Canty open with confident win

Canterbury opened their campaign for the national women’s interprovincial golf crown with a healthy victory 41⁄2-1⁄2 against Southland at the Waitikiri golf club yesterday.

The going gets harder for the home side today when it takes on a tougher opponent ManawatuWanganui who won both their matches yesterday against Taranaki and Waikato.

Canterbury still have three members of their winning 2015 team present with Juliana Hung, Hillary O’Connor and player of the tournament in that year, Catherine Bell, all back. O’Connor was held to all square at No2, while the other two players, Olive Tapu and Amy Weng, won well.

Defending champions Auckland had morning bye along with Canterbury before taking on Aorangi, who caught the favourites napping to be all square at the turn. However, the winner of six of the last seven titles recovered to win 41⁄2-1⁄2.

Auckland produced a highlight with Vivian Lu holing out for an eagle three on the second hole (her back nine) before Auckland’s No1 Carmen Lim followed suit 10 minutes later with an eagle on the same hole.

Silvia Brunotti (North Harbour) and Tessa McDonald (Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay) both chipped in on the 18th hole to win their matches in style.

North Harbour faced a gritty Tasman side, who looked primed for an upset and it all came down to the No1 pairing of Brunotti and Lizzie Neale, the match sitting at 21⁄2 apiece. From the tee, Brunotti found herself behind a tree and was forced to chip out which made the Tasman upset look more likely. Then she stunned onlookers by rolling her pitch shot in for birdie to frustrate Neale, who deserved a better fate.

Wellington were atop division two while Northland head division one after two rounds.