Golf: Maraenui victory ends cup drought

The Greenwood Cup team winners from Maraenui club. Photo / Duncan Brown

Winning the Greenwood Cup is hard enough but Russell Mitchell yesterday discovered it doesn't end there.

The 24-year-old was coming down the final hole at Napier Golf Club chuffed his Maraenui Golf Club team had won the cup when he was told he was going to make the celebratory speech at the clubhouse not long after.

"They told me if I don't want more pressure I should have a speech ready," one-handicapper Mitchell said after Maraenui mustered 13 points from six wins and halved a game to edge Hastings Golf Club.

His "short and sweet" speech marked the ending of a Greenwood Cup drought for the Maraenui club since they last won it in 2005.

It was tight going into the final nine holes yesterday with the host club in the mix, but Maraenui fought back.

"It was great to win the cup, something I've always wanted to do since I was a member at the club when I was about 12," Mitchell said.

Stu Duff (Hastings) was the best individual player with seven wins.