Provincial team light on experience
The Manawatu¯ -Wanganui Toro Interprovincial team is down on experience but still has the talent to put forward a solid challenge at the annual tournament at Mangawhai in Northland.
A team of six has been named for the December tournament, but the playing order will only be revealed after their final warm-up tournament against Taranaki in November.
Missing are regulars Junior Tatana, Regan Cording and Ewan Westergaard, who all withdrew due to work and family commitments.
Tatana has been in hot form this year and would have surely teed off as No 1. Instead he will head to the Freyberg Masters in November.
Manawatu¯ ’s Regan Mcconaghty looks to have the inside running for the No 1 spot now after a solid year, including playing in the New Zealand PGA Championship in March.
Castlecliff’s Hayden Ring, who returned to the region from Wellington earlier this year, returns to the team, bringing valuable experience, having debuted in 2011.
Promising young guns Greg Shaw (Manawatu¯ ) and Liam Finlayson (Feilding) have been to the Toro tournament before.
Manawatu¯ ’s Guy Perry rounds out the team. Palmerston North’s Cory Higgs is the team’s reserve.
The women’s team has yet to be named with one more warm-up fixture to come against Hawke’s Bay.
The team will be buoyed by the return of Levin’s Brydie Hodge which will allow 14-year-old rising star Tara Raj (Wanganui) to drop back to No 2.
The likes of Lily Griffin (Manawatu¯ ), Mudra Lakhani (Manawatu¯ ), Tania Hook (Manawatu¯ ), Lisa Cotton (Pahiatua) and Jill Hall (Rangitı¯kei) are among those
battling for the final places.
Meanwhile, the completion of the Manawatu¯ Open saw Tatana romp home to claim the Manawatu¯ -Wanganui Golf order of merit title. Tatana was second on Sunday as he completed his successful series.
He won the Joe Kells Memorial, was second in the Wanganui Open, fourth at the Horowhenua Open and second at the Challenge Cup.
Hodge was even more dominant in winning the women’s title.
She won the Palmerston North Classic, the Horowhenua Open and the Manawatu¯ Open and was second at the Wanganui Open and the Challenge Cup.
The ODM winners in the nett competition were Lakhani and Kaleb Idemaru.