The 2022 Canterbury Golf Annual Awards Dinner was held at Christchurch Golf Club last Friday night after a three year hiatus due to COVID. 125 people turned out to celebrate, socialise, and connect with the golf community.
Newstalk ZB Sports Breakfast Co-host Craig Kerr admirably stepped in for regular MC Phil McGoldrick after he broke his pelvis in a skiing accident, and welcomed the audience with a video of junior development, talent development, interclub, and rep highlights of the year.
The awards made on the night were:
2003 New Zealand Open Champion Mahal Pearce gave a frank and honest account of his life as a professional golfer and journey growing up in Dunedin and progressing through the amateur ranks. Notable was his recollection of hitting his tee shot out-of-bounds when he stood on the 18th tee with a four shot lead in the NZ Open at Middlemore, then recalling a conversation with a fellow Pro the night before to hit 3 iron, 3 iron, and two putt for victory if either of them got in a position to win. He duly put the driver back in the bag and did as discussed, winning by two shots.
There were some emotional acceptance speeches, none more so than when Maggie Wynyard won the Administrator of the Year and was left speechless on the stage, having to be comforted by her boss and Avondale General Manager Richard Sinclair to finally get out some words of thanks.
It was a great night and Christchurch Golf Club were superb hosts. Jennifer and her catering team received generous feedback about the food and service provided. Congratulations to all award winners and those that joined in the celebrations.
