After a long 12-year wait, Mount Maunganui has finally won the premier Bay of Plenty Championship Pennants title. The victory took place at the Lake View golf club near Rotorua. The team, sponsored by Double Voltage Electrical, dominated the final, defeating Rotorua five matches to one. They had previously beaten Lake View 4.5 to 1.5 in the semi-final.
The Mount Senior team also achieved a hat-trick by beating Omanu 4.5 to 1.5 in their final. The team consists of a mix of older and younger golfing stars. Their top player, 40-year-old Brad Iles, was unbeaten in the series and never went past the 16th hole. He had been a professional golfer for seven years and competed on the USPGA second-tier tour.
Among the team members was 15-year-old Tyler Ashton, a Mount College student who recently won the Kaimai Junior Classic. Other team members included Sheldon Kearns, Brad Kendall, Dale Clarke, and Matt Blackbourn.
The team was managed by Owen Kendall, who was part of the winning team 12 years ago. He and his son Brad have the unique record of winning and being runner-up in two New Zealand Amateur championships.
The Mount Junior team also reached the Pennants final but were defeated by Tauranga 6-0. Owen Kendall has been the team manager for the last three years, choosing to manage rather than play. He stated that the matches in the final were close halfway through, making it stressful for him as he could only watch and not participate. However, he praised his team for their performance in the final nine holes.
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