championship.
Alvarez had a coming of age performance at the Harewood Open when she shot a four under par 68 in the rain and cold to claim her first senior national title.
Waikato’s Bradley also played superbly at the Harewood Open and is an experienced amateur after returning to New Zealand from a golf scholarship in Oklahoma.
new Zealand Men’s squad:
Tyler Hodge (Levin), Blair Riordan (Takaka), Josh Munn (Manawatu) and Vaughan McCall (Gore).
new Zealand woMen’s squad:
Lydia Ko (Gulf Harbour), Sarah Bradley (Cambridge), Julianne Alvarez (Manor Park) and Munchin Keh (Titirangi)
In January, she made international headlines when she won the New South Wales Open in Australia at 14 to become the youngest player to win a professional tour event. Before that she was the youngest champion of the Australian Amateur.
In mid August she was the first New Zealand player to win the uS Amateur and the second youngest in history.
In any other year, Ko would likely be a shoo-in for the Sportswoman of the year at the Halberg Awards in 2013 but will face tough competition from Olympic gold medalists Lisa Carrington and Valerie Adams.
Regardless, Ko has achieved something no other New Zealand golfer has. She will always be the first Kiwi golfer to win on the LPGA Tour and for now is the youngest champion in the tour’s 62 year history.
On Sunday August 26 at the Vancouver Golf Club Lydia Ko confirmed once again that she is the most exciting young golfer in the world.
NeW ZealaNd Golf WomeN’s Gross stableford roseboWl 2012RESuLTS SuMMARY
Place Club District Adjusted Gross Stableford
1 North Shore North Harbour 148.6
2 Manawatu Manawatu Wanganui 141
3 Maraenui Hawkes Bay Poverty Bay Women 140.2
4 Whangaroa Northland 130.8
5 Manaia Taranaki 129.6
6 Titirangi Auckland 123.6
7 Whangamata Bay of Plenty 121
Place Club District Adjusted Gross Stableford
8 Queenstown Otago 115.4
9 Walton Waikato 111.4
10 Greenacres Tasman 107.6
11 Russley Canterbury 101.8
12 Temuka Aorangi South Canterbury 100
13 Invercargill Southland 93.6
14 Titahi Wellington 88.2
toro meN’s iNterproviNcial: BAY OF PLENTY MANAGES COME FROM-BEHIND WIN
Bay of Plenty has continued their remarkable record at the Toro Men’s Interprovincial by winning the national team provincial championship for the seventh time in 11 years at the Otago Golf Club.
It was a gripping final between the Bay and Manawatu/ Wanganui which went to a playoff between the No.4 players Victor Janin (BOP) and Junior Tatana after an impressive comeback from the 2011 finalists.
The par five first was halved in pars as both players showed nerves under the pressure before Janin took the advantage of the second playoff hole. He hit his approach shot to within five feet of the hole in the decisive moment of the final.
In response Tatana’s chip shot finished 12 feet short of the hole and when he missed his par attempt Janin made his birdie putt to win the title for the Bay of Plenty. A jubilant Bay of Plenty team charged the green to celebrate the unlikely come-from-behind win.
“It is absolutely unbelievable,” said team manager Aaron Walsh.
“We talked about being brave and showing courage all week. Those were the two key words and Victor showed that for us when it mattered most in the final. It is phenomenal to be standing here as champions after a really great
match with Manawatu/ Wanganui. I am just so proud of our boys.”
It could have been so different for Manawatu/ Wanganui who were looking to win the title for the first time since 1964. They had the chance to win the tournament in regulation. Tatana was 1up heading down the final hole and made a costly double bogey to halve the match with Janin.
“That was the most nervous I have ever been playing golf,” said the 21-year-old Janin about his four foot putt for bogey to keep his team alive.
“I could feel my knees shaking. To see that go in was huge relief and then to go on and win in the playoff was a huge moment - the best moment of my golf career without a doubt.”
Walsh said continuing the Bay’s incredible record was the most pleasing thing about the win.
“To win seven out of the last 11 Toro events is a great run. We have had some lucky moments along the way but there is no doubt that this team deserves everything they get. There is always an expectation for Bay teams at the Toro and a culture where winning is part of the make-up. To carry that on after the pain of missing out last year, well, it feels pretty good.”
Peter Lee, who went undefeated all week, was the named as the Player of the Tournament.
“It is a huge honour to claim that award with the great players that are here,” said the 18-year-old.
“It was never my goal at the start of the week but to win that is special. I just wanted to win as many times as I could for the Bay team and in the end I had a great week. I drove the ball really straight and that set up a lot of opportunities for me and also put pressure on my opponents.”
Manawatu / Wanganui, who were looking to back up their win at the SBS Invitational, started with so much promise.
Their No.5 Hayden Ring defeated his Bay opponent Landyn Edwards 2up to set the tone. Ring made a crucial birdie on the 17th to move to 1up and then par on the final hole to win the opening tie.
Bay of Plenty No.2 Lee got the 2011 beaten finalists back in the match with a 4 and 3 win over Manawatu’s Lachie McDonald.
