Bay of Plenty have set the tone for the Toro Women's Interprovincial tournament as they went top of division one with two comprehensive wins over Tasman and Northland at the Whakatane Golf Club in mixed conditions yesterday.
Led by their home player Zoe Brake, who has returned from Navy duty to be No1 for the Bay this week, the locals only dropped 1 points all day and confirmed why they are among the favourites for the title.
The Bay has won three of the past seven Toro Interprovincial titles.
North Harbour and Auckland both had the bye on day one but recorded wins from their day one matches. Auckland No1 Cecilia Cho, who has been at the Aaron Baddeley Junior Invitational in China, was due home last night and was to play her first game today. Wellington were a class above Taranaki as they beat them 5 -0 and then had the bye yesterday afternoon.
Other comfortable winners were last year's beaten finalist Waikato who dismissed Aorangi South Canterbury 4-1 in their only match.
"Finishing runner-up last year adds to our motivation," New Zealand rep Chantelle Cassidy said.
"We are pretty confident in our team and we are all pretty close which helps. The course is playing great with really nice greens."
Hannah Seifert, who has a great record in the event, managed a comfortable 5 and 4 win over Barbara O'Connell.
"I love this format and I won eight out of eight last year at Miramar so that is a tough one to follow but I'd like to do that again. I think I am good at match play because of my tennis background and I play the opponent and try to beat them," she said.
The only loss that Waikato suffered was a shock 8 and 7 win by Aorangi's No1 Catherine Knight over New Zealand rep Emily Perry.
North Harbour No1 Lydia Ko was also dismayed to finish all square with Stephanie McKillop from the Manawatu Wanganui.
The world No1 amateur, who is playing her first tournament following wrist surgery, led by three up with six holes to play but nothing separated the pair in the end after a good fight back from McKillop.
"She came back well and I made a few mistakes but it's a start. We want to defend our title but to do that we have to focus on each round and take it as it comes," Ko
Southland, who were beaten 5-0 by Auckland in the morning, caused an upset of sorts when they defeated Canterbury 3-2 in the afternoon.
"We know we can do it," former North Harbour rep Jenna Gainford (nee Hurst) said.
"It is all about belief in ourselves and putting the golf we can play on the range in practice onto the course when it counts and we did that today.."
Southland's manager Robyn Boniface, a handy golfer in her own right who could easily be playing in this event, said the team came with a goal in mind: "We'd like to make the top two in our division and progress to the semifinals and we think we can do that."
Round 1
Manawatu / Wanganui 2 Northland 3
Stephanie McKillop lost to Kylie Jacoby 1down, Kelly Nicholas bt Racheal Williams 8/7, Emma Clayton lost to Aroha Tito 2/1, Keita Durie lost to San Dangen 7/6, Brydie Hodge bt Jo Wech 3/2
Bay of Plenty 5 Tasman 0
Zoe Brake bt Emily Stenhouse 3/2, Susan Lines bt Katrina Manaena 3/2, Grace Senior bt Andrea Corbet 6/5, Tyla Kingi bt Lesley Baxter 1up, Shelly McElroy bt Clare Kydd 3/2.
Wellington 5 Taranaki 0
Julianne Alvarez bt Rochelle Keegan 2/1, Lucy Davis bt Nicole Keegan 3/2, Te Rongopai Clay bt Melissa Hill 8/6, Imogen Donnelly Lawrence bt Celeste McLean 3/1, Barbara Parreno bt Holly Winter 3/2
Byes : North Harbour & Waikato
Aorangi 2 Hawkes Bay PB 2
Catherine Knight bt Kate Chadwick 1 up, Catherine Bell halved with Jaimie McIvor, Ginny Bolderston lost to Angela Jones 4/3, Barbara O'Connell lost to Janie Field 8/7, Jenny Kellahan bt Lynne Roberts 1up
Otago 2 Canterbury 3
Laura Hoskin bt Elisha Crosbie 2up, Jo Hicks-Beach lost to Jess Guenzerodt 1 down, Shani Arona lost Georgia Wayman 2down , Liz McRae lost to Sylvie Williams 6/5, Susan Greig bt Jocelyn Blackmore 1up
Auckland 5 Southland 0
Jesse Hamilton bt Robyn Pullar 1up, Munchin Keh bt Angela Gerken 4/2, Wen Yung Keh bt Olivia Frost 1up, Larissa Eruera bt Anne Osment 3/1, Celyn Khoo bt Jenna Gainford 5/3
Round 2
Waikato 4 Aorangi 1
Emily Perry lost to Catherine Knight 8/7, Chantelle Cassidy bt Catherine Bell 6/5, Sarah Bradley bt Ginny Bolderston 6/5, Hanna Seifert bt Barbara O'Connell 5/4, Fai Tongdethsri bt Jenny Kellahan 6/5
Otago 2 Hawkes Bay PB 2
Laura Hoskin lost to Kate Chadwick 5/4, Jo Hicks-Beach halved with Jaimie McIvor, Shani Arona bt Angela Jones 2 up, Liz McRae lost to Janie Field 3/1, Susan Greig bt Lynne Roberts 6/5
Canterbury 2 Southland 3
Elisha Crosbie bt Robyn Pullar 4/3, Jess Guenzerodt lost to Angela Gerken 4/3, Georgia Wayman lost to Olivia Frost 3/2, Sylvie Williams bt Anne Osment 4/3, Jocelyn Blackmore lost to Jenna Gainford 5/4
Manawatu / Wanganui 2 North Harbour 3
Stephanie McKillop halved with Lydia Ko, Kelly Nicholas bt Kristin Farrell 2up, Emma Clayton lost to Julitta Lam 4/3, Keita Durie lost Faye-Amy Nickson 5/4, Brydie Hodge halved Rebekah Brownlee
Northland 1 Bay of Plenty 3
Kylie Jacoby lost to Zoe Brake 3/2, Racheal Williams lost to Susan Lines 2/1, Aroha Tito bt Grace Senior 2/1, San Dangen halved with Tyla Kingi, Jo Wech lost to Shelly McElroy 1 down
Taranaki 4 Tasman 1
Rochelle Keegan bt Emily Stenhouse 1up, Nicole Keegan lost Katrina Manaena 1 down, Melissa Hill bt Andrea Corbet 2up, Celeste McLean bt Lesley Baxter 4/3, Holly Winter bt Clare Kydd 3/2
Division One Leaderboard:
(Individual wins) * Already had the bye
4 (8.5) Bay of Plenty
2 (5) Wellington *
2 (4.5) Northland
2 (4) Taranaki
2 (3) North Harbour *
0 (4) Manawatu Wanganui
0 (1) Tasman
Division Two Leaderboard:
2 (5) Auckland *
2(5) Canterbury
2(5) Hawkes Bay
2(4) Waikato *
2(3) Southland
1 (4.5) Otago
1 (3.5) Aorangi.