Gisborne - East Coast golf roundup

THE defending senior men’s champion sent a strong message but it was another who earned the No.1 seeding as club championship qualifying wrapped up on Sunday.

Dwayne Russell has been putting plenty of work into his game and his “do the mahi, earn the treats” efforts were rewarded with the top qualifier spot . . . just.

Russell’s 1-under 69 in round 2 on Sunday was matched by reigning champ Hukanui Brown but the left-hander took the premier seeding on countback.

Players counted their best round of two qualifiers, with Brown bouncing back impressively from his 78 the previous Sunday to slot in at No.2 in the seven-man field.

He faces older brother Eddie Brown jr in the first round of matchplay on August 23.

Russell has a bye into the semifinals.

Shayde Skudder and Tony Akroyd will decide who meets him there while the winner of the Brown brothers’ clash plays the victor of Chris Beattie’s match with Jace Brown.

George Brown’s 79 on Sunday clinched the No.1 slot in the intermediate division ahead of Pat Molloy (81) and Jon Priestley (82) in the 16-man field.

Martin Weaver (84) topped the 13-man junior division and went straight to the quarterfinals, as did No.2 Jamie Brodie (87) and No.3 Mason Smith (89).

Gerry Maude is top seed in the six-man endeavour section and advanced straight to the semifinals alongside No.2 seed Mike Broad.

L Haisman 107-25-82, S Robertson 98-16-82.

K McLatchie 60.

H Brown 70, D Russell 71, G Brown 72, T Reeves 75, P Hokianga 76.

S Eder 70, H Harris 71, I Tietjen 72, J Brodie 74, M Weaver 74.

D Johnston 77, A Haisman 83.

J Neilson 23, M de Luze 19, H Harris 19, A Hindmarsh 18 on c/b.

M Owen 20, D Dodgshun 20, P Summersby 19, D Quinn 18 on c/b.

JACQUE Akuhata-Nickerson and Sue Maisey collected major pieces of silverware on Sunday.

Akuhata-Nickerson won the King Cup 27-hole net title with a 115.5 score, three strokes ahead of Pat Johansen.

Maisey won the Kemp Salver 27-hole stableford although it needed a countback to decide it.

Maisey and Roseanne Taiapa both finished on 46 points.

Rod Moore and Glyn Williams are a win away from retaining men’s Handicap Cup crowns.

This year’s matchplay series was split into two divisions rather than the four of previous years.

In the division 1 (Holmes Trophy) semifinals on Sunday, Moore saw off last year’s intermediate champion Zach Rolls 1-up, although not before a late fightback from the teenager.

“The young fullah did well,” said Moore. “I was dormie-3 after 15 but he won 16 and 17 and almost birdied 18, which would have taken it down 19.”

Moore’s final opponent is Anaru Reedy, who is looking for a second consecutive title after winning the Te Kanawa Cup men’s pairs with Pete Tamatea.

Reedy, off a +3 handicap and once again giving a bunch of shots, defeated Selwyn Peneha 4 and 3.

Williams looked on track for a comfortable win over Dave Rameka in the division 2 (Chrisp Cup) semis.

Leading 5-up, Williams’ lead was whittled away but he got over the line on the 17th.

He faces Steve Rolls — Zach’s father — in the final. Rolls senior ousted Shaun Pahina on the 18th.

The finals tee off at 9.30am this Sunday.

P Wellard 39, S Phillips 35.

G McKinnon, D Harrison 2.

J Akuhata-Nickerson 115.5 from P Johansen 118.5.

S Maisey 46 on c/b from R Taiapa 46.

M Marino 75, J Foot 79.

B Walker 32, W Morrissey 28.

J Kerr 37.

K Papuni 16.

B Walker (0-18), M Marino (19+).

J Kerr, B Walker.

R Taiapa 151, J Foot 153.

T Ford 97, J Foot 100.

S Maisey 98-24-74.

S Paku 29.

IF you had told Tene Goldsmith he would be leading the Dodgshun Cup men’s strokeplay with a 162 total before he teed off for round 2 on Saturday he probably would have laughed.

That would have, however, been before the weather gods got angry and wreaked havoc on what could end up a redundant round.

The weather put paid to any hot scoring and by the time the last of the small field were drying off on the 19th, Goldsmith found himself at the top of the leaderboard.

