Strong field lines up for Super 6s golf event
The Super 6s golf event returns to the Manawatū Golf Club this week with a strong field featuring past champions, the country’s best amateurs and players preparing to play on the world’s leading tours.
The unique tournament in Palmerston North starts today with three days of stroke play, then match play for the top 24 players on the final day on Sunday.
The top eight players have a bye through to the second round of match play knockout over six holes.
Men and women compete against each other, with prize money of $60,000 up for grabs.
Sam Jones headlines the field of 77 looking to qualify for Sunday’s super six shootout.
Jones played in the tournament last year as an amateur and returns in 2024 as a member of the DP World Tour, in which he lines up in tournaments around the world alongside some of the best talents in the game.
Past champion Kerry Mountcastle enters the week with high hopes.
Since last year’s tournament, Mountcastle has won in Australia and also had the chance to play at LIV Golf events around the world. The Masterton player is a crowd favourite who knows the Hokowhitu course well.
Tyler Hodge, last year’s runaway leader, also enjoys strong local support, including from his sister Brydie Hodge, the Manawatū club pro.
He finished the first three rounds last year 20 under, and six shots in front of the field, only to lose in the first round of sudden death super sixes.
The 2023 event was won by the charismatic Jordy Loof. The Royal Wellington pro survived four rounds of knockout golf to triumph in dramatic fashion.
Since then, Loof has continued his success, playing in two New Zealand Opens. He comes back to Manawatū confident that he can repeat the success of last year.
Other leading players in the field include Kieran Muir, Josh Geary and Nick Voke.
All are proven performers and winners at tournaments in New Zealand and overseas.
Zack Swanwick, who won the Bledisloe Cup last month as the leading amateur at the New Zealand Open, leads a number of talented amateurs including Mitch Kale and Jayden Ford.
Local star Tara Raj, now a pro at the Napier Golf Club, leads the female players in this tournament.
With the tournament being held in April this year, it has allowed greenkeeper Kiel Stechman to present the course in pristine condition. Many of the pros described the greens and fairways after their Tuesday practice round as the best they had experienced at Manawatū.
There was to be a 36-team pro-am yesterday. The amateurs were to play for $15,000 of prizes, while the pros were looking to qualify for a $5000 shootout for the top seven players.
All golfers – pros and amateurs – had the chance to win a new Audi Q3 on the eighth hole with one perfect shot.
Alongside the event, the Manawatū Golf Club and Manawatū-Wanganui Golf are running “discover golf” sessions and the She Loves Golf programme to attract the next generation of players.