The Toyota Cup

What does the small, links land golf club of Rangitikei, a hop step and jump from the Ohakea Air Force Base, have in common with the plush Wentworth club and its several courses (two 18’s and a 9 hole) in Surrey on the outskirts of London. “Nothing.” you would likely reply, but you would be wrong.

Wentworth, with the best holes of the east and west courses combined for the annual World Match play championship and Rangitikei are the only courses in the world to have events sponsored by giant motor manufacturer, Toyota.

The Japanese company gave its name to the prestigious Wentworth event about 1992, but the association with rural Rangitikei goes back even further and it’s a very special arrangement. Not far from the fairways and greens of Rangitikei lived one of the great names of world motor racing, Chris Amon, who was known to hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders as a consultant for Toyota, work he combined with his farm duties.

Chris Amon, his wife Tish and sons, James and Alexander were all members of the golf club, with which the Amon family has had a long association. Chris’s father, Ngaio, won the senior championship 8 times and was also a Manawatu representative, as well as sharing the NZ Amateur foursomes title with D.H. Graham in 1946.

It was during a discussion with Toyota in the mid-eighties that Chris raised the issue of some form of sponsorship for the golf club. Toyota’s man from Japan at the time was Roy Sasaki, a keen golfer, who had no hesitation in lending his company’s support to the club, although golf was not then in their sponsorship portfolio. He commissioned two superb trophies in jade green onyx for presentation to the winners of a women’s and men’s competition which was restricted to club members.

Today, almost 30 years on, the Toyota trophies are much sought after and the competitions in the early spring attract good fields. Toyota Lexus manager (in the 1990’s) Andy Cumming, who was involved with the Rangitikei event since its inception, says the tournament is a unique occasion for Toyota and the club. “The Tournament day is,” he added “a family outing where members can enjoy their golf and have some fun.” While the Rangitikei events do not attract the publicity of the Toyota World Match play, they are, as far as the men and women who play in them are concerned, highlights of the club’s annual programme.