4 SA Players enter New Zealand Foursomes Championship

The four players who made up the South African team, which finished second in the Southern Cross Cup last week, have entered the 36 hole New Zealand Foursomes Championship which starts tomorrow at Titirangi Golf Club in Auckland.

The one pairing will be Adrian Ford and Nicol van Wyk, both Western Province players from Durbanville Golf Club. Making up the other will be Dean O’Riley and Steve Ferreira. O’Riley is from Ekurhuleni and Benoni Lake Golf Cub and his team mate plays out of Reading Country Club in Central Gauteng.

They will play all 36 holes tomorrow, competing against a field of 70 other foursomes pairings.

Last year’s event was won by Shaun Richards and Sean Kellis. They recorded rounds of 67 and 63, for a 36 hole total of 130, seven shots clear of the field. They have not entered this year’s Championship.

“We were hoping to get in a practice round today, however it has been raining so it has turned out into a rest day,” said Enver Hassen, South African Golf Association President and Southern Cross Cup Team Manager who is travelling with the players. He pointed out that the players were not particularly perturbed by this as there is a lot of golf to be played this week.

“They will now have to use the foursomes event as their practice round,” commented Hassen.

“Not only do they have 36 holes tomorrow, they also have entered the New Zealand Amateur Stroke Play Championship, which is played over 72 holes, 18 hole per day, from Wednesday through to Saturday, this week. This will be followed by the New Zealand Amateur Championship, a match play competition, in which the top 32 players, on conclusion of the Stroke Play Championship, qualify. This will be played from Sunday through to Tuesday, the 26 to 28 April,” pointed out Hassen.

All competitions are taking place at the same venue.