Title win after 12-year drought

Wanganui golfers, from left, Tara Raj, Caroline Scott, Carron Thompson and Kittiya O'Callaghan, won the Manawatu Wanganui Championship Pennants. Photo/ Stuart Munro

A WHANGANUI foursome have bridged a 12-year gap to win the Manawatu Wanganui Championship Pennants golf competition.

The Wanganui Golf Club, with help from sponsor Wight Aluminium, fielded four teams in the 9 round championship with Tara Raj, Caroline Scott, Carron Thompson and Kittiya O'Callaghan claiming the major prize. The club's silver team finished third, while the two district and weekend teams were seventh.

The last time a Wanganui Golf Club side won the championship was in 2004.

Veteran Scott showed she was far from a spent force in this year's winning foresome.

The former multiple Wanganui women's champion was also part of the 2004 victory party alongside Jenny Ritchie.

"Jenny and I were the mainstays of the Wanganui rep team back then and I was also involved when the championship started back in 1997," Scott said yesterday.

"It was a pretty tough competition this year with some very close matches. We went through the rounds halving one and winning the rest."

The winning team was fortunate to include the current Wanganui women's champion, 13-year-old Year 9 Wanganui Collegiate School student Raj.

Scott said while handicaps did not come into play in pennants golf, which is competed for off the stick, they were lucky to have a player of Raj's skill. Raj is on a 3 handicap, while Scott is on 7 and both Thompson and O'Callaghan 13.