GOLF - Aucklander Davies charges to Waipu win in wet

Auckland's Ben Davies came from three shots down overnight to win the Bream Bay Classic yesterday at the Waipu Golf Club.
Davies played steady golf yesterday in the rain-affected tournament to finish with a two-under par 70, after hitting a two-over 74 in the rain on Saturday.
His total of 144 gave him the win over Titirangi's Chris Cho and North Shore's Steve Hahn, who finished one shot further back on 145.
Organisers were given little choice but to shorten the tournament after constant heavy rain made play difficult on Saturday. They abandoned the second round of the day and turned the 54-hole tournament into a 36-hole event.
Sherwood Park golfer Jeremy Hay handled the tough conditions the best on Saturday and led the competition overnight with a one-under 71. Hay couldn't continue his form in much improved conditions yesterday, however, and his 79 saw him finish in 10th place.
Former Mangawhai golfer Scott Wightman shot a 71 yesterday to take him into fourth place on the leaderboard, while Kaitaia veteran Bob Shirley was the first current Northland player home, finishing in eighth place with a score of 149.
Former Waipu golfer Phillip Hunter, who now plays for the Ngaruawahia club, delighted the local spectators with solid rounds of 72 and 76 to take a share of fifth place.
Northland selectors were using the tournament to fine-tune their selections for the first representative fixture against North Harbour next week at the Sherwood Park Golf Course.
Co-selector Roy Pelsky said that, as anticipated, there were a number of young players who had made the 10-strong senior team on merit.
"We've got a few young ones in and a few oldies as well - well not too many old ones actually," he said.
Lee Newman comes out of the under-16s to try his luck at senior level, while a new player to the region, 17-year-old Gavin Brown, has also been selected.
The match against North Harbour starts with a round of four-ball best-ball on Saturday morning before the reverse singles in the afternoon and the singles the following morning.
" Northland seniors: Gary-John Hill (Sherwood), Brad Bonnington (Wellsford), Jeremy Hay (Sherwood), Gavin Welsh (Mangawhai), Ryan Cotterill (Sherwood), Lee Newman (Mangawhai), Gavin Brown (Nth Wairoa), Alvin Rapana (Northland), Gene Wintle (Mangawhai), Daniel Potter (Whangarei).
" Northland Masters: Kevin Billington (Sherwood), Bob Shirley (Kaitaia), Craig Palmer (Whangarei), Jack Winwood (Okaihau), Bruce Donaldson (Waipu), Dean McGonagle (Whangarei).
" Northland under-19s: Josh Clark-Steadman (Kaitaia), Mitchell Price (Kerikeri), Brett Robinson (Mangawhai), Michael McDonald (Nth Wairoa), Shane Cole (Waipu, reserve).
" Northland under-16s: Reece Mist (Tapora), Sam Healy (Kerikeri), Thomas Corbett (Kerikeri), Brook Nathan (Mangawhai), Sean Masters (Kaitaia, reserve).