The NZ Amateur Finalist was never behind in the match and his even par round through 15 holes was good enough for a convincing win over McDonald.
Trent Munn, the younger brother of New Zealand rep Josh, wrestled the momentum back for Manawatu / Wanganui with a 2 and 1 win over well-performed Bay of Plenty No.3 Sam Davis.
Munn took the advantage after the turn. He birdied the 11th to go to one up, made par on the 14th to get to 2up and then parred the 17th to finish off the match and put Manawatu up 2 – 1.
The title came down to two matches: the number fours Victor Janin (BOP) versus and Junior Tatana
(Manawatu) and Brad Kendall (BOP) versus Josh Munn (Manawatu).
Tatana birdied the 17th to be one up heading down the last but he made a double bogey on the par four 18th to Janin’s bogey for the match to finish all square.
In the final match Kendall handled the pressure superbly. He went 1up at the 12th and then birdied the 13th to be 2up and in control. He won the 17th to win 2 and 1 and force the match to extra holes.
It capped a remarkable comeback from the Bay of Plenty team. This win sees their phenomenal record at the event continue.
The Bay of Plenty has made the semi-finals 10 times in last 11 years and the finals nine of those 10 times. They have gone onto win seven out of the nine finals they have contested.
Lee and Janin both said they’d love to comeback in the 2013 to defend the title.
“I would love to play for the Bay again, this week has been an awesome experience and to win makes it even better,” said Janin.
Lee added: “I feel really proud to be part of a winning Bay team and to do that again would be a great thing to work towards. We’ll see.”
toro Men’s interprovincial – Final scores – otago golF club, dunedin
bay oF plenty 2 1/2 Manawatu 2 1/2
Bradley Kendall bt Josh Munn 2/1 Peter Lee bt Lachie McDonald 4 /3 Sam Davis lost to Trent Munn 2/1Victor Janin halved with Junior Tatana*,Landyn Edwards lost to Hayden Ring 2down*Janin won on the second extra playoff hole.
seMi Final scores –
bay oF plenty 2 1/2 southland 2 1/2
Brad Kendall lost to Tyler McLean 1down Peter Lee* halved with Scott HellierSam Davis bt Liam Balneaves 3/2
Victor Janin bt Jeremy Hall 3/2 Landyn Edwards lost to Matt Tautari 2/1
*Lee beat Hellier on the first playoff hole for Bay of Plenty to win
Manawatu/wanganui 4 tasMan 1
Josh Munn bt Blair Riordan 2upLachie McDonald lost to Hamish Campbell 5/4Trent Munn bt Ryan Chisnall 2upJunior Tatana bt Glenn Drummond 3/2Hayden Ring bt Nick Ludbrook 1up
toro Winner
Blair riorDon
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KiWi pro Watch: HENDRY FINISHES SEVENTH AT AuSTRALIAN OPEN
hoNG KoNG seNiors opeN: MICHAEL BARLTROP CLAIMS TITLE BY ONE
North Harbour professional Michael Hendry has finished in a share of seventh place at the Australian Open after carding a one under par 71 in gusting winds in the final round at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney.
The 33-year-old, who chartered a plane at a cost of $15,000 (AuD) from Brisbane to Sydney to get to his first round tee time with only minutes remaining, carded rounds of 72, 71, 74 and 71 for a one under par total.
He finished four shots back from 53-year-old Australian Peter Senior who went to the top of the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit with his second win of the Australian Open that earned him $225,000(AuD).
Hendry slips to second on the Order of Merit on $243,500(AuD) and will head to the final event of the season – the PGA Championship of Australia at Coolum – with everything to play for.
When the wind picked up to almost 80km per hour at The Lakes Golf Club Hendry seemed to play his best. He played the back nine in two under par and kept ahead of one of his main rivals for the Order of Merit
in Adam Scott who shot 76 to finish tied 14th.
The World No.7 who is third on the money list has earned $199,750.00 (AuD) from his two events which included a win at the Australian Masters in Melbourne.
Mark Brown, who missed the cut at the Australian Open, remains fourth on the Order of Merit.
Hendry, who won the NZ PGA at the start of 2012, has endured a hectic schedule of late which has included five straight weeks of tournament golf and also saw him earn a full card to the Japan Tour in 2013.
He was the best of the Kiwis with Wellington pro Gareth Paddison fading with a 79 in the final round to finish tied 39th and Bay of Plenty pro Josh Geary slipping back to tied 51st after an 82.
Otago professional Mahal Pearce signed for a 79 in the final round to finish the event in a share of 61st place.
The other Kiwis in the field, Hamish Robertson, Doug Holloway, Vaughan McCall (a), Ryan Fox, David Smail, Brad Shilton and Tyler Hodge (a) all missed the cut.
New Zealand’s Michael Barltrop held off his older brother Rodney and Hong Kong golfer Joe Pethes by only one shot to claim the Hong Kong Seniors Open Amateur Championship at Fanling.
The 56-year-old from Auckland fired a 73 in the final round to finish on a nine over par total from the three round event to claim his first international victory on his debut appearance in the event.
