Selwyn Times: January 25, 2023

Selwyn Times Wednesday January 25 2023
20
SPORT
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
BIG CHANCE: Two Canterbury golfers will take a crack at the Make Time Play 9 final for the chance to play at Royal Liverpool in July. Inset – Ryan Fox
during the 150th British Open.
Nine-hole amateurs score tee-rific
chance to play The Open course
A COUPLE of casual
nine-hole games of midweek
golf with friends have earned
two Canterbury golfers a once
in a lifetime shot.
Helen Williamson who plays
at the Pegasus club and Yusuke
Imaizumi from the Russley
club will play for the chance to
travel to England for the world
invitational golf tournament to
be held before the The Open at
Royal Liverpool from July 16-23.
Williamson, 52, and
Imaizumi, 24, were randomly
selected as the monthly winners
of a promotion run by Golf New
Zealand.
The Make Time Play 9
initiative runs throughout the
summer. To enter golfers of all
ages and skill levels submit a
nine-hole scorecard to go in the
draw.
Williamson and Imaizumi
also received return airfares to
Queenstown to compete in the
Make Time Play 9 final which
will be held in March with the
New Zealand Open.
They will join seven other
lucky winners from around New
Zealand who will tee off for nine
holes at Millbrook Resort. The
ON COURSE: Helen Williamson and Yusuke Imaizumi will tee off at the Make Time Play 9
final during the New Zealand Open in March.
two best players will win trips
to the 151st Open to take part
in The R&A 9-Hole Challenge.
The final in England will feature
42 nine-hole players from 21
countries. Williamson, who took
up the game in her mid-20s and
now plays off a 15 handicap, and
Imaizumi, who has been playing
since he was 15 and has a scratch
handicap, both admit winning
a trip to Queenstown wasn’t on
their minds when they signed
up for the chance to take part in
their qualifying rounds.
“Just winning a trip to
Queenstown is an amazing prize
. . . let alone being in with a
chance to go and play the leadin
event for one of the world’s
most special golfing majors,”
Williamson said.
Said Imaizumi: “I feel a bit like
Ryan Fox. I’ll certainly be hitting
the driving range and putting
greens over the coming months
to get in a bit of extra practice,
as there’s a lot on the line for
winning.”
Golf New Zealand
development general manager
Thiem Nguyen called the Make
Time Play 9 initiative a “money
can’t buy experience” that has
so far attracted about 220,000
entries nationwide.
“For two lucky Kiwi golfers,
they will have the opportunity
to play on the same golf course
as Ryan Fox and the best
professional golfers in the world
for the Open Championship,”
said Nguyen.
“I know that Helen and
Yusuke, along with the other
qualifying finalists, will be
excited about the Queenstown
experience and will practicing
incredibly hard over the coming
weeks to sharpen up their games,
with an eye to securing that
elusive spot to play in the world
finals.
•The last draw for the
play-off in Queenstown
will be held next month.
Enter your scorecard at
www.golf.co.nz
Te Puna Wai o Waipapa
Hagley Senior College
ENROLMENT DAY
Tue | 31st January | 2023
9.00am - 4.00pm
2023 Year 12 & 13 Programmes Pre-Professional Programmes
Student Centre, Cnr St Asaph & Hagley Ave