Boys' High golf team on top of the world - again

Forget the Breakers three-peat in an Australian competition, the Whangarei Boys' High School golf team has achieved a double at the World Schools' Golf Challenge.

Boys' High is renowned for the golfers it produces, and they have lived up to the hype thanks to a stunning team performance on the back nine in Thailand to take out the teams' title earlier this month.

After sitting in third place with one round to go, four shots off the pace, Boys' High stepped up when asked.

Boys' High number one team player Sam Purdie said all it took was a quiet word, knowing his team needed something special to take the title.

"QD [coach Quenton Diment] just said to me, 'we need three birdies between the four of you and I'm just asking for one from you," said Purdie. "And, then, I got three in a row after that."

Purdie added it was a team effort across the competition which brought the win, but he had no idea what came over him to produce such a fine run home.

"[There was] a commitment to my shots which I've never sort of felt before, and actually pulling it off was such a good feeling," he said.

Purdie simply said his shots just seemed to unfold exactly as he had visualised before touching the ball.

"It's hard to expect it when I had no idea," Purdie said. "I guess the golf courses were what I'd expected because I'd looked into them, but, the cultural aspect was crazy. We were always just looking at everything because there are so many strange things to see."

Adding to the accomplishment of being back-to-back World Schools' team winner, Boys' Highs' number one team had to overcome acclimatising to 40-degree temperatures.

"It was crazy, you could drink five litres of water in a round and not need to go to the toilet after," Purdie said.

Boys' High School teacher Neil Smith, who travelled to Thailand with the team as manager, said the boys' win was the proudest moment of his 28 year teaching career.

"The big thing, I think, with these blokes is that they were playing for the team and the school more than they were individually themselves," said Smith.

"I think that [playing for the teams' title] was a big push and a big focus for the boys. They knew they had to do well for the team to be successful.

"They were a brilliant group of boys to take away, they did themselves, the school, their families, Whangarei very proud."

While Smith said the focus was on the team's result, he added the individual accolades which some Boys' High members were given was a flow on effect of their team success.

"Kadin [Neho] finished third overall, but, the main thing was winning the title and the individual accolade was a bit of an extra bonus thrown in."

The World Schools' Golf Challenge included 24 teams from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Thailand, England, India and Zimbabwe - winners were decided after four rounds on four golf courses.

Next year the World Schools' Tournament will be held in England.

However, next up for the victorious team is the task of defending their New Zealand Secondary Schools' Title, which sees the finals in Christchurch and a Northland qualifying tournament at Mt Denby on May 13.