His older brother Rodney, who is widely regarded among the best senior amateur golfers New Zealand has ever produced, finished alongside Pethes in a share of second.
“He’s had the wood over me for a long time now so to get one over him was very nice,” Michael Barltrop told the HK Golfer News Wire following his win.
Barltrop last played in Hong Kong in 1984 when he was part of the New Zealand Eisenhower Cup side.
“I haven’t won anything in about 30 years, so I’m very happy.”
Barltrop, who held a share of the overnight lead with England’s Stuart Pond, birdied two of his first six holes over the Old Course to boost his title hopes.
He lost his momentum with a bogey at the ninth and a costly double bogey at the 10th.
A further bogey at the 15th cut his lead to one, but he
rallied and managed to par the remaining three holes to fend off his rivals.
“I got off to a good start and established a decent lead but I almost gave it back to the rest of them around the turn,” admitted Barltrop, a member at Royal Auckland Golf Club.
“But I played nicely after that and look forward to returning next year to try and defend my title.”
Pethes was looking to become the first local player to win the championship since Terry Collins in 2004. He carded the best round of the day an even par 72.
Taranaki’s Murray Martin finished in ninth place after carding an 83 in the final round.
hong kong seniors open aMateur chaMpionship, Fanling –results:
222 Michael Barltrop (nZ) 76 73 73
223 Joe Pethes (HK) 77 74 72
Rodney Barltrop (NZ) 76 74 73
225 Stefan Albinski (AuS) 78 74 73
Peter King (AuS) 76 75 74
228 Barry Downing (uK) 77 76 75
Stuart Pond (uK) 73 76 79
232 Kai Flint (GER) 80 74 78
233 Murray Martin (nZ) 75 75 83
234 Alex Ho (CH T) 76 78 80pga tour oF australasia order oF Merit – top 10 players heading into Final event at cooluM:
Place Player No. of Events Money Earned (AuD)
1 Peter Senior (QLD) 2 $259,000.00 2 Michael Hendry (NZL) 8 $243,500.08 3 Adam Scott (QLD) 2 $199,750.00 4 Mark Brown (NZL) 6 $141,287.45 5 Jason Norris (SA) 10 $103,420.70 6 Peter Wilson (VIC) 11 $93,800.30 7 Gareth Paddison (NZL) 8 $87,979.68 8 Cameron Percy (VIC) 1 $84,375.00 9 Steven Jones (VIC) 9 $61,258.32
10 Kieran Pratt (VIC) 2 $60,987.55Fanling - hong kong
Untitled-1 1 11/20/2012 10:54:39 AM
let QUalifYiNG: PERRY AND BRISTOW ADVANCE IN MOROCCO
New Zealand professionals Emily Perry and Cathryn Bristow have safely advanced to the final stage of qualifying for the Ladies European Tour in Marrakech, Morocco. Perry, who recently turned professional after representing NZ at the Espirito Santo World Team’s Championship in Turkey, shot rounds of 70, 72, 72 and 72 to finish in a share of 20th place in the Pre-Qualifying Field A.
The 21-year-old from the Lochiel Golf Club in the Waikato finished on a two under par total at the Amelkis and Al Maaden Golf Resort, 15 shots back from the winner of the event English amateur Emily Taylor.
Perry was comfortably inside the qualifying mark of seven over par which saw the top 45 players and ties advance to final stage.
The news was just as good for North Harbour professional Bristow.
The left-handed pro, who missed qualifying for the LPGA Tour last week, finished tied 13th at the Pre-Qualifying Field B.
Bristow, who won on the ALPG Tour in January, shot rounds of 71, 74, 70 and 67 for a six under par total also at the Amelkis and Al Maaden Golf Resort to be 10 shots back from the champion Moroccan Maha Haddioui.
The former NZ amateur rep was superb in the final round as she reeled off six birdies and a bogey in her five under par 67 to climb 23 places on the leaderboard.
She too finished inside the cut line of top 45 players and ties by 12 shots.
The Pre-Qualifying is followed by Final Qualifying from December 13 - 17.
A 90-hole test now awaits around 140 players, who will play the Final Stage at Amelkis and Al Maaden Golf Resort, Marrakech, from Thursday.
The field will again play both courses for the first four rounds with a cut to the leading players after 72 holes.
The final round, which will determine exemption categories for the 2013 season, will then be played on Al Maaden Golf and Resort.
