Southland Stroke Play held at Invercargill

A couple of promising amateurs have gone wire-to-wire to win the Southland Stroke Play held at Invercargill Golf Club recently.

Southland’s Liam Hewitt and Otago’s Yoonae Jeong won the coveted Southland championship, beating the 45-player field over 54 holes to capture the men’s and women’s titles respectively.

Invercargill Golf Club was presented immaculately by the two-person greens-keeping team, which the pair took full advantage of. Hewitt opened up an unassailable lead following the first two rounds on Saturday, shooting 68 and 71 for a five-under-par total and a seven-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round, while Jeong carded a 69 and 76 to be three-under going into round three, four shots clear of her nearest competitor.

Hewitt held on following challenges from PGA professional Craig Palmer and Otago’s William McLauchlan, carding a final round of 73 to win his first Southland Stroke Play by five shots.

McLauchlan and Jan Ebbinge, who finished fourth, earned their way into New Zealand Open Final Qualifying today for being the highest finishers who weren’t already exempt.

Meanwhile, Jeong’s domination continued in Sunday’s final round. She finished with a one-under-73 to finish four-under-par for the tournament, getting the job done over Auckland’s Gabriela He, who finished on a one-over-par total.

Robyn Pullar finished as the low Southlander in the women’s event, showcasing her experience around her home course to finish five-over in fourth place behind Sophie Yu.

Ollie Piggott provided the biggest highlight over the weekend, hitting the perfect shot on on the par 3 fourth to record his first-ever ace.