Played in idyllic conditions at the stunning Terrace Downs Golf Resort, the 2025 edition of the Canterbury 4BBB championship played out yesterday. In a scene that showcased winter golf at its peak which resulted in an initial lengthy frost delay, the players enjoyed spectacular snow-capped mountain views as they tested themselves on the alpine championship course.
With the added incentives of NTP’s on the iconic 10th and 16th holes alongside the longest drive prizes on hole 13 to compliment the Gross and Net prizes, plenty was up for grabs.
In the men’s competition, as expected there were several pairs that were pushing for the title throughout. However it was the 2024 Champions pairing of Alfie Bell and Mitchell Redmayne who impressively defended their title combining to record a 7-under total of 65. The pair started solidly collecting birdies at holes 2, 3, and 5 to sit at 3-under at the turn and capitalised on that solid start to secure additional birdies at holes 12 & 15 plus an eagle on hole 14 to finish the back 9 at 4-under. A blemish-free round with the pair complimenting each other well.
Behind the leaders, there was then a further 5 pairs who finished at 4-under. The best of those on countback was the pairing of Leon Yee and Nelson Gaw, with Yee doing a lot of the heavy lifting shooting a personal 1-under round of 71. Also at 4-under were the pairs of Shunsuke Nakamura/Yusuke Nakamura, Glenn Coughlan/Cam Finlayson, Yuki Miya/Cooper Moore, and Jordon Latter/Patrick Werahiko with a further 7 pairs tied at 3-under.
The best individual round posted by a men’s player was the 3-under round of 69 by Uny Shao with the longest drive going to Cam Grant and the NTP to Blair Franklin with his effort on hole 10.
In the women’s field, as billed in the preview it felt like any number of the pairs had the ability to win it, and coming into the final few groups that looked the case. With just one group left to finish, there was a total of 4 pairs sitting tied for first at 1-over, but that tie was finally split as the final pair of Zaria Bourne and Lannie Inoue came in with a combined round of 3-under 69 to claim top spot. After a slow start with the pair leading off with a bogey on 1, Inoue and Bourne started to pull things back with birdies at 4 and 8 before a bogey on 9 to finish the front 9 square. This was followed by a confident finish with birdies at 12, 13, and 15 on the back giving them their -3 total.
The chase pack and those tied a 1-over contained the pairs of Junie Chang/Eva Yin, Rachel Eder/Lexi Thomson-Hall, Nutcha Sirawattanakul/Shontalia William, and Alice Fry/Vanessa Lim. The best individual performance was the par 72 round by Lannie Inoue who also collected the Longest Drive prize. The NTP was awarded to Jessie Mercer with her shot on hole 16.
All in all, despite the dwindling light making conditions tough for those coming home last, it was a fantastic day out at Terrace Downs providing a unique experience for all involved. Our thanks go to the team at Terrace Downs and to all the players for taking part.
Full results can be viewed – HERE.
The Event Photo Album can be viewed – HERE.