ladies european tour - lalla aïcha tour school 2013 pre - qualiFying Field a – Marrakech, Morocco
271 Emily Taylor (a) (ENG) 17 67 68 70 66
276 Camilla Lennarth (SWE) 70 69 68 69 Nina Holleder (a) (GER) 71 68 67 70
277 Katie Burnett (uSA) 72 72 68 65
278 Julia Davidsson (SWE) 68 69 71 70 Kelsey Macdonald (SCO) (a) 72 67 69 70
279 Margarita Ramos (ITA) 71 69 70 69 Daniela Holmqvist (SWE) 69 70 69 71
281 Jia Yun Li (CHI) 71 69 72 69 Noora Tamminen (a)(NOR) 71 70 71 69 Mallory Fraiche (uS) 65 73 69 74
283 Xi Yu Lin (CHI) 71 70 71 71 Chloe Leurquin (BEL) (a) 71 72 69 71 Kelly Tidy (ENG) 70 71 69 73 Paula Hurtado (COL) 71 70 68 74
285 Rebecca Sorensen (SWE) 73 72 72 68 Louise Kristersson (SWE) 70 72 74 69 Jennifer Hong (uSA) 74 69 72 70 Whitney Hillier (AuS) 74 70 68 73
286 Charlie Douglass(ENG) 69 73 75 69 Emily Perry (NZL) 70 72 72 72
ladies european tour - lalla aïcha tour school 2013 pre - qualiFying Field b – Marrakech, Morocco
272 Maha Haddiou (MOR) 67, 73, 64, 68
275 Holly Clyburn (ENG) 70, 65, 67, 73
278 Marta Silva (ESP) 72 69 70 67
279 Laura Sedda (ITA) 73 67 69 70 Fiona Puyo (FRA) 71, 69, 67, 72
280 Christine Wolf (NED) 70, 69, 73, 68
281 Sara Djos (SWE) 70 73 69 69 Nikki Campbell (AuS) 72, 72, 68, 69 Melodie Bourdy (FRA) 72, 68, 70, 71 Ann-Kathrin Linder (Am) (GER) 71, 71, 70, 69 Melissa Eaton (SAF) 68, 72, 69, 72 Jacqueline Hedwall (SWE) 66, 71, 72, 72
282 cathryn Bristow (nZl) 71, 74, 70, 67 lyDia ko – British oPen
aUstraliaN opeN: BLOG FROM NZ WALKING REFEREE: ANTHONY ALBERTS
Golf Australia extended an invitation for two New Zealand Golf referees to attend the Australian Open as walking referees. NZ Golf selected Anthony Alberts and Kevin Tregunno. Here are Anthony’s final blogs from inside the ropes at Australia’s national open.
sunday 9th deceMber 2012
I had a 9:21am tee time today with Michael Hendry and Nick O’Hern. The weather prediction for the day was a high of 25 degrees and a southerly change with showers in the afternoon. When I was getting my radio and timing sheet in the Golf Australia office one of the tour officials came in and said that the latest report is for the rain to only come in at about 3pm which was to be good news for me because I ”should” be finished by then.
I met the players and caddies on the first tee and Michael Hendry looked at the NZ Golf logo on my shirt and said “I like your shirt”. Both players teed off and Michael’s drive ended up on the right hand side of the first hole beyond the waste area right of the fairway. We found his ball but it was lying under a small thin bush. By now the wind had already picked up a bit and the sky was completely overcast and cold.
Expecting a 25 degree day, I left my jacket in the office, silly me, but how was I to know. Anyway, Michael hit his second shot through the bush and the ball landed up short and right of the green. He chipped up close and made the par putt while Nick made a birdie. The round was very average from then on until we got to the par four, 5th hole. Michael hit his second shot which went right and hit advertising board short and right of the green. I rushed up to the ball and could see that his ball was just short and left of the Temporary Immovable Object (TIO) and was within the one club length of where intervention would exist. I worked out the area in which he could drop the ball, which is the more than one club length but less than two club lengths. He was
happy with the drop and thanked me. On the next hole, a very short par four, Nick put his tee shot in a sandy waste area but the ball on the right hand side of the waste with a steep bank close to the ball on the right.
An easy shot for any right handed player but as Nick is left handed he had an extremely difficult stance with his feet spread apart on the steep bank and the ball about 1 and a half feet below his stance. When he eventually played the shot, for me it was the shot of the tournament, he punched the ball which rolled and rolled and finished about four feet from the hole and he made the putt for a birdie.
No more action until we got to the par 3, 9th hole. The wind had now picked up so badly that Michael hit his tee shot about 20m short of the green. I was struggling to keep my footing in the wind and I’m no lightweight. Nick took ages to make his putts and on his second putt he had three attempts at it. I heard later that the wind was 55km/h and gusting at 80km/h at times.
The wind also caused Nick to three-putt the 10th hole. We were standing on the 11th tee and Michael had teed up his ball and looking at his line when a call come on the radio that play was to be suspended in 30 seconds. I walked up to Michael and informed him of this and said that if he liked he could play the ball as the siren had not yet gone off. He was understandably upset about the news. Nick came over to me and asked what the problem was and when I told him, he too was very annoyed. Shortly after that we heard three blasts from the siren and we all started our way back to the clubhouse. This was 11:42pm.
When I got back to the clubhouse there was a bit of commotion going on at the 18th green and when I got there I could see that the television tower by the green had blown over from the wind. They made an announcement at 2pm that play would commence at 2:55pm. All the while I was looking at my watch and saying to Kevin Tregunno that if we don’t start soon I will not be able to continue because I have to be at the
airport at 4pm for my flight home. As it turned out I could not continue and went to Nick and Michael and apologised to them that I had to abandon them. Nick jokingly said that he would prefer to go with me.
