Northland golfers stun Capital

Hosts Northland have taken a big scalp at the national interprovincial golf tournament, defeating favourites Wellington.

The 3-2 win over Wellington, and a later win over Manawatu/Whanganui, sees Northland move top of their pool at Mangawhai Golf Club.

Luke Brown came up with a lasthole victory over Daniel Hillier to secure Northland’s win over Wellington.

‘‘It’s been a really good day and I was very proud of the boys to come out firing this morning off the back of a tough loss to Waikato yesterday,’’ Brown said.

‘‘To get the win over defending champions Wellington was huge. With the team being up in all five games it put us in good position to hit the back nine and took a bit of the pressure off.

Wellington’s loss means that they look headed for a showdown with Waikato for a semifinals place in division one.

Auckland remain unbeaten after halving their match with Aorangi on opening day.

Brown said he hopes the local support can spur his team on to something special.

‘‘The opportunity that lies ahead of us is huge and we’re really excited to chase a title that Northland has never won and be the first team to achieve this,’’ Brown said.

‘‘We’ve been together a long time now, and for at least four events, so there’s no better time to take the experience we’ve gained and convert it in front of a home crowd.

‘‘The local support has been great. We’re really enjoying the comfort of being in our hometown and we look forward to the continued support.’’

Aorangi upset Bay of Plenty 3.5-1.5 in the morning session, before Taranaki tipped up Otago 3-2.

With upset results, the competition is wide open.

Auckland are top of the women’s competition with five wins in five matches, with North Harbour in second spot in division one.

Canterbury are top of division two, ahead of Bay of Plenty and Waikato.