Golf: Moseley back in front line

By BOB PEARCE

Phil Mosley, who won his last Auckland matchplay title 22 years ago, scored a third victory at Middlemore yesterday.

The 47-year-old from the North Shore Club beat Franz Schwanner (Manukau) 3 and 1 in the final.

Mosley won back-to-back titles in 1978-79 when he was one of the country's leading players.

He was a New Zealand representative in a team which included Frank Nobilo at the Eisenhower Trophy in Fiji in 1978.

After dropping out of representative play for several years because of business and family commitments, Mosley has for the past two or three years been a member of the North Harbour Tower team.

"I'm keen to play the Tower at New Plymouth this year because in 1984 I played in an Auckland team who won the first Tower tournament, also at New Plymouth," Mosley said.

"I've really got my enthusiasm back since my old coach, Bob McDonald, moved to Auckland."

Mosley and Schwanner, an Auckland representative, were level at the turn, but the North Shore player went ahead with a birdie on the 11th and was a little more consistent over the closing stages. He clinched victory with a conceded birdie on the 17th.

Both semifinals went to the 18th, with Mosley beating former Auckland representative Martin Tumata (Onewhero) 1 up and Schwanner accounting for Mike Barltrop (Auckland) by the same margin.

The Auckland selectors have recalled Barltrop to the side to play North Harbour at Middlemore next Sunday.

The team: Clarke Osborne (Auckland), Logan Holzer (Grange), Franz Schwanner (Manukau), Mike Barltrop (Auckland), Scott Thrupp (Manukau), Tony Treen (Awhitu), Jay Denton (Manukau), Andrew Lawson (Manukau), Matthew Cormack (Remuera) and Darren Steedman (Grange).