Reid Leads Kiwi Top Four At World Speedgolf Championships

Jamie Reid combined a level-par 71 with a sub-39-minute round to lead an impressive New Zealand charge at Whitford Park, with Kiwis also setting the pace in both senior divisions.

Jamie Reid gave New Zealand the ideal opening to its home World Speedgolf Championships, leading a Kiwi sweep of the top four places in the elite men’s competition after round one.

Reid completed his 18 holes at Whitford Park in 38 minutes and 39 seconds on Wednesday, November 4, adding that time to his 71 golf strokes for a combined speedgolf score of 109:39.

That gave him an overnight advantage of 3:17 over Harry Bateman ahead of Thursday’s title-deciding round, with Brad Hayward third and Robin Smith fourth.

For the home contingent, the opening leaderboard offered considerable encouragement. New Zealand also held the lead in the senior men’s and senior women’s competitions, while Amy Linton was second in the elite women.

Reid Sets The Benchmark

Speedgolf rewards the balance between golf and running — each stroke counts as the equivalent of one minute, with elapsed time added to produce the combined score.

Reid’s opening performance brought those two demands together. His 71 matched the men’s course par, while his 38:39 elapsed time gave him a decisive advantage over his nearest challengers.

Bateman took 73 strokes in 39:56 for 112:56. Hayward’s 72 in 43:57 produced 115:57, leaving him 6:18 behind Reid.

Smith completed the Kiwi top four with 77 strokes in 41:09 for 118:09. Japan’s Jin Ota was fifth on 118:44, just 35 seconds behind Smith.

Those opening scores put New Zealand in a strong position for the finish, with the individual world titles still to be decided.

Linton Leads The Kiwi Women’s Challenge

France’s Emily Mollard set the women’s benchmark at 133:10, combining 81 strokes with an elapsed time of 52:10.

Linton needed one fewer golf stroke but took 55:27 to complete her round, leaving her second on 135:27 and 2:17 behind the leader.

Defending champion Liz McKinnon also took 80 strokes, finishing in 56:28 for 136:28. Finland’s Milla Hallanoro reached the same combined score through a different combination — 79 strokes in 57:28.

The matching totals left both players 3:18 behind Mollard. Fellow Kiwi Lucinda Searle was seventh on 146:52 after 89 strokes in 57:52.

Senior Kiwis Take The Lead

Troy Harold led the senior men after taking 80 strokes in 43:56 for 123:56.

Sweden’s Mikael Palmberg was second on 126:44, a gap of 2:48, while Finland’s Marko Kuningas sat third at 128:25. New Zealand’s Damian Mills was fourth on 130:54.

The senior women’s contest was particularly close. Renee Fowler’s 78 strokes in 73:35 produced 151:35, placing her just 31 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Runa Pettersson on 152:06.

Titles On The Line

The individual world titles are scheduled to be decided on Thursday, November 5, when the second and final round concludes at Whitford Park.

The championship programme then finishes with the Team World Cup on Friday, November 6.

Kiwi Round-One Results

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