Gill holds off strong field for Bonnington Cup win

GOLF

 Gill holds off strong field for Bonnington Cup win
 
Golf is, more often than not, a tale of “the one that got away” – moments of pure brilliance, greatly outnumbered by prolonged periods of mundane mediocrity.

Not so in the case of young Taylor Gill who recently held aloft the prestigious Tom Bonnington Cup after his win in the First National Real Estate Mangawhai Invitational.

Taylor showed calm and composure as he stared down a talented field of top amateurs, managing the challenging Mangawhai course with aplomb as he steered his way to a 2-shot victory.

The Tom Bonnington Cup has long been a symbol of golfing supremacy in the Northland area and this tournament now attracts a very strong field of local, Auckland and North Harbour golfers. This year, one player made his way to Mangawhai from as far south as Gore.
 
Top field

Included in the field was the recently crowned New Zealand matchplay champion, Kadin Neho, from the Whangarei club, along with two of his team mates in the world-champion Whangarei Boys  High School golf team, Braden Keown and Julian Fowler.

In all, 32 different golf clubs were represented in the elite division, underscoring why the First National Mangawhai Invitational is a NZ Golf Order of Merit tournament and one of the most important events in the upper North Island.

Sixt-five top amateurs teed off in the event's Blue Tee elite division.
Apart from the downpours that interrupted play, the weather was generally ideal for golf and the course was superbly presented by new course superintendent John Donnelly and his team.

After day one, Taylor Gill (Bay of Islands Kerikeri) held a 2-stroke lead over the field. His 4 under par 68 was followed by Titirangi's Johnny Tynan (70) with Braden Keown (Waipu) shooting 71 to be in close contention.

The pursuing pack included 3 players on even par 72: Harry Na (Aviation), Tadhg Campbell (Muriwai) and Scott Hellier (Gore).
 
Heavy rain

While day two dawned bright and clear, the onset of heavy rain in the early afternoon flooded the greens and caused that round to be abandoned, reducing the event to 36 holes.

Sunday's final round again began in calm, clear conditions. A short but fairly sharp downpour interrupted play briefly but Taylor Gill held his nerve to shoot 75 and finish two shots clear of Chase McKeown (Waipu) whose final round of 71 was the best of the day.

In the White Tee (open handicap) division, Mangawhai's Andy Starr took out the gross section for the Tom Bonnington Trophy, while Shayne Stuart (Mangawhai) won the nett prize. This division was well contested as local and visiting  players competed for a very impressive prize table.

Tournament Director Stewart Speed announced the club's intention to enhance what is already a flagship event, thanking major sponsor Mike McGarry of First National Real Estate (A1 Coastal) for his generous support and acknowledged the invaluable contributions of the many club members whose contribution on and off the course made it such a successful occasion.

First National Real Estate, and supporters Golf Gear, Acushnet (Titleist), Kauri Cliffs, and NZ Golf expressed their intention to be part of the tournament in future years.