GOLF - Capable field to contest Classic

The locals are primed and ready for the difficult task of keeping the region's top golf title at home when the Bream Bay Classic gets underway at the Waipu Golf Club tomorrow.
Maungawhai's Scott Wightman is one golfer who will certainly threaten a host of Auckland competitors who will venture north in search of the title in the annual 54-hole tournament.
Wightman beat the current Bream Bay title-holder Scott Johnson by five shots last weekend to win the Tom Bonnington tournament at his home course and prove he is in good touch already this season.
"He's certainly a likely prospect," tournament manager Terry McMahon said.
McMahon said there are always a high number of visitors from Auckland at the event because Auckland and North Harbour use the Classic as the final part of their trials for their interprovincial teams.
It is the same for the Northland selectors, who along with their provincial counterparts, will name the Northland interprovincial teams on Sunday.
With 22 golfers playing off a better handicap than scratch, there are many entrants capable of winning this weekend.
The Grange's Travis O'Connell, who was the winner in 2005, will be back, knocking on the door again while 15-year-old Seve Ha is another golfer who could lift the title.
"He's got a lot of talent but he might just be a bit young at this stage. He's come along a long way from when he first played here and he couldn't even see over the window to register back then," McMahon said.
Redwood Park's Jacob Junovich is another young golfer the tournament manager likes the look of, and McMahon thinks he might threaten this weekend.
Of the locals, McMahon is picking Jeremy Hay to be competitive after his win at the recent Northern Wairoa Open.
The top two 2006 Northland golfers, Gary-John Hill and Brad Bonnington, are more than capable of maintaining a place on the leaderboard, while Kaitaia's Bob Shirley and Mangawhai's Gavin Welsh are other Northlanders who are worth watching.
McMahon said after a very dry summer the recent rain on the course has been appreciated.
"Being a links course it's pretty scrubby and we don't have fairway watering over the summer, so it's been fairly dry and the rain is very welcome."
While the forecast isn't great for the weekend, the sand base on the Waipu course allows play to continue in conditions that would force other tournaments to abandon play.