Fortunately, for those who crashed and burned or decided not to play on Saturday, it is a four-round gross series for which players count their best three scores.

Goldsmith, a two-time Dodgshun Cup winner, leads the senior division on 162 (77, 85), with Pat Butler’s 165 (79, 86) second and Peter Hakiwai third on 167 (84, 83).

Round 1 leader William Brown (72) did not play on Saturday while Neil Mackie, who missed the first round, shot the lowest gross of the day — 82.

Clive Dean holds an 11-shot lead in the intermediate division on 174 (84, 90) while Murray Smith heads the junior division on 209 (103, 106).

Andy Hayward returned to form with a vengeance on Sunday, carding 76-9-66, for 42 points, to win the division 1 men’s stableford.

Dudley Meadows won division 2 with 80-12-68, for 40.

M Allan 76, J Utting 76, G Young 76.

M Colebourne.

M Colebourne, J Ngarimu, J Alderson, S Ellwood, C McDonald, B Dickson, R Dymock, J Loffler.

P Wanklyn +4, J Steele +2, S Spence -1.

P Gayford, J Steele.

A Hayward 41, G Morley 38, B Brown 36, M Jefferson 36.

D Meadows 40, M Karalus 38, G Hawea 38, G Clapham 38, D Hall 36.

M Jefferson, M Callaghan.

M Norman.

N Mackie 74, D Patumaka 74, P Hakiwai 74, B Talbot 75, M Stewart 77, P Butler. 77

D Griffin, C Dean, T Goldsmith, P Butler.

A Kirkpatrick.

J van Helden 38, T Goldsmith 38, J Jenner 37, M Higham 35, C Dean 35, P Clayton 35.

S Willock 39, M Smith 37, R Fletcher 36, B Clarke 36, P Graham 36.

C Dean, A Abrahams.

T Goldsmith.

KAHU Waitoa and Roly Smith will lock swords this Sunday to decide the Makarika Cup men’s matchplay champion.

Smith beat Mark Higham on Sunday to book his place in the final where Waitoa was already waiting.

Waitoa warmed up by winning the men’s stableford with 36 points while Hiria McClutchie won the women’s net with 98-28-70.

H McClutchie 98-28-70, G Roberts 88-14-74, H Miratana 98-23-75.

G Roberts 30, I Ngarimu 31, H Miratana 33.

H Miratana.

K Waitoa 36, J Forrester 34, P Harrison 34, R Smith 33, M Higham 30, J Miratana 30.

R Smith def M Higham.

WAIKOHU members headed through the Waioeka Gorge on Saturday to take on Opotiki in their interclub stableford challenge.

It was a close affair but the hosts came out on top with an average stableford of 26 points to Waikohu’s 25.

The clubs face off again at Waikohu on November 14.

Handicap golf proved too tall an order on Sunday. Tom Smith’s 32 points was good enough to win the stableford.

T Smith 32, L Green 31, T Brown 31, K Tamanui 31, P Milner 29, V Grace 29.

E Wynyard, P Milner.

CASEY Maddock’s first official round since March 16 was a victorious one.

Maddock won the stableford on Sunday with 38 points, three ahead of Spencer Butt, who had two twos in his 76 off the stick.

C Maddock 38, S Butt 35, K Johnson 33.

M Gibson.

K Johnson.

S Butt 2, K Johnson, M Steele, C Maddock, M Gibson.

A 40-POINT stableford haul by Lee Steel highlighted club competitions at the weekend.

Steel won the women’s net-minus-stableford round, well ahead of Renee Hiko and Maraea Wesche. Hiko, however, won the putting on 28.

The men’s net was much tighter, with Joe Tihore coming out on top of a trio of 72s.

Duncan Bremner and Chris Taurima completed the top three.

Tihore’s putting was the difference. He had 26 putts, the best of the men.

Tolaga Bay

BRUCE Yates booked a spot in the Bartram Cup matchplay final on his way to winning the stableford on Sunday.

Yates brushed aside Trent Higgs in their semifinal match and his 38 points topped the competition.

His final opponent is Rongo Pomana, who disposed of Dion Milner in the other semi.

The final is on Sunday.

B Yates 38, R Pomana 34, M Grant 32, N Hansen 32, Taine Lincoln 31, M Watts 31.

M Grant, N Hansen.