Ryder Cup regained

The Ryder Cup will spend the next year in our trophy cabinet after Waahi Taakaro regained it by comfortably defeating Nelson on Sunday (Nov 12).

On a warm, breezy day in the Maitai Valley, our team overcame early resistance to ground out a 16 points to 8 victory to reclaim the coveted silverware which has been played annually between the two clubs since 2013.

There was little separating the two 12-member teams after the alternate shot format off the front nine, with Waahi Taakaro ahead 3.5 to 2.5. The lead grew after we won the four ball best ball over the back nine by 4 to 2 to go to lunch with a handy but vulnerable 3-point buffer. However, as tiredness and the heat took its toil, our boys used their home course knowledge to dominate the afternoon indiividual matchplay off the front nine by 8.5 to 3.5 to surge to victory. 

Three Waahi Taakaro players - seniors James Campion and Jasper Broad-Kolff and intermediate Peter Watson - and Nelson's Simon Parle - won all three of their matches, while Waahi Taakaro's Paul Tunnicliff (intermediate) and Bryan Ramsey (junior) won two and halved the other to remain unbeaten.

Our four intermediates (Richard Denby, Geoff Halkett, Tunnicliff and Watson) contributed 6.5 points to the win, our seniors (Campion, Broad-Kolff, Pete Green and Keri Kotua) added 5 and our juniors (Mike Murphy, Grant Fegusson, Ramsey and Garth Jameson) another 4.5 in an all-round team effort.

The victory was our eighth in 10 years and followed a 16-8 drubbing we received at Nelson last year.

Our thanks go to the Nelson team for their good natured competition and camaraderie.