Kang completes Canterbury double as Clearwater members claim three titles at The Clubroom Canterbury Match Play
Ricky Kang (Harewood) has added the 2026 The Clubroom Canterbury Match Play title to the Canterbury Stroke Play crown he won in February. He becomes just the ninth player to win both titles in the same year, and the first since 2015, headlining a Labour Weekend of high-quality golf at Avondale Golf Club.
A field of 97 players teed it up in hot, sunny conditions for Saturday’s 18-hole stroke play qualifying round, with the top 16 in each of the four divisions advancing to knockout match play across Sunday and Labour Day Monday. Nash de Klerk (Avondale) set the pace on his home course with a three-under 67 to top the men’s qualifying, while James Howard (Coringa) led the Masters with a two-under 68 and Kohl Thompson-Small (Hororata) topped the U19 Boys with a one-under 69.
All four 2025 champions returned to defend their titles, but none reached the final. Sam McGill’s bid to become only the third player to win three men’s titles in a row ended in the quarterfinals, as did Junie Chang’s women’s title defence, while James Howard (Masters) and Darren Kung (U19 Boys) both fell in the semifinals. Extra holes were a theme of the weekend, with four Round of 16 matches and both the Women’s and U19 Boys semifinals going beyond the 18th.
Clearwater Golf Club members won three of the five divisions, and Harewood Golf Club members took the other two. As a World Amateur Golf Ranking event and the first Canterbury Golf Order of Merit event of the 2026/27 season, the championship also carried valuable WAGR and OOM points.
Men’s Championship
Third seed Ricky Kang produced the most commanding performance of the final day, beating Etienne Collier (Avondale) 5 & 4 in the championship match.
Kang came into the week rated joint third in the field and lived up to his billing, though his route to the title was anything but straightforward. After a 5 & 4 win over Yuhan (Uny) Shao in the opening round, he beat Ethan Lam 2 & 1 in the quarterfinals before edging Tim Graham 1 up in a tight semifinal on Monday morning.
Collier earned his place in the final the hard way on his home course. The ninth seed beat Mac Mitchell 1 up, knocked out top qualifier Nash de Klerk 2 up in the quarterfinals, then beat Alfie Bell 3 & 2 in the semifinals. Bell had survived the match of the tournament on Sunday morning, finally overcoming Harry MacNeill on the 26th hole after eight extra holes. That afternoon he ended two-time defending champion Sam McGill’s bid for a historic third straight title with a 1 up quarterfinal win.
Fifteenth seed Tim Graham (Avondale) was the story of the early rounds, beating second seed Louis Edwards 1 up and Aaron Neill 2 & 1 to reach the semifinals.
Women’s Championship
Seventh seed Maddie May (Clearwater) is the 2026 Canterbury Women’s Match Play champion after beating Alice Fry (Russley) 2 & 1 in the final. May came into the week as the highest-rated player in the field and, despite a modest qualifying round, delivered when it mattered.
May beat Subin Bae 3 & 2 in the opening round, then accounted for second seed Ziyi (Annie) Wang 2 up in the quarterfinals. Her semifinal against Vanessa Lim went the distance before May closed it out 1 up. Lim had earlier ended defending champion Junie Chang’s title defence with a 3 & 2 quarterfinal win.
Fry’s run to the final included a 6 & 5 quarterfinal win over Angela Sun and a marathon semifinal against Nutcha Sirawattanakul, which she won on the 20th hole. Sirawattanakul had earlier knocked out top qualifier Zaria Bourne 1 up.
Men’s Masters
Scott Manyweathers (Harewood) delivered one of the most emphatic results of the championship, beating David Grater (Clearwater) 7 & 6 in the Masters final. It is a second Canterbury Match Play title for Manyweathers, who won in 2018.
The third seed was in control throughout, beating Carl Nolan 3 & 1, Rich Sinclair 4 & 2 and second seed Kieran Sharvin 2 & 1 on his way to the final.
Grater had needed 20 holes to get past Ranui Herangi in the opening round, then beat the division’s highest-rated player, Leith Campion (Gore), 2 & 1. He then ended defending champion and top qualifier James Howard’s title defence 1 up in the semifinals. Howard had looked the man to beat after a 7 & 5 quarterfinal win over Woo Bong Kim.
U19 Boys
Second seed James Mordaunt (Clearwater) won the U19 Boys title, beating top qualifier Kohl Thompson-Small (Hororata) 3 & 2 in the final.
Mordaunt beat Victor Soe 5 & 4 and Austin Wills 2 & 1 on Sunday, then beat defending champion Darren Kung 3 & 2 in Monday’s semifinal. Kung had battled his way through as the 11th seed, beating Jack Ferguson 3 & 2 and Ryan Mordaunt 4 & 3.
Thompson-Small, the only plus-handicapper in the U19 field, reached the final with wins over Alexander Kimber (4 & 3) and Jake Davies (7 & 5), before needing an extra hole to get past Shunsuke Nakamura in the semifinals.
Men’s Division 2
Top seed Sebastian May (Clearwater) won Men’s Division 2 in style, beating David Cassidy (Avondale) 7 & 6 in the final to complete a May double for Clearwater alongside Maddie May’s women’s title.
May had been among the leading contenders for the Men’s Championship before missing the top 16 by a single shot in qualifying, and he made the most of his second chance. He was rarely troubled across the two days. After a 2 & 1 opening win over Julian Chen, he beat Luke Gordon and Joe Larson by identical 7 & 6 margins before matching that score again in the final.
Cassidy beat Timote Tu’ilotolava 4 & 3 and Hayden Brown 4 & 2, then edged Caleb Minson 1 up in a close semifinal.
Thank you
Canterbury Golf thanks naming partner The Clubroom and tournament sponsor Quinovic Property Management for their support of the championship. Thanks to Quinovic, the division champions now head to the NZ PGA Championship at Paraparaumu Beach, with flights, accommodation, a rental car and a spot in the pre-event Pro-Am. Our thanks also go to Avondale Golf Club for hosting and presenting the course in excellent condition across the weekend. We are also grateful to the referees, volunteers and club staff who made the event possible, and congratulations to every player who took part.
Full qualifying results and brackets are available on the Canterbury Match Play event website.
2026 champions
| Division | Champion | Runner-up | Final result |
| Men’s Championship | Ricky Kang (Harewood) | Etienne Collier (Avondale) | 5 & 4 |
| Women’s Championship | Maddie May (Clearwater) | Alice Fry (Russley) | 2 & 1 |
| Men’s Masters | Scott Manyweathers (Harewood) | David Grater (Clearwater) | 7 & 6 |
| U19 Boys | James Mordaunt (Clearwater) | Kohl Thompson-Small (Hororata) | 3 & 2 |
| Men’s Division 2 | Sebastian May (Clearwater) | David Cassidy (Avondale) | 7 & 6 |
