Harewood, Coringa take golf lead

Press, 11 September 1989, Page 24

Harewood, Coringa take golf lead

By 808 SCHUMACHER Nearby neighbours, Coringa and Harewood, capitalised on the demise of Templeton on its home course yesterday and now share the lead after five rounds of the Woodward Cup premier inter-club golf championship. The defending champion, Harewood, drew with Coringa in the opening round and both teams have progressed through the next four unbeaten. Templeton went into yesterday’s double-header at Templeton as the only team with maximum points, but it succumbed to Waitikiri in the morning and a draw with Russley in the afternoon was, in Templeton minds, another defeat.

After inflicting deep wounds on Templeton in the morning, Waitikiri almost fell foul of North Canterbury in the afternoon round. North Canterbury registereed its first victory against the bottom-placed Avondale in the morning and sensed a repeat of its upset against Waitikiri on the course two years ago when it led for most of the way. Whereas Waitikiri had looked to its No. 1, Tony Christie, to

provide the win it needed for over-all success against Templeton, it desperately required him to win the last hole against his fellow junior, Karl Mariu, for a half against North Canterbury. Christie obliged by holing a 4m birdie putt on the last hole to win 1 up against the Canterbury under 21 champion. Neither player was at his best, although they showed glimpses of their true form, especially at the seventeenth (their fourteenth) when Mariu slotted an 11m birdie putt and Christie responded with a 6m birdie putt to stay square.

They halved the next three holes in pars and both were exceedingly generous in their concession of putts ranging from Im to Lsm at their sixteenth and seventeenth, holes. But when the next important putt had to be made Christie rose to the occasion at the last.

Points:— Coringa 4% (28%), Harewood 4% (26%), Templeton 3% (23%), Waitikiri 3% (21%), Christchurch 3 (21), Waimairi Beach 2 (17%), Russley 1% (19%), North Canterbury 1% (18%), Central Canterbury 1 (16%), Avondale 0 (7).