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Gulf Harbour golfer James Hydes has been named in the three man squad that will represent New Zealand at the 32nd World Amateur Teams Championship, which will be played in France, from August 31 to September 3.
The other members of the team are Kazuma Kobori, of Rangiora, and Sam Jones, of Manaia.
They will be looking to be the second New Zealand team to hoist the Eisenhower Trophy. This year marks the 30th anniversary of New Zealand’s Eisenhower Trophy triumph. In 1992, Michael Campbell, Phil Tataurangi, Stephen Scahill and Grant Moorhead won by three strokes over the United States.
The event was last played in 2018, with New Zealand finishing fourth. The 2020 event was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Golf NZ says the three men selected earned their places on the side courtesy of outstanding form over the past two years.
Hydes has been one of the most consistent performers in recent years. In 2020, he became a Jennian Homes Charles Tour Champion by winning the Autex Muriwai Open, and he won the New Zealand Amateur Championship.
Hydes’ success has extended internationally, winning last year’s Welsh Open Stroke Play, finishing third at the Brabazon Trophy, and finishing second at this year’s Australian Amateur Championship. Hydes’ World Amateur Golf Ranking is currently 102nd.
The championship will be contested over 72-holes of stroke play, with the best two of three individual scores counting toward the team score. It will be played at Le Golf National (Albatros course) and Golf de Saint-Nom-La- Brèteche (Red Course) near Paris..
New Zealand has also recorded two runners-up finishes, in 1970 and 1990, and a third-place finish in 1960.
