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Golf play-off to Craig Mitchell

Nearly all the excitment at the Waitikiri New Year golf tournament was provided by the play-off between a 39-year-old fanner, Peter Harvey, and Craig Mitchell, just turned 18, an assistant at the Waitikiri professional shop. Mitchell won at the first with a birdie 3. Before that, the scoring was solid rather than spectacular in near perfect conditions; even those who filled modest positions in the field were highly complimentary about the. quality of the greens. The morning leader was Jason Sincock, an assistant greenkeeper at Avondale, with a 73, two over par. Mitchell was one behind, Stephen Paterson on 75 and Harvey on 76 with James Angus. Mitchell, who will leave for Wellington in a few days to attend the Alex Mercer national golf school, played another tidy round of 74, which included an eagle on the par 5 sixth. Harvey, who had been baling hay until late the previous evening and who had left home at 4.30 a.m. to get to Waitikiri, also eagled this hole in scoring the day’s best round of 72. Angus had a chance near the end of the day needing a 1 under 34 on the first nine holes (his second) but he finished a stroke behind. In the play-off, Harvey hit

an almost perfect drive, but his little wedge ran off the back of the green. He chipped back to half a metre. Mitchell’s drive took him under a fir tree on the left of the fairway and he was in a most uncomfortable position. He had to adopt a sort of Quasimodo stance to play a runner but found the green with a remarkable shot then holed a five-metre putt for victory. So he added this tournament to his successes in the Templeton summer open and the Ellesmere open. Harvey felt it was history repeating itself. He said he had lost a semi-final in the Canterbury amateur championships some years ago to Tom Stout in almost identical circumstances. Scores.— Senior championship 148 - C. Mitchell, 74, 74; P. Harvey 76, 72. 149 - J. M. Angus 76, 73. 150 - P. Hansen 78, 72. 151 — J. Sincock 73, 78; S. Paterson 75, 76. Intermediate championship 154 - D. Briggs 74, 80. 155 - R. L. Kingston 76, 79. 156 — B. Hanham 78, 78. 161 - J. Avei 79, 82. Junior championship 162 - G. Wilson 81, 81. 168 - D. Vincent 81, 87; G. Knight 79, 89.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19851230.2.48

Bibliographic details

Press, 30 December 1985, Page 6

Word Count
402

Golf play-off to Craig Mitchell Press, 30 December 1985, Page 6

Golf play-off to Craig Mitchell Press, 30 December 1985, Page 6