Tasmania’s top teams to fight for the Shield

TASMANIA’S club teams’ championship, the Claremont Shield, tees off at the Launceston Golf Club on Saturday afternoon.

Fourteen teams of four competitors representing clubs from around the state will vie for the prestigious trophy.

Last year’s champion Tasmania Golf Club looks set to defend its title won at the Claremont Golf Club.

Tasmania Golf Club will again be represented by state men’s team members Nathan Gatehouse, Andrew Phillips, Paul Read and Mark Schulze.

Keep a close eye on Kingston Beach Golf Club’s Craig Garland, Matthew Glover, David Pretyman and Shaun Smith. Other teams expected to perform well include local golfers Launceston and Prospect Vale, and last year’s Eric Bourke Memorial Trophy winner the Claremont Golf Club.

Competitors participate in 18 holes of foursomes on Saturday afternoon followed by 36holes of singles on Sunday. THE second round of South- ern Pennant was conducted last weekend with the start of division one delayed until March 18.

After the withdrawal of the Claremont Composite team, division one will be contested by Kingston Beach, Royal Hobart and Tasmania on March 18, March 25 and April 15. Division two sees Tasmania on top with two contests and 12 match wins, followed by Royal Hobart with one contest and seven match wins.

Claremont Golf Club and Llanherne are placed third and fourth respectively with Claremont claiming one contest and Llanherne yet to record a vic- tory. Royal Hobart Golf Club leads division three with two contests, in front of Claremont and Tasmania with one apiece, with North West Bay yet to register a win.

In division four, New Norfolk Golf Club holds a narrow lead over Tasmania with two contests and 12 matches. KIWI golfer Ben Campbell claimed his first professional victory at the New Zealand PGA Championship at Manawatu Golf Club on Sunday.

After a runner-up finish in 2017, Campbell made his presence known from the start, holding a share of the lead after the first and third rounds.

Campbell fired rounds of 64, 66, 67 and 69 for a total of 18-under 266 to win the title by two shots from Victoria’s Deyen Lawson and Ashley Hall.

Victorian Open champion and Royal Hobart Golf Club member Simon Hawkes almost won his second title of the year. Hawkes was sixunder after nine holes and leading the tournament but went on to finish outright fourth on 15-under-par. SEVERAL Tasmanians will be in action on the mainland in the coming weeks at national amateur ranking events.

Royal’s Hallie Meaburn and Tasmania’s Georgia Milbourne, along with Prospect Vale’s Ryan Thomas and Tasmania’s Brett Geeves will head to Victoria.

The quartet will tee up for the prestigious Riversdale Cup at Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne from March 8-11.

Prospect Vale’s Lily Caelli, Ronan Filgate and Ryan Thomas will tee up at the GolfSA Classic and Rene Erichsen Salver from March 19-22.

Caelli and Milbourne will travel west to Cottesloe Golf Club for the Bowra & O’Dea Women’s Golf Classic in Perth from March 25-28.

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