New Zealand has enjoyed a successful week at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney with Compton Pikari and the New Zealand mixed team claiming bronze medals.
There was more to come as he combined with Jason Yoo (Waitakiri), Wenyung Keh (Titirangi) and Lita Guo (North Shore) in the mixed New Zealand team to claim the bronze medal.
New Zealand finished third ahead of China by only three shots as their four players combined for a 286 two under par final round total.
The 17-year-old Pikari from the Te Awamutu Golf Club, who enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2012 in New Zealand, had rounds of 70, 68, 69 and 68 to finish on a 13 under par total.
He finished five shots back from Australian Kevin Yuan who claimed the gold medal and two shots behind Briton Ashton Taylor who took home the silver medal.
Fellow Waikato golfer Nick Coxon and Northland golfer Sean Masters finished in a share of 13thplace at the prestigious event.
Jason Yoo and Kadin Neho completed the Kiwi effort to finish in a share of 21stand 23rdplace respectively.
Meantime in the women’s competition North Harbour golfer Guo was the best of the Kiwis when she finished in a share of sixth place after an impressive four under par 68 in the final round.
The North Shore golfer will rue a six over par 78 in the third round that hurt her chances of medalling. Guo finished five shots back from Great Britain’s Chloe Williams who claimed the bronze medal.
Otago’s Laura Hoskin shot a one under par 71 in round four to finish in a share of ninth place.
Auckland No.2 Keh, who finished runner-up in the New Zealand Amateur Final in 2012, was 12th.
While Bay of Plenty rep Tyla Kingi finished the week in 18thplace and Wellington golfer Te Rongopai Clay, who last week finished runner up at the Maori Golf National Championship in Taupo, placed 22nd.
Nine teams of the best age group golfers from around the world were competing in Sydney with an eye on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The event format included competitions for men’s individual, women’s individual and a team event (two men and two women) in 72 holes of Stroke Play.
Golfers were under the age of 18 at 17 January 2013 and there was a handicap limit of 3.4 for the men and 6.4 for the women at the time of entry.
There was a maximum of 90 golfers playing in the event with a limit of 10 golfers per team (five men and five women).
The tournament, which was run by Golf Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee, saw golf return into the stable of Olympic sports for the first time since 1904.
Golf was an Olympic sport in only two Games – 1900 and 1904 – and in 2009, the International Olympic Committee decided to reinstate the sport for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Australian Youth Olympic Festival Final Scores - Twin Creeks Golf Club, Sydney (Par 72)
Men’s Scores:
270 Kevin Yuan (Australia) 69, 68, 64, 69
273 Ashton Turner (Great Britain) 64, 68, 74, 67
275 Compton Piakri (New Zealand) 70, 68, 69, 68
277 Bradley Neil (Great Britain) 69, 70, 69, 69
278 Zecheung Dou (China) 69, 67, 69, 73
279 Brett Coletta (Australia) 70, 67, 70, 72, Jin Zhang (China) 67, 68, 74, 70
280 Ewan Scott (Great Britain) 72, 67, 72, 69
281 Harry Ellis (Great Britain) 72, 72, 70, 67
285 Blake Proverbs (Australia) 74, 66, 71, 74, Cheng Jin (China) 71, 70, 70, 74
287 Jack Sing Brar (Great Britain) 73, 73, 67, 74
290 Blake Windred (Australia) 75, 73, 71, 71)), David Micheluzzi (Australia) 71, 70, 71, 78,Nick Coxon (New Zealand) 68, 73, 74, 75, Sean Masters (New Zealand) 69, 79, 73, 69, Yuan LI (China) 73, 69, 74, 74
292 Frazer Droop (Australia) 76, 68, 76, 72
294 Colin Coleman (Australia) 69, 74, 75, 76
295 Jacob Semmens (Australia) 73, 74, 73, 75
296 Jason Yoo (New Zealand) 75, 75, 72, 74
297 Joel Shields (Australia) 76, 78, 72, 76
298 Kadin Neho (New Zealand) 79, 73, 73, 81
Women’s Scores:
282 Georgia Hall (Great Britain) 71, 72, 68, 71
284 Celina Yuan (Australia) 72, 73, 69, 70
286 Chloe Williams (Great Britain) 74, 69, 75, 68
287 Jienalin Zhang (China) 73, 75, 69, 70
289 Gabriella Cowley (Great Britain) 71, 72, 73, 73
291 Lita Guo (New Zealand) 73, 72, 78, 68, Weiwei Zhang (China) 75, 73, 71, 72
293 Amber Ratcliffe (Great Britain) 75, 75, 70, 73
294 Danting Cai (China) 72, 76, 71, 75,Laura Hoskin (New Zealand) 74, 74, 75, 71, Lauren Whyte (Great Britain) 76, 67, 76, 75
295 Wenyung Keh (New Zealand) 76, 71, 72, 76
300 Amy Walsh (Australia) 80, 67, 75, 78, Xiyue Wang (China) 76, 74, 77, 73
301 Xinying Wang (China) 79, 71, 76, 75
304 Bianca Ling (Australia) 75, 73, 81, 75, Tess MacDonald (Australia) 76, 74, 78, 76
307 Tyla Kingi (New Zealand) 80, 78, 73, 76
312 Alyssa Keir (Australia) 79, 79, 79, 75
314 Acacia Curits (Australia) 82, 80, 77, 75
315 Kate Law (Australia) 85, 75, 75, 80
319 Te Rongopai Clay-(New Zealand) 79, 81, 79, 80
332 Jessica Widarma (Australia) 86, 79, 79, 88
Mixed Team Results:
1125 Great Britain 286, 276, 284, 277
1137 Australia (Green) 286, 282, 284, 286
1157 New Zealand 294, 286, 291, 286
1160 China 295, 280, 290, 294
1197 Australia (Gold) 312, 280, 297, 308