The teenagers are coming.
Connor Howes became the latest member of Otago golf’s talented younger brigade to get his name in the spotlight yesterday.
The 17-year-old John McGlashan College student claimed the annual Otago matchplay title with a 2 and 1 win over his more senior St Clair clubmate, Parker Aluesi, in the final at Balmacewen.
It came a year after another rising star, Noah Novacek, also won the title at 17.
“It feels pretty good,” Howes said last night.
“It was tight the whole way but I’m pretty stoked to get it done.”
Howes missed out on the quarterfinals last year on countback. He had to do it the hard way this year, too, as he was ranked just seventh after a 5-over 76 in qualifying.
Novacek grabbed the No1 seeding with an even round, and fellow youngster Raphael Anderson was at No 2 with a 2-over 73, followed by Ben Patston (75).
Howes, Brian Helton, Toby Gallie and George Prendergast each had 76, and Aluesi nabbed the last spot on countback from Jackson Hughes.
Aluesi upset Novacek 4 and 3, and Patston beat Prendergast 3 and 2, but the other quarterfinals went to extra holes, Helton beating Gallie on the 21st and Howes pipping Anderson on the 19th.
Howes, who plays off a +2.4, came storming home to beat Patston 4 and 3 in one semifinal, while Aluesi trumped Helton 2 and 1 in the other.
Aluesi was 1-up through four holes in the final but Howes nudged ahead and was 1-up or 2-up most of the rest of the way.
The teenager said his shot of the day was a 3-iron into No 15 that allowed him to putt for birdie two on the par-3 hole.
Matchplay success came after Howe’s senior debut for Otago in the South Island interprovincial, and he must have gone close to locking up a spot in the team for the New Zealand interprovincial.
“Yeah, it’s been a good couple of weeks.”
A year ago, he became the first Otago golfer to claim the boys under-17 title in 43 years of the Eagles national tournament.
Howes, originally from Pleasant Point, will not contest the New Zealand Amateur at the Invercargill club this week as he has school prizegiving and exam commitments.
Tracey Storer beat Otago team-mate Sophia Park 3 and 2 in the women’s final yesterday.
Storer, who posted the best qualifying round with a 3-over-par 76, beat Anahera Koni 6 and 5 in one semifinal, and Park edged Savannah Neal on the 19th in the other.
Peter Lamb beat Richard Shackleton 6 and 5 in the men’s masters final, and Oscar Good beat Hughes 5 and 4 in the men’s division two final.
The Otago matchplay is traditionally held over all three days of Labour Weekend, but was cut to two days this year as fields were significantly smaller than usual. Southlanders were noticeably absent as they prepared for a big week with the New Zealand Amateur on home turf.
