Ring-in shares in upset national golf tournament victory

Nelson golfer Marilyn Young wasn’t expecting to win a national title, in fact she wasn’t even planning to play in the Senior Women’s Handicap Foursomes Tournament in Motueka last week.

“I was a ring-in,” reveals Marilyn. “I got a call to pair with Judy Bray who was coming down from Waitangi and then her partner had to pull out."

The new partnership clicked well enough in the seeding round to join 15 other teams in division one.

They progressed to the matchplay semi-finals on day four and came up against the top qualifiers, Motueka Golf Club’s Ladies president Sandy LePine and her Tasman Golf Club counterpart Dawn Carter. They were also a late pairing.

“We were definitely the underdogs. They were a delightful couple.

“Being a handicap event they had to a give us a few shots and we made the most of them,” says Marilyn, after they stunned the local pair four and two.

That took Marilyn and Judy through to the final on Thursday afternoon.

Motueka’s Jane Adams and Natalee Reed from Greenacres Golf Club, were on course for victory when they were three holes up with just four left to play.

But the makeshift pairing then won the next three holes and squared the last to send the final to overtime.

They went back to the first hole, the 19th, where Marilyn’s approach was short of the green.

“But Judy stepped up and made the long putt.

“It was amazing,” says Marilyn, who only took up golf when she was 50.

“I hadn’t bought a ticket for the prize-giving dinner so I had to race back to Tahuna to shower and change,” says the former hockey and squash player.

The Nelson Golf Club member was lavish in her praise of the host club.

“The Motueka course was in perfect condition, the event was very efficiently run and the competitors were very friendly.”

As they went their separate ways several were quick to comment they would see each other again at the weekend.

It is a quick back up as the 36 hole top of the South Island club Champion of Champions tournament is on at Rarangi on Sunday.

Marilyn qualified after being runner-up in the Nelson club championship.