Golf: Star-studded Bay fall to top effort by Auckland

By BOB PEARCE

Auckland, a team without stars, beat the star-studded Bay of Plenty lineup to win the Garrard Shield at the Manukau Golf Club yesterday.

After wins over Waikato and Northland the previous day, Auckland accounted for the Bay 6-4 to retain the shield.

It was a remarkable effort by the Aucklanders, who were without New Zealand representative Chris Johns, who is in dispute with the selectors.

Now they must play in the national Tower tournament in Invercargill next month without their No 2, Blair Dibley, who has had to withdraw for family reasons.

The five-man team will be Geoff Sisson, Logan Holzer, Arran Bartrum, Franz Schwanner and Clarke Osborne, with Darrin Steedman as reserve. Schwanner moves from No 7 to make the team ahead of Steedman.

The selectors must have been tempted to promote Holzer to No 1 after he won all his matches at the weekend. Sisson went winless.

Bay of Plenty, who lost to both Auckland and Waikato to finish third at Manukau, have dropped the North Island champion, Mark Smith, to reserve and promoted Andrew McNair.

McNair was a member of last year's Tower runners-up.

The Bay team will be Eddie Burgess, Kent Skellern, Jason Laing, George Kinghorn and Andrew McNair, with Mark Smith as reserve.

Smith, who had a better season stroke average than a couple of those selected, must be counted unlucky in his demotion.

Waikato have retained their top five from Manukau, but Evan Woolf has moved ahead of Mathew Holten in the playing order.

The team is Brad Shilton, Glenn Millin, Woolf, Holten and Scott Pickett. The reserve is Andrew McKechnie.

Northland will have Doug Batty, unavailable for Manukau, back at No 1. Stu Beren moves from No 7 to No 5.

The team is Batty, Shaun O'Shea, Ian Power, Paul Allen and Beren. Reserve, Mark Allen.

Bay of Plenty had some consolation for their poor result in the Garrard with their juniors winning the Ralph Cup with three wins to Auckland's two.