Marc Jennings made the dream start at the top for Wellington
at the interprovincial championships yesterday.
Jennings, playing his first game as Wellington No 1, after
making his debut at no 4 last year, faced up to New Zealand
representative Josh Munn.
But he was far from overawed and, after winning the first two
holes, was never headed by Munn and had a comfortable 5 and 4
win.
It helped Wellington to cause something of a minor upset,
with the men from the capital winning 3-2 over
Manawatu-Wanganui, a side which had been tipped as one of the
favourites.
Jennings (22) said it was a great way to start the tournament
and a great win for the team.
''I got off to a good start and then just held on at the end.
It was good for the boys to get a win over them as they are
one of the teams to beat,'' Jennings said.
''I had done a lot of preparation for the tournament with my
coach and this is what I have been aiming for for a while.
''It is a fair walk out there and it's going to be a long
week."
He said the greens were tricky and very deceiving.
Munn, the fourth ranked amateur in the country, offered no
excuses saying it was one of those days.
''When you play at No 1 you really have to be on your game as
you are playing against some top players,'' Munn said.
Munn, who had just played golf in an amateur tournament in
Argentina and then played at the New Zealand Open, struggled
for accuracy on the fairways and never looked likely.
It was the first time he had played the course, and he said
his spikes were somewhat worn on one side of his right foot
and that had an effect in the first few holes.
He swapped shoes with reserve Willie Steer a few holes in but
by then found himself behind.
Both sides had byes yesterday afternoon.
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