North Island golfers add spice to S.I. title

Press, 4 March 1983, Page 32

North Island golfers add spice to S.I. title

Bv

BOB SCHUMACHER

Six New Zealand gold representatives from the North Island will add extra interest to what should prove an absorbing contest for the South Island stroke championship over 72 holes at the Brandon course, Ashburton, at the week-end.

The players, invited by the national selectors, are the Eisenhower representatives, Paul Hartstone, Colin Taylor (both Waikato) and Michael Barltrop (Auckland). The other trio is Neil Gaskin (Levin), who played for New Zealand against Japan recently, and the Auckland

pair. Tony Treen and Terry Cochrane.

Hartstone and Treen were two of three players who tied on 287 at the end of 72 holes for the title last year at Nelson. The play-off .lasted an extra four holes before the chunky Hartstone holed a 4m birdie putt for the championship. Although the northern golfers are all players of outstanding ability, they will have to be at their best to keep the title in North Island hands.

Canterbury will have all of last year’s Freyberg team present and two of them.

Johri Sanders and Jim Lapsley, have already demonstrated their prowess this season.

Sanders, in spite of little practice, displayed his admirable powers of concentration and thoughtful shot making to win the Canterbury P.G.F. stroke championship at Waitikiri last month. Lapsley. in his debut for New Zealand, proved the most consistent of the national team which won the 72-hole stroke match against Japan for the first time in three years. The other Canterbury Freyberg players. Mark

Street, John Williamson and Brent Paterson, will have different reasons for wanting to finish in prominent posi-

tions. Williamson will be making his New Zealand debut next month in the Malaysian Open — he was selected along with Barltrop — and he will be looking to play much better than he did in the Canterbury championship. Street remains an enigma as a golfer. On his day, he is capable of some sensational rounds; consistency is not his strong point. Street has had many fine rounds at Brandon and he has the capability to win a big event.