The Star: October 03, 2019

• By Gordon Findlater
TEEN GOLF sensation Kazuma
Kobori is due to tee off at Pegasus
today.
It will be his first professional
tournament on the course since
a remarkable win at the NZ PGA
Championship almost seven
months ago.
In March, the 17-year-old
finished four shots clear of his
nearest rival and 21-under-par en
route to becoming the first ever
amateur to win New Zealand’s
second biggest professional
tournament.
Today he is set to start the first
round of the DVS Pegasus Open,
which is part of the Charles Tour.
His previous success on the course
will make him a contender among
some of New Zealand’s top pros.
“It just really gives me more
confidence knowing I went
21-under. Even if I’m not feeling
great, I still have in the back of my
mind that I’ve done that before and
have the ability, too,” said Kobori.
The tournament will finish a
busy 10 days for the Rangiora High
School student. He only arrived
back in Christchurch on Tuesday
after competing at the Asia-Pacific
Amateur Championship in
Shanghai, China. He finished fiveover-par
and tied for 35th at the
130-strong amateur event.
“The rough was like nothing I’ve
ever experienced before, it was so
heavy. You had to lay up on par
fours if you missed the fairway,”
said Kobori.
Next year Kobori won’t take
the path many other top young
New Zealand golfers have. Instead
of taking a scholarship to a top
United States university, he will
study by correspondence to
allow him to play as much golf as
possible.
“I definitely considered it, but if
SPORT 31
Kazuma returns to Pegasus
Tower JuncTion
you go to college you play probably
50 per cent of the events. I play
maybe 30 events a year. If you go to
the States that cuts down to about
15, considering you make every
team that season and making the
team over there is pretty hard,”
said Kobori.
He also plans to stay an amateur
for at least the next 12 months to
be eligible to play in events such
as the British and United States
amateur championships.
He also wants another crack
at the Asia Pacific tournament
next year. The winner of the event
receives entry into the Masters and
Open Championship.
“For now, it’s the smarter play to
stay amateur and try to win those
big events and get exemptions,” he
said.
Kobori tees off at 12.30pm and
will play in a group with Mark
Hutson and one-time European
Tour event winner Mark Brown.
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ON COURSE: Kazuma Kobori won the NZ PGA
Championship at Pegasus in March.
Canterbury’s biggest Ranfurly Shield fan
• By Gordon Findlater
FOR SOME 13 is an unlucky
number – but that’s how many
times Kevin Lundon hopes to
have seen Canterbury claim the
Ranfurly Shield after his trip to
Dunedin on Saturday.
Lundon, 73, attended his
first Ranfurly Shield clash in
1950 when he travelled with
his father at the age of four to
watch Canterbury claim the
Log o’ Wood from Otago 8-0 at
Carisbrook.
He has attended every
shield match involving
Canterbury since. So when
Otago defended the shield
against Waikato over the
weekend, he immediately
booked his tickets and made
travel plans for the challenge at
Forsyth Bar Stadium.
Lundon’s passion for rugby
started when he attended
Canterbury matches with his
father Ronald who represented
South Canterbury.
Since then he has gone above
and beyond what most would
consider a die-hard fan.
“It just grew. As I got older, I
understood and appreciated the
good teams they had because
they were very successful. It
made you more interested and
keen to go,” said Lundon.
In 1970, he became a
foundation member of the
Canterbury Rugby Supporters
Club.
Lundon was also Larry the
Lamb for about 20 years, which
included a permanent stint from
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
1973-1983.
He says there were many perks
to the job, such as looking after
the Ranfurly Shield at his home
overnight.
However, he also had some
run-ins with the pesky away
fans, which included having
grass thrown through his mouth
piece in Hamilton and being
punched in the testicles by a
child in Wellington during a
lolly scramble.
“Obviously he hadn’t got any
lollies . . . I couldn’t believe it. I
said ‘you little bastard’ but no
one can hardly hear you from
out of the mouth piece anyway,”
he said.
Lundon’s favourite shield
memories include Canterbury’s
come-from-behind win over
Wellington at Lancaster Park in
1983, and a late Robbie Deans
penalty in 1982 which earned
them a 15-15 draw with Counties
Manukau to retain the shield
and win the NPC.
Canterbury’s 3-3 draw against
Wellington in 1970 to retain the
shield also makes his list of top
moments.
“Fergie McCormick dropkicked
a goal to make it three-all
just before full-time,” said
Lundon.
Another famous memory for
Lundon came in 1973 when
Canterbury lost to Marlborough
6-13 in one of the biggest shield
upsets ever.
“I can even remember
when we lost the shield to
Marlborough in 1973. I forget
the number of times we
gave the ball in the scrum to
‘Fergie
McCormick
drop-kicked a
goal to make
it three-all just
before full-time’
– Kevin Lundon
COMMITTED:
Kevin Lundon
with his tickets to
Canterbury’s Ranfurly
Shield challenge
against Otago on
Saturday.
Right – Lundon with
the shield in 1983.
Marlborough, it was just about
the whole game. I remember the
name of the referee was Barry
Dawson from Southland. There
was a bit of controversy around
how many times he gave the ball
to Marlborough,” he said.
Lundon plans to continue
attending Canterbury’s home
matches and Ranfurly Shield
challenges until he “can’t move
or runs out of money.”
Canterbury have only won
three shield challenges which
Lundon hasn’t attended – 1927
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against Manawhenua, 1931
against Wellington, and 1935
against Auckland. He can be
forgiven considering he wasn’t
born then.
Lundon played rugby as a
junior for Marist Albion and at
Xavier College. Outside of his
commitments as one of
Canterbury’s most dedicated
supporters, he has been club
captain at Suburbs, Merivale
Lincoln University and New
Brighton over the years.
He is still on the New Brighton
committee.
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