MANAWATU, New Zealand - Oct. 11, 2004 - Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley triumphed in style at the Manawatu Golf Club, beating Waikato-King Country, 4-1, in the final of the Lion Foundation New Zealand women’s inter-provincial golf tournament.
It was the 15th success for Bay of Plenty in the national championship but their first since 1997 and their first since semifinals were introduced in 1999. It made the semifinals in 2001 but had never reached the final.
The win will have No. 1 Penny Newbrook smiling on the flight to Puerto Rico where she will represent New Zealand at the world amateur team tournament along with Sarah Nicholson (Wellington) and Manawatus Claire Dury who is studying in the United States at present.
Newbrook and Nicholson were the only unbeaten players at the week-long championship with Newbrook having six wins and two halves and Nicholson six wins and one half.
Newbrook was the anchor on which Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley based their victory, but the 21-year-old national stroke-play champion deflected the praise to her teammates after the convincing victory at Hokowhitu.
It was the first New Zealand inter-provincial crown for Newbrook, No. 2 Tammy Clelland, 18, No. 3 Jackie Shin, 17, No. 4 Susan Lines, 19, and No. 5 Mikayla Bell.
"It’s a new experience for all of us and I can hardly believe it. I’m really proud of my team, they all played well all week," she said.
Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley were docked a competition point after the first round when a player failed to submit her result card in time, but the team put aside their disappointment and did the business on the course.
They beat North Harbour in their clutch section round contest to take top billing in section one and maintained their unbeaten record in the semi-finals by beating Auckland, 3-2. Newbrook had to hole a three foot on the last to stay square with Natasha Krishna and to put her team into the final.
She was equal to the occasion then played outstandingly well in the final, turning in three-under 33and being 5 up on Sarah McDonald at the turn. Newbrook was two-under when she won at the 15th.
Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley led throughout the final. They were 5-0 ahead after five, 4-1 ahead at the turn and still that after 12. Wiki Shailer played par golf to stop Lines at the 15th, but none of the games came down the 18th.
Bell started the ball rolling with a 2 and 1 in the bottom match which had more bogeys than birdies, but Bell held on well on the back nine after being 3 up at the turn. Shin was against the unbeaten Sarah Bradley, but the diminutive Korean played steadily and was 2 over when she won at the 16th.
At the top, Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley were too strong. Newbrook was 5 up at the turn and Clelland 3 up and while McDonald and Stephanie Slavich did not concede lightly they were not allowed back in their matches.
The semi-finals were both tense and tight affairs and both ended in 3-2 wins. North Harbour looked home when Sharon Ahn, who had won her previous six games, was 3 up with three to play against Slavich.
Unfortunately for the slight 13-year-old she lost her nerve on and Slavich won 16, 17 and 18 to take the contest to sudden death. At the first extra hole, Ahn three-putted from 12 feet, missing the par return from no more than three feet.
