Golf: Whanganui’s Tara Raj wins another trophy and shines at nationals

Whanganui teenager Tara Raj played through a cold, biting wind in Feilding on Sunday to claim yet another district title hard on the heels of a top showing at the New Zealand
Women’s Age Group Golf Championship in Palmerston North last week.

The Whanganui women’s open champion added the 36-hole Challenge Cup to her trophy cabinet in Feilding winning the women’s division by a clear eight shots with rounds of 74 and 77 to give the 15-year-old a large lead in the district Order of Merit rankings.

In second place was Zhuoyi Hu, who has recently moved to Palmerston North from Wellington. Hu had rounds of 78 and 81, to finish a shot ahead of Brydie Hodge (79 and 81). Palmerston North’s Karen Wehipeihaha won the net competition with two net scores of 73.

Last week Raj finished second in the New Zealand Women’s Under-17 championship with rounds of 72, 79, 77 and a 228 total, three shots behind Juliana Hung from Russley.

Raj’s six-over-par finish placed her sixth in the New Zealand Women’s Under-19 Championship, seven strokes behind Focus Jonglikit from Riverside.

In the men’s competition for the long-standing Challenge Cup, local Feilding player Liam Finlayson continued his good form to claim the title with a two-under-par total of 140. After a one-over-par 72 in the morning, Finlayson shot the only sub-par round of the day with a three-under-par 68.

The next event on the district OOM is the Manawatu Open to be played at Manawatu Golf Club on Sunday, October 21.