I went to the change rooms for a shower and sat down on the bench to get undressed when I looked up I was by Adam Scott’s locker and Justin Rose’s locker was nearby as was Tom Watson’s locker. A bit of name dropping there, sorry!
What a fantastic experience this has been for me and I sincerely thank everyone that made this possible. I have memories that will last a lifetime.
THANK YOu and GOOD BYE.
saturday 8th deceMber
I got a text message last night informing me that my tee time for Saturday was 9:04am and I was walking with Matthew Millar and Geoff Ogilvy. As you can imagine I was delighted.
As usual I introduced myself to the players and their caddies on the first tee. Both players were one over par for the tournament. The round started off really well for Matthew and after five holes he was four under par. Geoff on the other hand did not start too well and had a double bogey on the short par four second hole.
The first nine finished without incident and our group finished nine holes at three minutes over their time par. On the par four, 10th hole Matthew hit his ball into the water hazard on the right of the fairway. The water hazard has a steep bank of trees and bushes and the water level starts way down the bottom of the bank. There is a section of the steep bank where the green keeper has “planted” a rope net in order to prevent soil erosion and encourage plants to grow. The net is fixed and cannot be moved. At the top of the net they had put in some stakes and rope with two signs saying “keep out”.
Matthew’s ball was lying on the top part of the net. He had interference from the staked rope, one of the signs
and there was also a television cable lying next to his ball. With great precision he removed the cable, sign, stakes and the rope attached to the rope. This all took the best part of five minutes and he eventually chipped the ball out of the hazard. He had a short approach shot to the green but managed to only get half way but fortunately for him he chipped his fourth shot into the hole for a par. Needless to say we were now further behind on the clock.
On the par four, 12th hole Matthew sliced his second shot and the ball finished on the right hand side of an advertisement board (TIO). Some TIO’s offer relief on either side and some only offer relief at the nearest point. This TIO offered relief either side. The relief to the right would have been unplayable so we looked to the left. The left side, after taking the “more than one and less two club lengths” procedure meant that he had to drop the ball on another steep grass bank that went down into a bunker. The grass on the bank was extremely rough. He asked if he could drop in the bunker and that was refused. He then asked if he dropped the ball on the bank and it rolled into the bunker if he could play it and that was also refused. He was not happy and I offered a second opinion. I called for a roving referee and after some deliberation he gave the same ruling.
The player then opted to play the ball as it lay. So, again we had lost some valuable time. When we were playing the 14th hole the group was informed that they were “on the clock”. The 14th was finished quite quickly and after the 15th we had picked up three minutes and the group were taken off the clock because, for some reason, the group ahead was delayed and we had caught up to them. Geoff Ogilvy made an eagle on the 17th only to bogey the 18th. Matthew finished the third round on two under and Geoff on one under par. Tomorrow I am walking with Michael Hendry and Nick O’Hern.
NeW ZealaNd Golf: MR. HASSALL STANDS DOWN AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
After almost seven years in the role of Chairman of the Board of New Zealand Golf Philip Hassall has decided to stand down at the end of 2012.
He will remain on the Board as a Director until the end of his term, however the Board will elect a new Chairman to lead the organisation at their first meeting in 2013.
Mr. Hassall works as the Chief Executive of Midland Imaging Group Ltd and due to the demands of this expanding role and his family commitments he feels the time is right to step aside and allow another Director to lead the organisation.
“The challenges facing sporting organisation’s and golf especially mean the Chair position can be all consuming,” said Mr. Hassall.
“I informed the Board at the beginning of the year of my intention and they have been very supportive.”
Dean Murphy, the New Zealand Golf Chief Executive, said that Mr. Hassall has been a wonderful servant of the game of golf and he has a proud legacy to look back on as Chairman.
“Philip has been a great man to work with as the Chairman of the Board of New Zealand Golf,” said Murphy.
“His experience and knowledge of the game at all levels has made him a real asset to the Board of New Zealand Golf. He has been through some good and bad times with New Zealand Golf in the past seven years and has always been a leader for the organisation with sound decision making.
“It is great that this is not the end of Philip’s involvement with the Board. We are pleased that has agreed to complete his term as a Director.
“I’d like to personally thank him for the work he has done as the Chairman of the Board with New Zealand Golf and I hope this move enables him to reduce his work load.”
The proud Waikato man, who took great pride in the Chiefs winning the Super 15 this year, has been the Chairman of the Board for almost seven years since his appointment in 2006.
He has led the organisation through matters such as the Men’s and Women’s amalgamation in 2005, the New Zealand Open successfully moving from Gulf Harbour to The Hills and has been involved in the PGA Alignment and Administration Structure review.
Mr. Hassall has also has some challenging times to navigate New Zealand through including the losses generated by the New Zealand Open Championship, the relocation of the organisation from Wellington to Auckland, and the resignation of two Chief Executives.
He has been a key influencing figure in the Asia Pacific region and is held in high regard as a golf administrator.
He leaves the Chairman seat to a group of highly capable Directors who are overseeing a business that is going through enormous change.
