Brent McEwan (St Clair) continued his monopoly on the North Otago spring tournament, winning his fourth consecutive title at North Otago during the weekend.
McEwan shot rounds of 70, 71, 70 and 73 to finish four under par and two shots ahead of Chris Snow (St Clair).
Simon Hollyer (Wanaka) came in third, four shots back, while St Clair greenkeeper Andrew Hobbs finished fourth. Hollyer was the leading triallist at Wanaka, while Hobbs won at Chisholm Park, so both golfers are continuing to show good form.
The North Otago course was in pristine condition and with the fine weather, the players were able to shoot low scores. Otago No 1 McEwan has a liking for the North Otago course and holds the record at eight-under-par 64.
Tyrone Ratahi (Otago) set the early pace on Saturday morning with a three-under-par 69, ahead of Hollyer and McEwan who were tied on 70. But the afternoon belonged to Snow who, with 68, carded the lowest score of the weekend. Snow held a two-shot at the halfway stage from McEwan, with Hobbs two back.
A three-over 75 in the third round put Snow back into third place behind McEwan and Hobbs. The wind strengthened for the final round but McEwan's low, darting shots saw him prevail. The South Island Masters (over 40) event was played in conjunction. Otago won its first title. It led all the way and finished 33 strokes ahead of Canterbury, with Southland in third place.
