Tasman's Barney claims South Island title in an epic playoff victory!
The South Island Age Group Championships saw the very best junior players across the South Island and New Zealand assemble recently in Christchurch at Coringa Golf Club.
Players were faced with one of the longest courses in recent memory, with cold and wet conditions making play even more testing with damp conditions and wind present throughout each of the three rounds.
Tasman had six players in the field with Elijah Barney, Kobe Hart, Jack Bell, Harry MacNeil, Maxwell Short, and Spencer Greg competing
After success in regional Futures Opens and selection in the Tasman Men’s representative side in 2024, Nelson Golf Club’s Elijah Barney continued to show his promising potential and was the pick of the Tasman crop to start things out with an impressive six-birdie round to shoot four-under-par and open proceedings with a 69 and a two-shot lead over Canterbury’s James Mordaunt. Kobe and Spencer both opened with three-over-par 76s to remain in the mix with 36 holes to go.
Heading into day two, Barney continued his impressive play sitting five-under for the tournament through 32 holes before a late stumble cost him three shots coming in, eventually signing for a two-over-par 75 to hold the lead by one shot over Southland’s Jake Slater. Marlborough’s Harry MacNeil fired an impressive round of even par whilst Kobe Hart delivered another round of 76 to remain part of the wider story going into the final round.
Final rounds are where champions are made and where the pressure gets notched up dramatically. Elijah undoubtedly would have been feeling this in his quest for victory although showed limited signs after starting out with five straight pars, however a hiccup at the sixth sent Barney into a share of the lead as Manawatu Golf Club’s William Dunsmore began to make some noise from the penultimate group, making four birdies in his first twelve holes to sit as the co-leader.
The final holes at Coringa Golf Club are a tough test with doglegs, out-of-bounds and long holes looming. Dunsmore navigated these well and now sat in the clubhouse at even-par for the tournament after a four-under 69. Barney needed to play solidly to have a chance and did just that, making it to the last with a chance to claim the title with a twenty-foot birdie putt. Unfortunately this wasn’t to be as an excellent effort grazed the lip meaning extra holes were needed to determine the U16 champion.
In the playoff, Dunsmore sent his drive into trouble meanwhile, Elijah sent his full throttle down the fairway before firing his approach in close to the hole with a packed audience surrounding the eighteenth in anticipation of some magic. With pressure still on his shoulders, Elijah took no chances in letting the playoff go any longer, burying the birdie putt to claim the South Island Under 16 title.