PhiliP hassall
North Harbour professional Cathryn Bristow has secured a full card on the Ladies European Tour (LET) for the 2013 season.
The left hander from the Huapai Golf Club shot a two under par 70 in the fifth and final round at the LET’s Lalla Aicha Tour School Final Stage in Marrakech, Morocco to finish in a share of 25th place.
Bristow carded rounds of 70, 74, 68, 71 and 70 to finish on a seven under par total at the Amelkis and Al Maaden Golf Clubs to be right on the number of the top 30 players and ties who earned full playing rights.
The Kiwi, who won on the ALPG Tour in January, showed nerves of steel during the final round at the Al Maaden course.
She began poorly with a bogey at the second hole but from there on she responded with birdies on holes five and seven to make the turn in one under par 35.
That took Bristow to a six under par total which would not have been good enough to advance but she delivered the all-important birdie on the par 3 15th to get to two under for the day and seven under for the event.
She made three pars coming home to finish on seven under and then had a nervous wait to see if it was enough. It was and she secured her full card on the LET for the first time.
It is a great boost for Bristow, who has played for the past couple of years on the Futures Tour in the uSA, and will join Wellington veteran Lynnette Brooky, who plays a limited schedule, as the two Kiwis on the Ladies European Tour in 2013.
Emily Perry, the other Kiwi looking to qualify, missed the four round cut of the top 60 players and ties.
Liz McKinnon, the New Zealand Golf High Performance Coordinator, who played on the LET for four years, said that Bristow is in for a great year in Europe.
“It was the time of my life and years that I always look back on with fond memories,” said McKinnon.
“I know how she’ll be feeling right now. It is a huge sense of relief to make it through. That is the overwhelming emotion because it is such a slog.
KiWi pro Watch: BRISTOW SECuRES LET CARD FOR 2013
cathryn BristoW
Continued over
be an ideal time to benchmark their current progress.”
McCall made history when he was the first golfer in 24 years to win both the NZ Amateur and the NZ Stroke Play in the same year. He went onto finish runner-up at the Welsh Stroke Play and tied 13th on the individual standings at the Eisenhower World Amateur Team’s Championship in Turkey.
Munn made history of his own when he became the first amateur to win two titles on The Charles Tour when he claimed the John Jones Steel Harewood Open in Christchurch. He followed that up with a runner-up finish at the Juan Carlos tournament in Argentina (alongside Jordan Bakermans) and was a finalist in the Argentine Amateur.
Hodge also rewrote the record books when he became the first New Zealand golfer to win both the Australian Age Group and New Zealand Age Group titles in the same year. He was also a member of the Manawatu - Wanganui team who won the SBS Invitational.
Riordan, who was part of the team that won the Sloan Morpeth trophy in Australia last year, was the leading individual at this year’s SBS Invitational and runner-up at the Carrus Open on The Charles Tour.
Thorpe believed the players will enjoy the challenge of a new event.
“This is a great addition to our national playing calendar, to be able to play the Home Nations as well as other top nations on international level courses is just the experience these players need in the year prior to the World Amateur Teams Championships.”
He expected the resort style courses - Kingswood Golf Estate and Oubaai Golf Club - would suit the Kiwis’ games.
“All of these players have experience on such course designs. What will need to be managed is the travel time to South Africa and change of time zone. And of course every playing environment has its own subtitles that need to be figured out during the scheduled practice rounds.”
New Zealand Golf Ten Nations Team: Vaughan McCall (Gore), Blair Riordan (Takaka), Josh Munn (Manawatu) and Tyler Hodge (Levin).
New Zealand Golf has named a four strong team to play in the inaugural Ten Nations Cup in South Africa in February.
The players who have been selected are Vaughan McCall (Gore), Blair Riordan (Takaka), Josh Munn (Manawatu) and Tyler Hodge (Levin).
The Ten Nations Cup, which will be staged at the Kingswood Golf Estate in George from February 6 -9, is an amalgamation of the Four Nations Cup and the Southern Cross Trophy.
Gregg Thorpe, the New Zealand Golf High Performance Manager, said with a few of the more experienced players moving on to the professional game it’s now a time for a new group of leading amateur players to emerge.
“The four selected players have all performed well both domestically and internationally over the last 12 months and will no doubt relish the opportunity to put the Sliver Fern on and proudly represent New Zealand,” said Thorpe.
The Four Nations Cup was last staged at The Hills near Arrowtown where the New Zealand team of Ben
Campbell, Ryan Fox, Mathew Perry and McCall finished runner-up to Australia.
It was a biannual event and is now played over four rounds of stroke play between 10 countries. The teams confirmed at this stage include Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England, Scotland and Ireland with three more teams to be added in time.
The teams comprise of four male players with the best three scores each day contributing to the team’s score.
Following the event the New Zealand team will compete in the South African Stroke Play Championship from February 12- 15 at the Ernie Els designed Oubaai Golf Club in George.
“These players have won a number of events between them in 2012, so given this and the experience they have all picked up internationally this year I’m sure they will be competitive,” added Thorpe of their chances at both events.
