McKechnie eyes NZ win

Andrew McKechnie can't hide his Scottish accent, even after being in New Zealand for 34 years, but says he's all Kiwi when it comes to taking on the Aussies next week.

Hamilton Golf Club's McKechnie was this week named in the New Zealand masters golf team to defend their trans-Tasman title in Christchurch next Monday to Wednesday.

"Yeah, everyone likes beating the Aussies don't they," he said.

After top-scoring for the New Zealand team when they lost the Ryder-Cup style competition in 2008 at Titirangi, McKechnie was left out of the winning New Zealand team last year and was selected as one of captain Rodney Barltrop's captain's picks for this year's tournament.

McKechnie, 57, played in the pennants-winning Hamilton team when he turned around a five-hole deficit to beat young Waikato player Luke Toomey, but then a mystery illness stopped him playing for two months.

"That held me back for two or three months. I don't know what I had, but bloody hell, it just about killed me."

Because of the illness, he missed the Waikato Masters representative season and the trials for the New Zealand side, but his form of 2008 saw him back in the mix this year.

"I'm excited about it, it outstands everything else when you play for New Zealand," he said.

After practice rounds at Christchurch's Clearwater course, the competition starts on Monday.

Australia won the tournament in 2008 13 1/2-10 1/2, but McKechnie said it wasn't as tight as the score indicated.

Last year, in Sanctuary Cove, the Kiwis won easily, 16-8, and are slight favourites to repeat the dose next week.

Host team Lochiel upset the more fancied Ngaruawahia and Cambridge clubs to win a tight 2010 Interclub Challenge on Saturday.

Daniel Graham, Steven Kuggeleijn, Ryan Crocker and Hayden Ivil had a one-shot margin which continued Waikato's dominance in the competition after Cambridge won the first two years of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty combined event.

Springfield led after the morning round of the 36-hole competition with Ngaruawahia and Mt Maunganui in second, but Lochiel, led by Graham's low round of the day, 67, dominated the afternoon round. Tauranga were second a shot behind Lochiel with Ngaruawahia a further shot back. Cambridge's Waikato representative Tane Robson finished second in the individual scores with 68 and 69.

- © Fairfax NZ News