Snow omitted from Otago side for national interprovincial

Michael Smith.
Michael Smith.
The omission of Chris Snow from the playing five is the feature of the Otago team named yesterday.

The team will compete in the national interprovincial team tournament on the Mangawhai course in Northland next month.

Otago has finished as runner-up in the past three tournaments, losing to Waikato in the 2014 and 2015 finals and Wellington in New Plymouth last year.

Each time, Snow has played at No5 and, as first match out each day, steadied the team with some solid performances.

Chris Snow
Chris Snow
The task of anchoring the team at No5 now falls on the shoulders of Michael Smith, who has shown some of his best form this year.

Smith was the runaway winner in the 72-hole North Otago tournament and he played at No3 in the South Island event last weekend.

Smith had one of his best tournaments at No4 in New Plymouth last year and the selectors believe he can repeat this at No5 this year.

The top two spots in the team were never in doubt with Fraser MacLachlan and Brandon Hodgson obvious choices at No1 and No2.

Having regained his amateur status last month, Duncan Croudis will play at No3 after emerging with two wins and a half in the South Island event last weekend.

Inia Logan, of Wakatipu Junior, will play his third interprovincial, this time at No4 having been reserve in 2015 and No3 last year.

Logan spent the winter in Queensland and won through to the final of the Queensland amateur championship against many of Australia's best players.

He won three of four at No7 last weekend and is obviously honing his match play skills of late as the national age-group representative plays a plethora of strokeplay rounds in his role with New Zealand golf.

One can only but feel for Balmacewen's Michael Ormandy, who has missed selection after some solid performances this year.

Ormandy (30) intends to embark on a professional apprenticeship next February and he put much time and practice with the endeavour of making the top Otago amateur team this year.

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