“They will all be looking forward to matching up against the other top nations that will attend and it will
NZ Golf Names teN NatioNs cUp team
tyler hoDge
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KiWi pro Watch: BRISTOW SECuRES LET CARD FOR 2013
“You play two different golf courses in two events and it is a marathon not a sprint. There is the old saying that you can’t win it in one round but you can lose it and that is definitely the case.“it is one of those events when you have to be patient, stay calm and just play steady golf. Cathryn has managed to do that to the last hole. She will be delighted.”
McKinnon believed that this is the ideal time in Bristow’s career for her to progress to a major tour.
“She has done her time on a rookie tour, she had some success at the start of the year on the ALPG and this is a natural progression for her. The Ladies European Tour is truly a global tour and she is in for a great year.
“I think her game with suit the different courses that she’ll have to play. She is long and straight off the tee and is just a solid player. She has also shown in recent weeks that she is not afraid of going low which is important.”
McKinnon offered some sage advice to Bristow as she steps up to a new tour.
“The biggest difference will be the travel requirements and the time pressure that puts on your week. You are in a different country every week and you need to be ready for that. Make some friends on tour to help you out along the way.
“On the golf side of things – believe in yourself and your game. Stay patient and the results will come.”
toro WomeN’s iNterproviNcial:AuCKLAND ENJOYS ACE WIN AT ST CLAIRD
It was the defining moment of the Toro Women’s Interprovincial Final in 2012.
Auckland’s No.4 Brittney Dryland, who had won every match heading into the final, stood on the tee of the 145m par three 13th hole, all square in her match with Lucy Davis and the momentum firmly in the hands of Wellington.
The team from the capital was on a charge on the back nine with the chance to win the national team provincial trophy for the first time in 20 years firmly within their grasp.
That was until Dryland delivered the shot of the championship – a four-iron for a hole-in-one – to swing the match and take a 1up lead over her Davis who also had a perfect winning record until the final.
After witnessing the hole-in-one from the adjacent hole her team-mate Joanna Kim made a great putt for eagle and the championship match was well and truly back in Auckland’s favour.
From there Auckland carried onto win the championship match by 3-2 in what will be remembered as one of the most closely fought finals in the event that dates back to 1949.
There were plenty of swing in momentum coming home but Dryland’s ace was a moment that halted Wellington’s progress and got Auckland back into the match. She explained her special shot.
“I had a five iron and Kaye [Carroll] our manager came over and told me to take one more club so I did,” said Dryland afterwards amongst her jubilant team-mates.
“I knew it was a good shot so I picked up my tee and I didn’t know it went in but everyone started screaming. It was great. It gave us that bit of confidence that we needed to keep in the match and keep fighting.”
Auckland captain Larissa Eruera, who delivered an important half for her team, said the hole-in-one was heard by her team around the course.
“I didn’t see it but I heard it and I was celebrating. And then hearing that Joanna eagled the hole before was amazing. It gave me a bit of a pick-up. It gave us the momentum that we needed.”
The win means Auckland becomes the first team since 2009 to successfully defend its title (Bay of Plenty won the title from 2007 - 2009).
“It’s nice to win back to back. Coming in here as favourites and having to back to play with that cloud over our head was tough. We got there in the end even though it was a nervous finish. It feels pretty good to be standing here as the champions.”
Auckland manager Kaye Carroll said the come-from-behind win ranks among the provinces’ finest.
“That has to be the tensest final I have ever seen,” she said.
“They deserve this win. They have worked so hard. The Keh sisters practice 30 hours a week each and you can tell. The turnaround from that shot [one in hole] was dramatic. It wasn’t looking too good there for a while.
“This win is really special. It is always a thrill to see these players come through the ranks and then go onto win for Auckland. That is really satisfying.”
It was the 21st victory for the Blue and Whites in the event and they extend their lead on the list of all time wins to four from the Bay of Plenty (17).
It was the sixth time that Auckland has made the final since the new format was introduced in 1999. They
have won four out of the six times they have advanced to the championship match in 1999, 2009, 2011 and 2012.
Their only losses were in 2003 where they went down 3-2 to North Harbour and Waikato beat them 3.5 -1.5 in 2008.
It continues their remarkable run at the event and confirmed why they were regarded as the team to beat this week at the St Clair Golf Club.
But heading down the last the title was still there for the taking. Wellington No.1 Julianne Alvarez showed her class with a 4 and 3 win over Wenyung Keh and Auckland’s Joanna Kim leveled the ledger by defeating Barbara Pereno 5 and 4.
Wellington’s Alanah Bradley had a golden chance to get the second point on the board in her match with Larissa Eruera. The Wellington No.5 was 1up walking down the 18th and had a three foot putt to win her tight contest but it went sliding by and the match was halved. Eruera putted in from two feet for the half.
“I have never been so nervous over a little putt before. When I found out how important that putt was my heart almost came through my mouth,” said Eruera.
The battle between Dryland and Davis proved decisive. The Aucklander won the titanic tussle in the end on the 18th hole with a par to Davis’ three-putt bogey.
Not only did it decide the title but it also confirmed Dryland as the player of the tournament where she left the St Clair Golf Club with a perfect winning record of eight wins from eight matches.
