Amy Linton and Liz McKinnon won the women’s pairs by 15 minutes and 45 seconds on the combined scoreboard at Whitford Park, with New Zealand also taking the men’s and senior men’s titles.
A day after winning the individual world championship, Amy Linton was back on top at Whitford Park — this time sharing the title with Liz McKinnon, the player she had beaten to the individual crown and the partner with whom she won the 2024 Team World Cup in Japan.
The pair retained their women’s title on Friday 6 November with 78 golf strokes in 45 minutes and 54 seconds across their two scoring stages. That produced a combined speedgolf score of 123:54, well clear of Great Britain’s Beverley Fentiman and Kathy Leppard on 139:39.
Nannick Bast and Valerie Texier finished third on 156:37, ahead of New Zealand’s Rebecca Mehew and Felicity Paterson on 158:39.
Linton And McKinnon Dominate
Linton and McKinnon led by 10:51 after their opening 12 holes, where they took nine fewer strokes than Fentiman and Leppard and finished 1:51 quicker.
They extended that gap over the final six holes with 27 strokes in 15:16.
The format counts each stroke as one minute and adds it to the elapsed time, so their winning margin reflects both the golf and the time on the course.
Hayward And Smith Lead Kiwi One-Two
Brad Hayward and Robin Smith claimed the men’s title with a combined 149:24.
They took 97 strokes in 52:24 across their 18-hole opener and six-hole finish to beat compatriots Harry Bateman and Jamie Reid by 3:05.
Bateman and Reid, who had finished first and second in the individual championship, were 2:55 quicker across the two stages. Hayward and Smith needed six fewer strokes — enough to make up the difference and secure the title.
Great Britain’s defending champions Luke Bone and Luke Willett took third on 155:41.
Senior Gold And A Tight Mixed Finish
Troy Harold and Damian Mills added the senior men’s title with 106 strokes in 57:37 for 163:37.
Sweden’s Mikael Palmberg and Joakim Wikland held a 49-second advantage after the opening 18 holes, but the Kiwis turned it around with a combined 39:12 over the final six. The Swedes finished 2:16 back, with New Zealand’s Glenn Coughlan and John Farron third on 176:49.
Lauren Cupp and Will Robson took the mixed title in the closest finish of the four divisions. They combined 73 strokes with 44:16 elapsed for 117:16, beating France’s Emily Mollard and Alex Arguel by 1:05.
Finland’s Milla Hallanoro and Pertti Palosuo finished third on 119:58, with New Zealand’s Lucinda and Andrew Searle fifth on 127:29.
A Dominant Week At Whitford
The Team World Cup closed the competition at Whitford Park, where New Zealand also won both elite individual titles through Linton and Bateman on Thursday.
Three team golds, two individual world titles, and a home podium packed with Kiwis — Whitford Park delivered a week New Zealand speedgolf will remember.
