Western News: January 23, 2018

WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday January 23 2018 9
Conor lives the surfing dream SPORTS
• By Sophie Cornish
CONOR MCLENNAN is living
every young surfers dream –
hitting the school books in the
morning and riding waves in the
afternoon.
The former Christchurch Boys’
High School student recently
won the under-18 title at the
national surfing championships
in Gisborne.
Originating from Waimairi
Beach, Conor, 17, represented
his home club, North Wai
Boardriders, in the competition.
He moved to Raglan in 2016 to
start at the Raglan Surf Academy.
The programme is part of Raglan
Area School and was set up in
1998.
It allows students to complete
NCEA while learning about
surfing both in and out of the
classroom.
“We write reports about
surfing, the safety of surfing
and trying to get out to surf
breaks, then every lunchtime
we will finish up and go surfing.
It’s a great life, I love it,” said
Conor.
The national final came down
to a tight finish, which Conor
said made time go by “very,
very slowly.”
“It was the best feeling ever, I
don’t think words can describe
how stoked I was to win that, I’ve
been working so hard for it for
the last year and it all paid off. It’s
a really good way for me to start
the year,” he said.
His parents watched on from
the beach.
“It was a very cool feeling to
win in front of my mum and dad
FORMER Christchurch Boys’
High golfer Dominic Brettkelly
won the Canterbury stroke play
in a sudden death shoot-off.
He, along with Rangiora’s
Kazuma Kobori, were tied on
212 after three rounds forcing
a shoot-off which Brettkelly
won on the second hole at the
Waitikiri Golf Club on Sunday​
. He also won the best under-19
score title.
Burnside High’s Juliana Hung
won the senior women’s title
shooting 75, 69 and 68 for a
combined 212 six shots ahead of
Jeonghyun Lee.
A Canterbury Golf spokeswoman
said the full field of 96
players had great conditions
over the weekend but also playing
a course which was in excellent
condition.
“The field was strengthened
with over 30 entries from outside
the region, predominately
due to the enhanced initiative
formed with Otago and Southland
Golf this year,” she said.
Brettkelly was also the winner
of the inaugural Ron Clement
Memorial Trophy which was
presented by Ron’s wife Rae and
daughter Tracy.
“Clements was heavily
involved in the development
of junior golf and so it is
fitting that this year we now
have the Ron Clements Memorial
Trophy which is awarded
for the best under-19 boys
score,” she said.
. . . to win in front of them was
probably the greatest feeling of it
all,” he said.
Conor won another national
title in 2014 at the national
scholastic secondary schools
championship.
He was also the under-17
IT IS the dream start to the year
for Christchurch golfer Amelia
Garvey with an opportunity to
learn from former world No 1
Lydia Ko in the United States.
Garvey will travel with
Auckland’s Rose Zheng to
Scottsdale in Phoenix, Arizona
and spend time with Ko, training
and playing ​at one of the most
exclusive golfing establishments in
the world after being offered the
scholarship by New Zealand Golf
and Ko.
The former Burnside High student
is ranked No 1 in Canterbury
and ninth in the New Zealand
amateur rankings.
The pair will be with Ko from
Thursday to Saturday learning
about the game they both want to
Billabong grom series champion
last year.
Conor is already looking
ahead to the future, hoping to
secure himself a spot in the
New Zealand under-18 junior
worlds team, which he narrowing
missed out on last year, making a
pursue as a career.
For Garvey, last year was a
success. Her highlights included
TWISTS AND
TURNS: Conor
Mclennan
competing at
the Health 2000
national surfing
championships
where he won the
under-18 title.
PHOTO: CORY/
NZ SURFING
MAGAZINE
reserve spot.
“This year I’m going all out for
it,” he said.
After finishing year 13,
Conor wants to work towards
gaining sponsorship and
competing in some qualifying
series events.
Shoot-off goes to Brettkelly Young golfer to learn from Ko
OPPORTUNITY: Amelia Garvey
will learn from former world
No 1 Lydia Ko in the United
States.
winning the New Zealand amateur
stroke play championship
and being the only New Zealand
amateur to make the half-way cut
in the LPGA Tour New Zealand
Women’s Open.
Those performances helped her
secure a golf scholarship to the
University of Southern California
which she will start after her time
with Ko.
Ko, who signed to play with
PXG clubs last year, said the motivation
behind the scholarship is
so she can give back to the game
by inspiring the next generation
of females to strive for the top to
see what it takes to get there and
help grow the number of New
Zealanders competing with her on
the LPGA Tour.
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