Team keen to return to the podium

BEST SWING: Marton's Lachie McDonald competing at last year's Toro Interprovinical Championship in Hamilton.PHOTO/FILE

The Manawatu-Wanganui men's team will be looking to get back to the top of representative team golf when the 2015 Toro Interprovincial Championship starts at the Invercargill Golf Club on Tuesday.

The squad have had plenty of success in the 15-team tournament, where squads play each other twice a day and the top two from each division go through to the semifinals with a chance of making the final on Saturday, December 5.

Local representatives in the five-man team are Marton Golf Club's Lachie McDonald and Castlecliff Golf Club's Hayden Ring.

Both were part of the match-play title win in 2013, when McDonald was named player of the tournament at North Shore Golf Club.

The team had been runnerup in 2012.

Last year at Hamilton Golf Club, the Manawatu-Wanganui team were even better in pool play, finishing as top qualifiers, but lost their semifinal comfortably to Otago.

McDonald said they have plenty of experience with the Otatara course down south, having been there two weeks ago for the SBS Bank Golf Invitational.

Manawatu-Wanganui finished back in 11th on a congested table of the strokeplay event, with Otago well on top and one of the favourites for the Toro, along with the defending 2014 champions Waikato.

"It's really familiar to most of us and presents a challenge," said McDonald about the course.

It is a fun format to wear the provincial colours to finish the season after most of the 75 golfers have played each other as individuals, he said.

McDonald said the goal was to make the Top 4 again and then give it their all in the playoffs.

"Anything can happen that week and we're pretty confident heading in."