Golf: Uphill task for women's team in Tasman Cup

A cold and wet New Zealand women's amateur golf team face a steep task to beat Australia in the Tasman Cup after falling behind 7-11 on the first day's play at the Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne yesterday.

New Zealand must score 12 of the 18 points on offer in fourball and singles matches today to beat the home side and win the biennial series on Australian soil for the first time in 63 years.

The Kiwis fell behind 2-4 in the morning's foursomes matches, and a freezing wind and rain affected the afternoon singles matches, which Australia won 7-5.

Comfortable wins to experienced Rotorua golfer Brenda Ormsby and young Wellingtonian Hee-Jeong Chun, along with Wendy Hawkes' comeback to square her match with Katy Jarochowicz, kept New Zealand hopes alive.

It was a good return yesterday for Hawkes, who earlier combined with Claire Dury in the foursomes to down Nadina Taylor and Rebecca Coakley one-up.

New Zealand would have been only 8-10 behind if Dury had won the 18th hole against Taylor, but Taylor halved it and won one-up.

Ormsby's 3 and 2 singles win over Australian Helen Beatty made up for her 5 and 4 loss when she and Debbie Smith faced Beatty and Rebecca Stevenson.

- NZPA