Teen hits hole-in-one and takes title at Waihi 54-hole golf tournament

Robby Turnbull hit a hole-in-one and claimed first place at the Waihi tournament. Photo / Supplied

More than 100 players signed up for the Waihi OJI 54-hole golf tournament but it was a 14-year-old who stole the headlines.

Robby Turnbull not only hit a hole-in-one on the 15th, he went on to win the event.

It was an early start on Saturday for the 104 players in the field, facing 36 holes in hot weather, with only a short lunch break after 18 holes, before continuing the rest of their journey.

The weather was kind however, with light cloud cover from time to time, and in the afternoon a pleasant north-easterly breeze gave some relief from the heat.

The course was well-presented, dry and fast, in good condition and as always at Waihi, not without its challenges, with some tricky pin placements on the greens.

In the first 18 holes there was some excitement in his group when Turnbull aced the 15th, and went on to finish the 18 holes with 69 off the stick, and subsequently to win the major tournament prize and Stafford-Bush Trophy.

Turnbull played in this same 54-hole tournament in 2018 and did not feature on the prize list. However, his determination to become a professional golfer is now well on the way with his excellent display of golf throughout the tournament.

When asked how long he has been playing golf, he replied "since I could walk". His style, accuracy and maturity were the envy of many in the tournament.

There was a large field with players from Auckland, Cambridge, Fairview, Flexiclub, Formosa, Hutt Park, Hamilton, Muriwai, Ngaruawahia, Northland, Onewhero, Pukekohe, Riverside, Tauranga, Whitford Park, Whangamata, Waiterimu, Te Puke, Renner Park, Walton, Auckland Regional Police, Remuera, Gulf Harbour, Wairakei International, Te Awamutu, Matamata, Akarana, Raglan, Ben Ohau Twizel, Marton, and Waihi.

The field was divided into three divisions for the gross, nett and stableford competitions— senior men, Junior men and women. Novelty prizes were also awarded in the three divisions.

Results

Gross winner over the field (Stafford-Bush trophy):

Robby Turnbull (Remuera) 213.

Senior men
Best Gross: Robby Turnbull 213.
Nett winner: Andy Roche 214. Runner-up: Craig Edlin (Tauranga) 217; Mark Hume 220.
Stableford winner: Murray Gutry (Hamilton) 109 points. Runners-up: David P Campbell 104; Chad Meyer (Gulf Harbour); Murray Fraser 104; Jason Baldwin 103; Marcus Niles (Te Puke) 100; Leonard Morgan (Cambridge) 100; Hamish Jones (Cambridge) 100; David Seagar (Te Awamutu) 99; Geoff Burgess (Hamilton) 99; Nigel Sanderson 99; Terry Gerbich 98.

Junior men
Nett winner: Tony Cliff (Whangamata) 241. Runners-up: Nick Davies 217; Earle White 218.
Stableford winner: Ken Purcell 108. Runners-up: Neil Frederickson (Renner Park) 105; Dave Ingle 105; Howard Anderson 104; Hayden Schneffer (Onewhero) 104; David Morris 102; Peter Maria 100; Denis Borman 99; Des Johns 98; Maurice Joyce 97; Phillip McHugh 97; David Fox 97.

Women
Gross winner: Fleur Reynolds (Muriwai) 239.
Nett winner: Klara Ingle 217. Runners-up: Di Sweeney (Walton) 213 .
Stableford winner: Lynley Wallace (Cambridge) 213. Runners-up: Billie-Jo Simmons 102; Phillipa Harvey 100; Jackie Robson 100; Kathryn Douglas (Walton) 98.

Teams
Mens: Jason Baldwin, Mike Matutinovich, Andy Roche, Nigel Sanderson 410 points. Runners-up: Leonard Morgan, Jason Boobyer, Mark Hume, Deane Tetley 394; Terry Gerbich, Mark Bryant, Wayne Brierley, Murray Gutry 393; Chad Meyer, Murray Fraser, Toni Murray, Robby Turnbull 392.

Women: Billie-Jo Simmons, Lynley Wallace, Klara Ingle, Phillipa Harvey 417 points.

Twos
Men: Mark Boe ( Wairakei International) x2, James Owen (Flexiclub); Nigel Sanderson, Steven Fair (Akarana), Murray Gutry, Chad Meyer (Gulf Harbour), David Seager (Te Awamutu), Jon Morrison (Te Puke), Deane Tetley, David P. Campbell, Matthew Smith, Andy Roche, Leonard Morgan (Cambridge), David Toomey (Whitford Park) Marcus Niles (Te Puke), Mike Leeper (Matamata), Ken Purcell x 2, Tony Cliff (Whangamata), Earle White, Pete Rowe.
Women: Sian Stevenson (Cambridge) x2, Heather Sharp (Walton), Kate Davidson (Walton), Dianne Sweeney (Walton).

Nearest the Pin (over three rounds) Saturday AM & PM, Sunday.
Senior men on 13: Jon Morrison (Te Puke), Silas Toornstra (Raglan), Robby Turnbull (Remuera).
Junior men on 6: Dave Ingle, John Drent, Denis Borman.
Women on 15: Dianne Sweeney (Walton), Lynley Wallace (Cambridge), Heather Sharp (Walton).

Longest Drive on 7 (over three rounds) Saturday AM & PM, Sunday.
Senior Men: Jason Boobyer (Cambridge), Chad Meyer (Gulf Harbour), Dave Seager (Te Awamutu).
Junior Men: Neil Frederickson (Renner Park), Mike Matutinovich, Dave Ingle.
Women: Billie-Jo Simmons, Maxine Barrett (Muriwai), Jill Agnew (Whangamata).

Daily Stableford results
Saturday AM
Senior Men: Craig Edlin 42 points; Andy Roche 41; Jason Baldwin 39.
Junior Men: Tony Cliff 43; Des Johns 40; Craig Webster (Muriwai) 40.
Women: Lynley Wallace (Cambridge) 41; Klara Ingle 41; Kate Davidson (Walton) 35.
Saturday PM
Senior Men: Mark Hume 38; Chad Meyer (Gulf Harbour) 38; Murray Fraser 37.
Junior Men: Julian Jaques (Hamilton) 41; Nic Davies 40; Hayden Scheffer (Onewhero).
Women: Billie-Jo Simmons 39; Jackie Robson 37; Di Sweeney (Walton) 35.
Sunday
Senior Men: David P Campbell 38; Murray Gutry 38; Richard Taitoko 38.
Junior Men: Earle White 37; Peter Maria 36; David Morris 35.