‘Press’ event to Harper

Press, 27 February 1989, Page 22

‘Press’ event to Harper

Only six strokes separated the first five place-getters in the fifteenth running of “The Press" invitation women’s 54hole stroke golf tournament, which was decided on the Templeton course during the week-end.

It was not until the verylast hole that the winner emerged in the form of Otago’s Melanie Harper, whose steadiness and coolness under pressure, combined with a most accurate short game, ultimately triumphed over some very accomplished opposition. Harper’s one-stroke victory came over an Otago compatriot, Jan Scandrett, whose spectacular driving had been one of the talking points of the tournament.

All square going into the final hole, Scandrett hooked her drive slightly and was short with two approach shots. In contrast. Harper hit her third close to the pin and required only a short putt to clinch the match.

Close on the heels of the Otago duo were the threetime winners, Liz Douglas, of Canterbury, and Debbie Smith, of Motueka, with Canterbury’s Kerrin Starr only two strokes further back.

Scandrett, runner-up on three previous occasions, only just failed to claw back from a disastrous first-round 82, but she put it all together on Saturday afternoon in shattering the Templeton women’s course record by two strokes. Such was the high standard of play that this had also been equalled twice, by Harper and Annette King, but Scandrett’s effort was outstanding. Douglas and Smith were, as expected, always up with the leaders. Douglas, in particular, could have finished closer, but for a disastrous six on the par-four sixteenth hole when she hooked her drive and hit trees with her second. Starr’s last round was highlighted when, requiring a sporting miracle to save par, she holed out from more than 20 metres.

Results: Harper (Otago) 77, 74, 77, 228; J. Scandrett (Otago) 82, 72, 75, 229; L. Douglas (Canterbury) 78, 77, 76, 231; D. Smith (Motueka) 77, 79, 76, 232; K. Starr (Canterbury) 76, 78, 80, 234.