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.
