WESTERN NEWS
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday January 23 2018
Conor lives the surfing dream By Sophie Cornish CONOR MCLENNAN is living every young surfers dream – hitting the school books in the morning and riding waves in the afternoon. The former Christchurch Boys’ High School student recently won the under-18 title at the national surfing championships in Gisborne. Originating from Waimairi Beach, Conor, 17, represented his home club, North Wai Boardriders, in the competition. He moved to Raglan in 2016 to start at the Raglan Surf Academy. The programme is part of Raglan Area School and was set up in 1998. It allows students to complete NCEA while learning about surfing both in and out of the classroom. “We write reports about surfing, the safety of surfing and trying to get out to surf breaks, then every lunchtime we will finish up and go surfing. It’s a great life, I love it,” said Conor. The national final came down to a tight finish, which Conor said made time go by “very, very slowly.” “It was the best feeling ever, I don’t think words can describe how stoked I was to win that, I’ve
SPORTS
TWISTS AND TURNS: Conor Mclennan competing at the Health 2000 national surfing championships where he won the under-18 title. PHOTO: CORY/ NZ SURFING MAGAZINE
been working so hard for it for the last year and it all paid off. It’s a really good way for me to start the year,” he said. His parents watched on from the beach. “It was a very cool feeling to win in front of my mum and dad
Shoot-off goes to Brettkelly FORMER Christchurch Boys’ High golfer Dominic Brettkelly won the Canterbury stroke play in a sudden death shoot-off. He, along with Rangiora’s Kazuma Kobori, were tied on 212 after three rounds forcing a shoot-off which Brettkelly won on the second hole at the Waitikiri Golf Club on Sunday . He also won the best under-19 score title. Burnside High’s Juliana Hung won the senior women’s title shooting 75, 69 and 68 for a combined 212 six shots ahead of Jeonghyun Lee. A Canterbury Golf spokeswoman said the full field of 96 players had great conditions over the weekend but also play-
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ing a course which was in excellent condition. “The field was strengthened with over 30 entries from outside the region, predominately due to the enhanced initiative formed with Otago and Southland Golf this year,” she said. Brettkelly was also the winner of the inaugural Ron Clement Memorial Trophy which was presented by Ron’s wife Rae and daughter Tracy. “Clements was heavily involved in the development of junior golf and so it is fitting that this year we now have the Ron Clements Memorial Trophy which is awarded for the best under-19 boys score,” she said.
. . . to win in front of them was probably the greatest feeling of it all,” he said. Conor won another national title in 2014 at the national scholastic secondary schools championship. He was also the under-17
Billabong grom series champion last year. Conor is already looking ahead to the future, hoping to secure himself a spot in the New Zealand under-18 junior worlds team, which he narrowing missed out on last year, making a
reserve spot. “This year I’m going all out for it,” he said. After finishing year 13, Conor wants to work towards gaining sponsorship and competing in some qualifying series events.
Young golfer to learn from Ko IT IS the dream start to the year for Christchurch golfer Amelia Garvey with an opportunity to learn from former world No 1 Lydia Ko in the United States. Garvey will travel with Auckland’s Rose Zheng to Scottsdale in Phoenix, Arizona and spend time with Ko, training and playing at one of the most exclusive golfing establishments in the world after being offered the scholarship by New Zealand Golf and Ko. The former Burnside High student is ranked No 1 in Canterbury and ninth in the New Zealand amateur rankings. The pair will be with Ko from Thursday to Saturday learning about the game they both want to
winning the New Zealand amateur stroke play championship and being the only New Zealand amateur to make the half-way cut in the LPGA Tour New Zealand Women’s Open. Those performances helped her secure a golf scholarship to the University of Southern California which she will start after her time with Ko. Ko, who signed to play with PXG clubs last year, said the moOPPORTUNITY: Amelia Garvey tivation behind the scholarship is so she can give back to the game will learn from former world by inspiring the next generation No 1 Lydia Ko in the United of females to strive for the top to States. see what it takes to get there and help grow the number of New pursue as a career. Zealanders competing with her on For Garvey, last year was a the LPGA Tour. success. Her highlights included
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