“This week I just kept a really good rhythm and stayed patient and it worked for me,” said the Titirangi golfer. “It’s been a great tournament for me and to be player of the tournament is a huge honour.”
Back on the 17th, New Zealand Amateur Champion Munchin Keh made a timely birdie to be 1up over Te Rongopai Clay heading down the last.
aucklanD Winners Continued over
The Wellington No.2 rallied with a fine birdie on the last to halve the match but the team contest was already decided. Auckland was once again the victors of the coveted team’s trophy.
Wellington’s heartache in the event continues. They have not won the title since 1992. This was the third time Wellington had made the final since the format change in 1999.
In 2001, they lost 3-2 to Waikato King Country in the following year went down 3- 2 to North Harbour.
Bay of Plenty finished in place third ahead of Waikato as it amassed 18.5 individual points during the seven rounds of pool play to Waikato’s 18.0 points.
Canterbury beat Manawatu / Wanganui (3.5 – 1.5) to claim fifth place and Taranaki pipped North Harbour for seventh place (3-2).
Otago and Southland shared the ninth place playoff (2.5- 2.5) but the southern girls took the title on individual wins in the rounds.
It was a memorable week at St Clair and one that the history books will show that Auckland continued its dominance in the national team’s championship.
It is certainly a tournament that Brittney Dryland will never forget.
Toro Women’s Interprovincial Final, Semi-Final and Placing Scores – St Clair Golf Club, Dunedin
Final
auckland 3 wellington 2
Wenyung Keh lost to Julianne Alvarez 4/3
Munchin Keh halved with Te Rongopai Clay
Joanna Kim bt Barbara Pereno 5/4
Brittney Dryland bt Lucy Davis 1up
Larissa Eruera halved with Alanah Bradybrook
seMi-Final results
auckland 3 bay oF plenty*2
Wenyung Keh lost to Zoe Brake 2/1
Munchin Keh bt Grace Senior 6/5
Joanna Kim bt Tyla Kingi 4/3
Brittany Dryland bt Susan Lines 7/6
Larissa Eruera lost to Alanna Campbell 4/2
wellington 3 waikato 2
Julianne Alvarez bt Hanna Seifert 4/3
Te Rongopai Clay lost to Sarah Bradley 4/3
Barbara Parreno lost to Charlotte Willson 4/3
Lucy Davis bt Fai Tongdethsri 4/3
Alanah Braybrook bt Melissa Shea 5/4
(*Bay of Plenty finished third on higher individual wins than Waikato in pool-play)
5th place playoFF
canterbury 3.5 Man / wanganui 1.5
Sylvie Williams bt Emma Clayton 1up
Elisha Crosbie bt Amber-Rose Thompson –Newth 2/1
Jess Guenzerodt bt Brydie Hodge 3/2
Kate Turner lost to Stephanie Hyatt 4/3
Fiona Gebbie halved with Kelly Nicholas
7th place playoFF
taranaki 3 north harbour 2
Carol Chard lost to Kristen Farrell 4/3
Holly Winter lost to Lita Guo 4/3
Celeste McLean bt Sai Ma 3/1
Rochelle Keegan bt Julitta Lam 4/2
Vanessa Bouvet bt Jessica Murray 3/2
from Previous Page
toro WomeN’s iNterproviNcial:AuCKLAND ENJOYS ACE WIN AT ST CLAIRD
9th place playoFF
otago 2.5 southland 2.5*
Laura Hoskin bt Robyn Pullar 2/1
Jo Hicks- Beach halved with Angela Gerken
Liz McRae lost to Olivia Frost 4/2
Dale Dagg lost to Kerry Mariu 4/2
Susan Greig bt Bronwyn O’Brien 8/7
(*Southland finished ninth on higher individual wins than Otago in pool-play)
11th place playoFF
hawkes bay 4 northland 1
Kate Chadwick bt Sjanna Bonnigton 1up
Jaimie McIvor bt Sam Dangen 1up
Anglea Jones lost to Kylie Jacoby 3/1
Lucy Owen bt Jo Taylor 6/4
Haena Seol bt Jodi McCalister 1up
13th place playoFF
aorangi 4 tasMan 1
Catherine Bell bt Emily Stenhouse 2up
Catherine Knight bt Lesley Baxter 3/2
Ginny Bolderston lost Emily Greenhough 3/2
Nicole Nathan bt Tracy Bary 6/4
Barbara O’Connell bt Jean Gibson 5/4
2012 toro woMen’s interprovincial – Final standings
1. Auckland
2. Wellington
3. Bay of Plenty
4. Waikato
5. Canterbury
6. Manawatu / Wanganui
7. Taranaki
8. North Harbour
9. Southland
10. Otago
11. Hawkes Bay
12. Northland
13. Aorangi
14. Tasman
toro woMen’s interprovincial wins list
21 Auckland
17 Bay of Plenty
6 Canterbury
5 Wellington, North Harbour
4 Waikato
3 Hawkes Bay
2 Manawatu / Wanganui
1 Aorangi / South Canterbury
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