Hawke’s Bay’s Zack Swanwick leads inter-provincial golf tournament

Zack Swanwick, after winning the 2023 national Under 19 Boys golf championships this year in Timaru. Photo / Simon Watts/www.bwmedia.co.nz

Hawke’s Bay’s golfing teen sensation Zack Swanwick started his expected last national inter-provincial tournament in confident fashion with two wins in helping his team to an unbeaten opening to the national men’s competition at Paraparaumu on Tuesday.

While Hawke’s Bay halved its opening match against Southland, 17-year-old Swanwick, back from the ups-and-downs of the Australian Open in Sydney on Thursday and Friday and headed for a college contract in the US in July, was taken to just the 15th in winning 3-and-2 over Southland No 1 Liam Hewitt.

He then scored a 2-and-1 win over Canterbury No 1 Tom Lee to help Hawke’s Bay to a meritorious 3.5-1.5 victory over Canterbury in the afternoon.

Swanwick, currently the Australian and New Zealand Junior amateur champion, shocked with a first-round, 5-under, top 10 start in Sydney on Thursday.

But he disappeared from the tournament just 24 hours later with a second-round, 6-under 78, for a two-round 145, and missed the cut of 60 for the weekend’s golf.

As a 14-year-old playing at No 5 in the 2020 national inter-provincial tournament, Swanwick won four from seven and tied one.

He was the individual star in 2021 when he won all seven matches as Hawke’s Bay made it to the semi-final, and last year won three of six and halved one other.

Hawke’s Bay’s other win on Tuesday morning was a 1-up victory by Doug Holloway against Southland No 2, Tyler McLean, while No 4 Jarred McGillicuddy squared his match with Southland’s Kyle Dobbie.

Holloway also made it two-from-two with a 1-Up win over Canterbury afternoon No 2 Dominic Brettkelly.

At Waikanae, Hawke’s Bay was beaten 4.5-0.5 by Waikato in their opening match in the women’s tournament, but bounced-back for a 3-2 win over Taranaki in the afternoon, with individual wins in the top three to Kayla Van De Ven, Tessa Jane McDonald. and Martha Manaena.

Teenaged No 1 Van De Ven in August was with Swanwick in the Taradale High School team which became the first team from Hawke’s Bay to win the national schools title.