His win means for the first time in the tournament’s 43-year history, an Otago golfer has clinched the Eagles National Under-17 Boys Championship title.
In a statement, tournament co-ordinator Laurel Breen said three-person mixed teams representing 15 Eagles provinces, plus 12 invited Otago golfers, played 54 holes in cool conditions.
Blustery winds tested the players, although it was Cromwell’s more challenging greens that caught a few out.
After 36 holes, Oscar Guo, of Auckland, with rounds of 78 and 71, was one ahead of Futures Dunedin club member Connor Howes, who scored 72 and 78. Otago’s Ricky Kang was in third overnight with rounds of 76 and 75, while Canterbury’s Jonathan Fry was fourth with 79 and 73.
The following morning, Howes turned up the heat with a solid 72 to take the title with a combined gross score of 222, while Guo, not helped by an out-of-bounds tee shot on the 18th, finished on 227.
Fry (77) had a slight edge on Kang (79) to reverse their placings in the final wash-up.
While the boys had a clear winner, the girls’ championship went down to the wire and was decided on the 54th hole, where Auckland’s Cherry Lee took the title.
Among the invited players, Futures’ Wakatipu club member Toby Gallie had a 54-hole gross total of 225 (77, 74, 74), six shots clear of Chisholm Links’ Kairangi Koni on 231.
