Top qualifier at the Emerre & Hathaway Poverty Bay Men’s Open, two-time defending champion Mark Smith, of the Springfield club in Rotorua. Photo / Paul Rickard
Top qualifier at the Emerre & Hathaway Poverty Bay Men’s Open, two-time defending champion Mark Smith, of the Springfield club in Rotorua. Photo / Paul Rickard
Two-time Poverty Bay Open winner William Brown was an early casualty in top-16 matchplay in Gisborne’s showpiece golf tournament yesterday.
Queenstown-based Brown lost two and one to Aaron Goddard (St Andrews of Hamilton) in yesterday morning’s first round of matchplay in the Emerre & Hathaway Poverty Bay Men’s Open.
Brownhad qualified in third place after two rounds of strokeplay (75, 71) and Goddard had qualified 14th (80, 77).
Brown won the tournament in 2012 and 2023, and in July this year became the first player to win the King of the Coast men’s open at Tolaga Bay four years in a row, making it five wins in total. He is a former head greenkeeper at Poverty Bay Golf Club’s Awapuni Links.
The 112 entrants in the PB Open were divided into seven groups of 16 after strokeplay on Thursday. Matchplay semifinals are being played this morning and finals this afternoon.
Two-time Poverty Bay Open winner William Brown was an early casualty in top-16 matchplay in Gisborne’s showpiece golf tournament. Photo / Paul Rickard
Top qualifier was two-time defending champion Mark Smith, of the Springfield club in Rotorua. His two-round gross of 142 (70, 72) was three ahead of that recorded by Anaru Reedy (71, 74) of Gisborne Park.
The top-16 results from the first round of matchplay were (club and qualifying spot in brackets): Mark Smith (Springfield, 1) defeated Glenn Elliot (Rotorua, 16); David Solomann (Whitford Park, 8) d Dan Collier (Gisborne Park, 9); Ben Jujnovich (Redwood Park, 5) d Hayden Keast (Poverty Bay,12); Glenn Solomann (Whitford Park, 4) d Peter Anderson (Poverty Bay, 13); Aaron Goddard (St Andrews, 14) d William Brown (Cromwell, 3); Jacob Jujnovich (Kaitāia, 6) d Matthew Champness (Mt Maunganui, 11); Waka Donnelly (Poverty Bay, 10) d Blair Yeates (Tieke Golf Estate, 7); Anaru Reedy (Gisborne Park, 2) d Bruce Wilson (Taupō, 15).
