Rotorua Boys' High School win Super 8 Golf Tournament

Rotorua Boys' High School's Joshua Robinson tees off during the Super 8 Golf Tournament at Springfield Golf Course. Photo / Stephen Parker

Rotorua Boys' High School have produced a spirited comeback to win the Super 8 Golf Tournament for the first time since 2011.

The tournament, played at Springfield Golf Course this week, comprised three 18-hole rounds. Each round the best three out of four individual scores on a team were counted.

After the first two rounds Rotorua Boys' trailed their Bay of Plenty rivals Tauranga Boys' College by 11 shots. They had plenty of work to do, but came out firing in the third and final round.

Rahiri Murray and Riley Sutherland scored 67, three under par, and James Tauariki 69, one under, to post a seven-under total and snatch the title away from Tauranga Boys' by two shots.

It was the 12th time Rotorua Boys' had won the tournament since its inception in 1999.

Rotorua Boys' director of golf Nick Davey said he was "incredibly proud of the boys" and how they "took it to Tauranga".

"It's great to have our hands back on this trophy and I'm really proud to be part of this success. It's nice to see all the hard work the boys are putting into their golf is paying off."

He said it was important to remember each round was a fresh start.

"Every day is a different day on the golf course. You have your good days and so often the game of golf brings you down to earth the following day.

"One of the boys had a bad day on the first day, his focus wasn't really there, I just really encouraged him to get that focus back, give it his best shot and stay composed.

"They just went out there and backed themselves in that third round. We got off to a really fast start - one of the boys, James Tauariki, was four under after seven holes. That gave all the boys a really neat buzz as word travelled around the course. He was leading the team out and the other boys just followed, they had the momentum for the whole day."

Davey said he did not think Tauranga Boys' lost the tournament on the final day, Rotorua Boys' simply "went ahead and won it".

"They were really solid, even in that last round they had three 72s, they just continued to play really solid golf."

Tauranga Boys' will not have to wait long for a chance to redeem themselves, as the sides will meet again at the Bay of Plenty Secondary School Golf Championships, at Lake View Golf Club, on March 26. The winner of that tournament will represent the region at nationals in Palmerston North.

"The last two years Tauranga have beaten us. Two years ago they beat us by one and last year they beat us by five shots. If we just prepare well we'll have a good chance.

"Our next few weeks, all our preparation will be at Lake View to prepare for this event. It's just an 18-hole event, so it's a bit of a sprint. Hopefully this will turn out to be our year."