Golf: Single putt the difference

The Southland team emerged the winner of the South Island interprovincial teams' tournament with thee points and 20 games on the Otatara course in Invercargill yesterday.

Otago also scored three points but lost on the countback with 19 games to take second place, well ahead of third-placed Canterbury.

The result came down to the final putt when Hamish Campbell (Tasman) holed a 3m downhill putt on the final green to hold Andrew Hobbs and the Otago team to a half.

The event was disrupted throughout and the first round was abandoned when a 1cm carpet of hailstones lay on the green, making them unplayable.

Round two on Saturday afternoon and round three yesterday morning were played in incessant rain and had it not been for the stirling task of sweeping water off the greens, the event would not have been played.

Only four games counted for each team on Saturday, with Otago drawing with Southland and beating Canterbury .

It was neck and neck between Otago and Southland yesterday and the result came down to a single putt.

Hobbs was in impressive form, making four birdies in the final six holes to come from well behind to beat Aorangi No 1 Tim Leonard on the final green.

For Otago, Simon Hollyer (No 7) posted three big wins, while Tyrone Ratahi (No. 3) and Andrew Hobbs (No 2) emerged unbeaten.

Ratahi was confident after a shaky start and gave little away with some impressive wins.

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