Dale Clarke (centre) presents his New Zealand mid-amateur trophy alongside women's champion Louise Mullard (right) and highest-ranked Kiwi women Heather Keefe (left). Photo / Supplied
Northland golfer Dale Clarke has done the transtasman golfing double, winning the New Zealand mid-amateur title last week after winning the Australian equivalent late last year.
Clarke, who won the New Zealand title last year, won the 54-hole tournament in Bay of Plenty's Omanu with an impressive 12 shot margin
after leading the pack from the start of the competition.
Clarke opened with the best round of the day on Friday with a 71, as did Mullard on the par 72, links style course. Clarke got better and better as the weekend rolled on with his best round of the tournament, a 6-under 66 on Sunday.
A little bogey blemish on the challenging par 3, seventh could not detract from his seven birdies on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, 15th, 16th and a chip in on the 17th, which meant he would not be caught.
Clarke's nearest rival in the men's championship was Adam Williams (Muriwai) who shot 73, 73 and 71 for a total of 217, two ahead of Omanu's Gary Cannell and Simon Wright.
