Strong Finish For Kiwis At 32nd Eisenhower Trophy

New Zealand has finished in equal 34th at the 32nd Eisenhower Trophy in France after a strong finish.

Playing at Le Golf National for their fourth and final round at the World Amateur Teams Championship (WATC), the Kiwi team of Sam Jones (Manaia), James Hydes (Gulf Harbour), and Kazuma Kobori (Rangiora) shot a combined team score of even to move three places up the leaderboard to finish their tournament. Kobori and Jones recorded the counting scores of one under 70 and one over72. Hydes shot a three over 74.

Jones led the Kiwis out for the fourth time this week off the tenth and got the team off to the perfect start with a birdie. He added another at 14 but made back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16 and would eventually turn in even.

Again, he hit a tough couple of holes to begin his back nine, making consecutive bogeys at one and two to fall to a couple over. He got a shot back with a birdie at six before another bogey at eight. Jones capped off his Eisenhower tournament with a closing birdie to finish ten over with rounds of 71, 80, 73, and 72 to share 113th place.

Kobori anchored the Kiwis at the back for the fourth time and produced a very clean scorecard to finish his tournament. He got off a quick start, making a birdie on 11 to get into red figures early. He bogeyed the 17th to turn in even.

The Cantabrian made eight pars in a row on his back nine but finished the tournament in style, making a birdie on the ninth. He finished with rounds of 73, 72, 76, and 70 to finish five over in equal 76th.

Hydes had a colourful scorecard in his final round. He got off to a disaster start making a bogey at 12 and then consecutive doubles at 14 and 15, followed by another bogey at 17, to turn in six over.

Hydes showed true Kiwi fighting spirit, coming home with a barrage of birdies. He birdied the first, bogeyed the third, and then finished with birdies at the fifth, sixth, and ninth holes to finish with three over. He finished with rounds of 76, 70, 77, and 74 to finish 11 over in a tie for 119th.

Italy won the 32nd Eisenhower Trophy by one at 31-under-par. Overnight leaders Sweden finished in second, with the US rounding out the podium in third.

Golf New Zealand National Coach Jay Carter’s Daily Blog: https://www.golf.co.nz/news-detail?newsarticleid=27000

Team leaderboard: https://www.igfgolf.org/watc/watc-2022-france/eisenhower-team-leaderboard

Individual leaderboard: https://www.igfgolf.org/watc/watc-2022-france/eisenhower-individual-leaderboard

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