New Zealand Winners meet Jack Nicklaus:
The 2009 final for the Jack Nicklaus International Invitational was held at The Bears Club in Florida on Tuesday 20th October.
New Zealand tournament winners Dave Ashton (Dash) and Dave Collins (Barney) won their way through to represent their country in this prestigious event.
Dash and Barney were flown to Florida where they stayed five nights at the luxurious Jupiter Spa and Resort in West Palm Beach. A practice round on the Monday was necessary on the demanding par 72 course. Their caddy was invaluable and provided knowledge of the layout and tricky greens. This was followed by the International tournament on the Tuesday.
The wind was gusty on a warm Florida day only adding to the difficulty of the quick greens which were measured at 14 on the stimpmetre the morning of play.
Playing with the team from Mexico Dash and Barney kept pace with pars on the first 8 holes and finished the front nine just one over par. The leader board showed the US and Czech Republic jumping to an early lead making the turn at 2 under. The back nine holes are more demanding and New Zealand battled to make pars and stay in the hunt.
A brilliant hole out from the bunker on the 18th for birdie saw the New Zealand pair finish 6th. The eventual winners were from Czech Republic on a creditable 6 under par.
The Jack Nicklaus International Invitational is a two person ambrose tournament held in all licencee countries around the world. Regional tournaments are held early in the new year. For your chance to win this fantastic prize check back regularly to see when the 2011 events start.
