Invercargill Golf Club have defended their MLT Presidents Pennant title

Invercargill Golf Club have defended their MLT Presidents Pennant title with a win for the ages played recently at Gore Golf Club .

The Otatara team, who snuck into this year's final on the back of other results going their way in the final round, capitalised on fielding an experienced lineup in the final against the previously unbeaten Greenacres side.   

The defending champions, playing in near-perfect conditions,  gained the upper hand early in what would always be a tight tussle going through the turn with 4.5 games on their side of the ledger. 
Greenacres had other ideas and showed the fight that sat them on top of the standings during pool play. Daniel Mills was dormy four down but made Mark Horgan (Invercargill) sweat a little, winning the 15th and 16th holes before eventually succumbing on the tricky par three 17th. Greenacres captain Chris Sherlock put his team on the board, saving par on the last to win one up against Daniel O'Connor and set the scene for the remaining matches that all went down the final hole at Gore Golf Club.
Invercargill teenager Jacob Boniface stole a vital half for his team, making a good up and down on the 18th to save par, and when Brett Dobbie's short downhill putt shaved the hole, the honours were even.
GA's Kyle Dobbie and Invercargill's Scott Ramsay were all square playing the last, but when Ramsays' second shot caught a flyer and finished long off the green, the advantage sat with Dobbie. Both players failed to get up and down, and then Ramsay's four-footer agonisingly rolled by the hole, giving the edge to Greenacres with only two matches left on the course. 
Standing on the final tee box, Bryan Cantley (Greenacres) and Brad Harper were all square, while Liam Balneaves (Invercargill) had just moved to a one-up advantage over Tegan Proudfoot after winning the 17th. 
Harper was the first to flinch, hitting a low and left tee shot that found the long grass, leaving plenty of work on the challenging 364m par 4. He threw caution to the wind, hitting a superb three-wood just short of the green to put the pressure back onto Cantley. 
After being well positioned in the middle of the fairway, Cantley obliged, calmly placing his second shot about ten feet under the hole. Harper had to make up and down to keep his side in the match, which looked less likely when his chip shot came up five feet short. Cantley then had the chance to secure the victory and was walking in his putt, only for it to stop millimetres from the front of the hole. 
Meanwhile, Proudfoot, needing a birdie to force Balneaves to putt from close range, could only manage a par, handing another win to Invercargill, effectively putting it down to Harpers' five-footer to save par and his match against Cantley in which he calmly slotted home to force the tie and send the number one players back down eighteen for a sudden death playoff. 

Balneaves found the fairway off the tee, and when Proudfoot pulled his drive deep into the trees left of the fairway, it looked all but over for the Green machine. Balneaves played first, keeping the pressure on hitting the green in regulation, before Proudfoot opted for safety, punching out then landing a short iron to pin high, about ten feet from the hole. Balneaves was first to putt and rolled it to the gimme range, meaning Proudfoot had to make his put to keep the game alive. His putt eventually lipped out on the low side of the cup, handing the playoff to Balneaves and his Invercargill side, who claimed their sixth MLT President Pennants banner in as many years. 

Queens Park finished the series in third place with a convincing 5.5 - 0.5 margin over Mataura, which was made all the more memorable when Southland Masters' representative Ngarimu Paraki aced the 149m par three 17th. Wins for Nathan Miller, Dale Owen, Mark Doggett, Tim McKay and Paraki sealed the victory for 'The Park' while Tyler McLean fought back to secure a half against Matt Crawford, posting the lone result for an understrength Mataura team.