Golf: Women targeting provincial progress

Samantha Dangen.

The goal for the Northland women's golf team at this week's Toro Women's Interprovincial Competition is simple: improve on last year.

Team number four Samantha Dangen acknowledged that improvement was always a goal, before adding that the tournament would double as a chance to develop some of Northland's younger golfers.

"The girls are pretty keen," she said while shooting a practice round ahead of today's start. "The girls are sort of just trying to nurture our younger ones, a few of us older ones are probably going to drop off soon.

"We've had the same sort of team for the last three years, the team bonds really well, everyone gets on and has a laugh, we've got that side covered - we've just got to bring the good golf."

Dangen noted that the tournament - which is the pinnacle of their season - provided an opportunity to focus on golf for a week, but said the draw would make it difficult.

"We've got quite a tough side of the draw, it's always tough no matter what teams you're playing but on paper we've got three of the top teams.

"I suppose our main aim would be to do better than what we did last year, that'll be something."

Phil Aickin, the golf manager at New Zealand Golf and tournament director for the Toro Interprovincial, said the event is a highlight on the local golf calendar.

"This is always an exciting week for women's golf and I expect no different this year," he said.

The tournament starts today and runs until Saturday.

Northland: 1 Brooke Kingi, 2 Sjanna Bonnington, 3 Kylie Jacoby, 4 Sam Dangen, 5 Jodi MacAlister Reserve: Danielle Lowe.