Golf: Threepeat for Auckland; Otago finishes 12th

Laura Hoskin
Laura Hoskin
Otago finished 12th in the women's interprovincial after losing to Waikato in a playoff on Saturday.

Waikato, which surprisingly slumped to sixth in its section after finishing fourth at St Clair last year, won all five games to finish 11th at Muriwai.

Otago No 1 Laura Hoskin had a good week but that came to an abrupt end when she played an in-form Hannah Seifert, who dominated the game with several birdies and won the match on the 11th green 8 and 7.

Abby Crawford (16) had a tough debut at No 2, losing to Fai Tongdethsri in 15 holes. Crawford turned four down and lost the 10th, but fought back to win 12 and 13. However, she lost the next two holes and the match.

Susan Greig had a tight tussle with Waikato No 3 Melissa Shea, turning two behind after losing the ninth hole. Greig won the 10th but lost 13 and 15 to go three down with three holes to play. She won 16 and 17 but lost one down when the pair halved the final hole.

At No 4, Sally Shaw was no match for Charlotte Wilson, losing on the 12th green, while Liz McRae encountered putting woes in her 4 and 3 loss to Kyra Alexander.

Auckland beat Bay of Plenty 5-0 in the final in one of the most dominant performances in the history of the event.

Auckland's Wenyung Keh and Brittney Dryland both had perfect winning records and dominated the tournament from the opening day.

The defending champion won the title for the third time in succession and extended its record number of wins in the event to 22 since the team matchplay competition began in 1950.

Auckland became the first team to win three in a row since Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley in 1981-83.

Auckland finished the week with a perfect winning record of eight from eight matches and 36.5 points from the 40 points on offer. It is believed to be an unprecedented winning record. Dryland, who won the player of the tournament last year, got her team on the board early with a 3 and 2 win over the big-hitting Rotana Howard.

It meant Dryland had finished two interprovincial tournaments with a perfect winning record.

''I played pretty good today,'' the Titirangi golfer said.

''It feels better than last year. I am so happy to be part of this team and to continue my winning record.''

Dryland was backed up by Celyn Khoo, who came from behind to beat Susan Lines 3 and 2 to keep the momentum heading in the right direction.

The match between Auckland No 3 Joanna Kim and Bay of Plenty counterpart Heather Keefe was a classic. The two halved their opening eight holes before Kim seized the advantage heading into the turn.

Wenyung Keh and Munchin Keh completed the blue-and-whitewash with wins over Grace Senior (two up) and Alanna Campbell (3 and 2) respectively.

Wenyung Keh, who matched her perfect winning record from the team's win at the Whakatane Golf Club in 2011, was named player of the tournament.

The 16-year-old from the Pakuranga Country Club enjoyed a remarkable week at No 2 for her side and was humbled to receive the honour.

Auckland will aim for four in a row at the Lochiel club next year, and may even eye up the five straight titles the province won from 1976 to 1980.

 

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