WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Oct. 2, 2004 - North Harbour will have only two members of last year’s triumphant team back for their defense of the Lion Foundation national women’s inter-provincial golf tournament at the Manawatu Golf Club’s Hokowhitu course from October 5-9.
The Harbour side are seeking a hat-trick of New Zealand team match-play titles after prevailing at New Plymouth in 2002 and at Invercargill last year and are looking to become the first province to win the championship three times since the semi-finals and finals format was introduced in 1999.
But they will be without last year’s No. 1, international Stacey Tate, Natalie Storck, and Annece Choi as they strive to write a new chapter in the record book. Tate is on a scholarship in the United States. Last year’s No. 2, Bobea Park, has been promoted to the top position and last year’s No. 3 Catherine Mitchell, will be at No. 4.
Emerging 13-year-old Sharon Ahn, who led this year’s New Zealand stroke-play field after 54 holes before finishing tied for third behind Penny Newbrook (Springfield) and Australian Dana Lacey, comes into the team at No. 2 and the Korean influence is further pronounced with the presence of Bobae Kim and My Kyung Kim, at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
No province has claimed three consecutive national titles since Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley completed the hat-trick from 1981-83.
Auckland, beaten 3-2 in last year’s final, have had the misfortune to lose New Zealand Espirito Santo representative Enu Chung. Her grandfather is ill in Korea and her defection means Auckland, the champion in 1998 and 1999, will field three Lees _ Jane, Da Som, and Boram in the bottom three positions. Junior international Natasha Krishna has moved from No. 3 to lead Auckland with last year’s top player Jessica Park a place below her.
Bay of Plenty, 14 times the titleholder, have not added to their list since 1997 and have failed to reach the semi-finals in the last two years, but they have been strengthened by the return of Newbrook, who was representing New Zealand at The Spirit international in the United States a year ago.
The New Zealand Espirito Santo world representative and national stroke-play champion will be supported by three of last year’s team _ Tammy Clelland, Jackie Shin, and Susan Lines _ while Mikayla Bell comes in at No. 5 for Libby Steele.
Canterbury and Southland were the beaten semi-finalists last year, but both will be hard-pushed to achieve those results again. Southland took full advantage of home-course knowledge to make the last four for the first time last year and will be without stalwart No. 1 Robyn Boniface.
Canterbury, too, has suffered losses with last year’s top pair, Becky Walsh (in Japan) and Naomi Wallace, both missing along with experienced No. 4 Nicole Woodgate. Grace Jeong will be at No. 1 for the first time and an exciting newcomer at No. 2 is the strongly-built Korean 13-year-old Eunice Jin. Jin, Anne Dick, and Rachel Thow will be making their Canterbury debuts at the national inter-provincial.
Wellington, bolstered by international Sarah Nicholson at No. 1, should go close to making the semi-finals for the third time in the last four years. Wellington made the final in 2001 and 2002, losing 3-2 on both occasions to Waikato-King Country and North Harbour.
Waikato-King Country, titleholders in 2000 and 2001, have a young but seasoned line-up headed by Sarah McDonald and junior international Stephanie Slavich, while Manawatu-Wanganui might be the dark horse as home teams invariably do well on familiar fairways and greens.
Section play is from Tuesday to Friday with the semi-finals, positional play-offs, and final on Saturday, October 9.
