Top half golfers’ aim

Press, 30 March 1989, Page 40

Top half golfers’ aim

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

If determination and dedication count for anything, Canterbury should finish in the top half of the Freyberg Masters (over 40 years) golf tournament for the first time, according to its nonplaying captain, Gavin Paterson. Mr Paterson has been highly impressed with the personal application of the five individuals — Bob Bradley (captain), Bob Hill, Roy McLauchlan, Peter Harvey and lan Walsh — and their will to win has helped fuse a good camaraderie among them.

Competition at the national inter-provincial tournament is especially strong, so much so that a former Auckland Freyberg so. 1, Ken Hankin,

who was the half-way leader in the North Island amateur championship at Pukekohe at the weekend, is only at No. 3 for the Auckland team.

Although Canterbury wil not play Auckland, it has the defending champion, Wellington, among its opposition for the championship at the St Andrew’s course, Hamilton, from April 3 to 7.

The Canterbury players may not have the collective reputation of some teams, but Mr Paterson said that all were experi-low-handicap golfers who were peaking at the right time. “Bob Bradley has done a tremendous job with the team and so has Mark Guy (the Harewobd professional) who has taken videos and givenvassist-

ance,” Mr Paterson said. Only McLauchlan has represented Canterbury at the event previously. The Templeton left-hander, who recently retained his Rawhiti open title, won five of his seven matches at No. 4 last year.

A special tournament to help finance the team will be held at Harewood on April 7, and Mr Paterson said that there was still room for about 30 entries. The masters team, which will strike Manawatu in its first contest on Monday afternoon, has been practising twice a week. It recently drew with a Canterbury junior team, in a special challenge and will cap off its. preparation with a match against last year’s successful Canterbury Government Life team at Shirley today.