Northland have received a wake-up call ahead of next month's Toro Men's Interprovincial Tournament.
A five-man Northland team to contest the interprovincials was named at the conclusion of the annual Garrard Shield tournament in Hamilton, with Wellsford's Brad Bonnington at the helm, playing No 1. Brett Dormer, of Kaitaia, was named
at No 2, Waipu's Tony Mayo was No 3, Martin Duff, of Northland Golf Club, at No 4, Waiotira's Robin Morgan at No 5, and Lee Neumann is the reserve.
Selector Bob Shirley said the side had a daunting task ahead of them.
"It is a very, very tough competition where the best golfers in New Zealand compete," Shirley said.
"To give you an idea, former Northland No 1 Gary John Hill, who shifted his allegiance this year, will only play No 3 for Auckland - that's how strong the competition is," he said.
"The team was the best we could muster, and I'm sure they will go down there and give it their best shot."
Duff, Morgan and Neumann are all new to the side and will make their interprovincials debuts at Manawatu Golf Course on December 1.
The Garrard Shield gave selectors the chance to have a last look at potential players for provincial teams, and Northland struggled against impressive Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato outfits, giving them a taste of what to expect at the interprovincials, Bonnington said after the tournament.
On Saturday at St Andrew's Golf Club, the eight-man Northland team faced Bay of Plenty, who won 5-3. It was the better round of the day however, with Northland getting thumped by Waikato, who won 7 and a 1/2 to 1/2 in round two.
In the third and final round yesterday, Northland lost to Auckland 6-2. Bay of Plenty were the eventual winners of the shield.
Bonnington did not have the "flashest" of rounds, losing all three, but he complimented Mayo.
Mayo was playing at No 2 and had two wins, along with Neumann, who stepped into play with the seniors as the No 8 golfer, and did not drop a round.
The under-19 Ralph Cup tournament was also played at St Andrew's in conjunction with the Garrard Shield during the weekend, with Ben Hessell taking up the No 4 spot to fill in for Neumann in the Northland team.
Again, the competition was tough, and Northland lost 4-0 to Bay of Plenty and Waikato on Saturday. However, they drew 2-2 with the Ralph Cup winners Auckland yesterday, with good wins from Hessell and Chris Alexander.
