Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2021 Woodward Cup were played yesterday in fine warm conditions at Pegasus Golf Club.
Round 8
The match of the round was the title contender clash between Russley and Pegasus. On their home course Pegasus were too strong winning 6-2. There were some great match-ups. Kazuma Kobori beat Reid Hilton on the last 2up. Zach May beat Ben Baker 3/2, and Shaun Allan beat Dom Brettkelly 2up. Phil Stephens, Marcus Mariu, and Peter Brinsdon got the other wins for Pegasus. Hayato Miya and Andrew Dufton got the two wins for Russley, with Andrew also achieving a hole-in-one on no. 14.
Templeton continued on their winning way with a 6-2 victory over Harewood. At the top Matt Mclean had a notable win over Mike Toeke 3/2, however Harewood could only get one other game with halves between Sam Watkinson and Josh Simpson, and Harry Weeds and Jordon Latter. For Templeton Dan Laughton, Ryan Bellamy, and Nick Franzmann had big wins, with the other going to Sam McGill.
Clearwater stayed in the title mix with a 5.5-2.5 win over Christchurch. Archie Gothard, Will Bastings, Ryan Adams, Michael Bailey, and Harris Kim all won, while Seb May halved with John Sanders. For Christchurch Fin Jones and Jason Sincock won.
In the other two matches Waitikiri edged Avondale 4.5-3.5, and Bottle Lake beat Weedons 6-2.
Round 9
The afternoon round featured the top-of-the-table clash between Pegasus and Templeton. It was a close fought affair with 5 of the games going to the 18th hole. Templeton prevailed 5-3. At the top Kazuma Kobori and Mike Toeke halved, Dan Laughton had a great win for Templeton over Zach May 3/2, and Ryan Bellamy halved with Shaun Allan. Nick Franzmann, who achieved 100 Woodward Cup appearances on Sunday got up 1up over Phil Stephens, and James Cadenhead had a good win for Pegasus over Tom Wilson 4/3. Ex Pros Peter Brinsdon and Jordon Latter had a ding-donger before Brinsdon won 1up, and the other Templeton wins came from Josh Simpson and Sam McGill. This match was a great precursor to a possible final clash.
Clearwater moved into third place on the points table with their second win of the day over Bottle Lake 6-2. There were some close matches but Clearwater came out on the right side of them. Archie Gothard halved with Andrew Green, as did Leon Yee and Aaron Neill. Clearwater's other wins came from Marcel Boet, Ryan Adams, Michael Bailey, Harris Kim, and Seb May. For Bottle Lake only Jed Robertson won.
Russley kept their semi-final hopes alive with a 6.5-1.5 win over Waitikiri. Christchurch and Harewood fought out a 4-4 draw, and in a bottom-of-the-table clash Avondale had a good and much needed win over Weedons 6.5-1.5.
The final two rounds are at Avondale this Sunday - these are the postponed rounds 1 & 3. The top four of Templeton, Pegasus, Clearwater, and Russley seem to have separated themselves out for semi-final spots. Harewood have a chance but will likely have to beat Pegasus in the afternoon to make the semis. Waitikiri have a very slim chance of making the semis if Russley don't get a point and they have two wins.
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