Otago v Waikato in semis

Fraser MacLachlan.
Fraser MacLachlan.
Otago will play Waikato while Wellington will meet North Harbour in the semifinals of the Toro men’s interprovincial teams’ tournament, which will be played on the Ngamotu course in New Plymouth this morning.

Previously unbeaten, Otago went down to Wellington by a 1 to 3 margin yesterday morning and had to beat a strong Northland quintet in the afternoon to make the playoffs.

It was a tight contest, with Brandon Hodgson winning comfortably while No5 Chris Snow halved the final hole for a one-up win. At No4, Michael Smith lost on the final green, while Inia Logan was outplayed by Christian Nitsche, which made it 2-2.

The result of the afternoon match depended on the result of the contest between the No1 players, with Otago’s Fraser MacLachlan one up playing the final par-3 hole.

His opponent, Luke Brown, hit the green, while MacLachlan pulled his tee shot and missed the green on the left.

He pitched up  and sank a 2m cross-green putt for a par 3 to halve the hole and ensure Otago gained a place in the semifinals.

Had he missed that vital putt, Otago would have been tied with Canterbury on points and lost on the countback of games, finishing fifth or sixth in the tournament.

MacLachlan had a tough day at the office, playing two New Zealand representatives in Daniel Hillier in the morning and Luke Brown in the afternoon.

The South Island champion showed he was a worthy opponent, halving his morning match and getting the required win in the afternoon.

At No2, previously unbeaten Brandon Hodgson suffered his first loss, receiving a 6 and 4 drumming from Wellington’s Jonathan Cane. This only spurred him on to some great form in the afternoon and he turned six up on Northland’s Taylor Gill, coasting to a 3 and 2 win.

Ryan Bellamy came in at No5 in the morning match with No3 Inia Logan rested, but Logan returned in the afternoon and struggled to make an impact.

Michael Smith took the No3 berth in the morning, posting one of Otago’s three halves.

MacLachlan and No5 Chris Snow also halved their morning matches.In the afternoon, Smith lost on the final green while Snow trailed by two after the first 12 holes.

Snow grafted on the homeward nine, squaring the match with back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 and taking a lead of one with another birdie on the par-5 17th. Otago has lost the Toro final to Waikato in 2014 and 2015 and the team is motivated to even the score this morning and make this year’s final.

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