New Zealand has again claimed the coveted Sanctuary Cove Trophy, defeating Australia in the annual trans-Tasman derby at the Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club last week. The Golf Australia tournament which sees 12 of the best senior Australian amateur players take on 12 of the best selected New Zealand senior amateurs in a fierce two-day competition is held bi-annually at the prestigious Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club. It was the second year in a row the New Zealand Seniors team won the contested events of foursome, fourball and individual competitions after winning last year on home soil. Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club captain Duncan Forrest said this year s competition saw the New Zealand team secure an overall winning margin of 14.5 to 9.5 matches. He said the Kiwis got off to a good start, before levelling the competition on the second day of play. The Kiwis got a good lead on the first day of competition but the Aussies were up on the second day to finish level, said Mr Forrest. However, due to the scoring from day one, the New Zealand side held on to the title. Both teams played in great spirits, they play hard but they ve also built a strong camaraderie over the past seven years of competition. Mr Forrest said all players in this year s competition were visitors to the award-winning Sanctuary Cove Golf Club, which provided great national and international exposure for the club and added to the experience of all involved. The weather was spectacular for the competition, which for the New Zealand team was very appealing, he said. All players thoroughly enjoyed the course and they get to go back home with a very good impression and understanding of the Sanctuary Cove Golf Club and the course. Captain of the New Zealand team Barry Shannon said his team made fewer mistakes than the Aussies and surprisingly, were ahead of the Australian team on the greens. It was surprising because we do not play on couch greens in New Zealand, said Mr Shannon. It’s always a pleasure to play at Sanctuary Cove and all the players enjoyed it immensely. Next year the competition will be resumed at the Muriwai golf links in Auckland and we are looking forward to another great battle and I hope the Kiwis can defend the title. Australian captain Chris Coats said four of his teammates were new to the Australian side, with eight returning players on board. He said he was happy with how the team played despite the loss, with the Australians holding the lead with six holes to go. Even the New Zealand side were on tender hooks down to the last few rounds, no one knew which way it was going to go, he said. Unfortunately we fell down at the last hurdle, so we re looking forward to better luck next year. The win by the New Zealand Seniors gives them the overall lead in Sanctuary Cove Trophy matches with four wins to Australia s three titles over the past seven years.
Author: Sanctuary Cove Trophy