Gisborne East Coast golf roundup

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

JANET Muir has taken little time to get her hands on one of the top trophies in Poverty Bay women’s club golf.

Muir, who switched from Electrinet Park to the Bay this year, won the Hutchinson Cup women’s matchplay crown yesterday.

It was no easy feat. Muir, off a 20-handicap, needed an extra hole to see off Birgitt Whyte (15) in a quality final played off handicap.

“It was insane golf, just amazing,” said Whyte, who had 12 pars in her round while a consistent Muir produced handicap golf.

“Janet played lovely golf.”

Top seed Andy Hayward advanced in the first round of matchplay in the Reynolds Cup top 8 men’s handicap competition but the danger man could be Peter Hakiwai.

Hayward beat Kit Goldsmith on the 17th to move a step closer to the title that narrowly eluded him last year — he lost to Don Wright in the final.

Former Poverty Bay-East Coast representative Hakiwai is known for his matchplay skills and underlined that with a 16th-hole victory over James Situ.

Both men played some fine golf over the first 11 holes. Hakiwai had three birdies, including the fifth and sixth holes, and went out in 39. Situ shot 1-over 37 for the front nine and birdied the 11th.

The difference was the home stretch and the four shots Hakiwai was getting as he finished the stronger to book his place in the semifinals.

Bruce Talbot is lurking dangerously after defeating Darryn Whyte on the 17th while Murray Smith waltzed into the last four after Gray Clapham defaulted.

It was a productive weekend for Hayward, who on Sunday struck the jackpot of two twos — sinking a 50-footer on the 11th and chipping in on the sixth.

Welcome back Colby . . . Brent Colbert ended a sub-80s drought with a birdie downpour as he blitzed his way to 73-9-64 on Sunday.

Colbert had not broken 80 since a 79 on September 25 of last year and reached his nadir with a 92 on January 19.

But 28 rounds after that 79, the 1994 senior club champion rediscovered his best with a spectacular last six holes.

Having played the first 11 holes 5-over, Colbert proceeded to birdie the 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th in a back-nine holes of 3-under 33 for a division 1 men’s stableford-winning haul of 44 points.

Collin Simpson won division 2 with a personal best 77-12-65, for 43 points.

Willie Mortleman fired 1-under 35 for the front nine last Thursday in winning the division 1 stableford with 75-8-67, for 41 points.

S Spence 35, C Skuse 34.

J Ngarimu 20, S Armstrong 17.

T Lewis 36, S Spence 35.

D Sherratt.

B Colbert 44, A Hayward 39, D Gray 37.

C Simpson 43, B Morrissey 38, P Grogan 36, R Chalmers 36.

A Hayward 2.

A Hayward.

B Brown.

M Jefferson 39, J Situ 37, A Hayward 36.

R Morley 39, H Kaiwai 38, K Gunness 36.

G Morley, P Butler, Q McPike, P Hakiwai, D.Sharp, M Jefferson, J Situ, T Goldsmith.

P Hakiwai.

W Mortleman 41, S Jeune 37, T Goldsmith 36, P Butler 36.

P Graham 38, P Humphreys 38, B Read 36.

P Humphreys.

PARK members have plenty of chances for twos as the course continues to recover from the Cyclone Gabrielle assault.

The course has temporarily changed from a par-72 (men) and 73 (women) to 71 and 72 respectively.

The fourth hole, which runs along the highway between the course and Campion College has been reduced from a par-4 to a par-3 following damage inflicted by the cyclone.

This means the course has five par-3s, including four on the front nine holes.

However, it’s not for long and New Zealand Golf was informed for handicap purposes.

Golfing life is heading back to some kind of normal for members after severe disruptions.

Twilight golf resumed and to catch up on missed weeks it is being held twice a week (Thursday and Friday) until the final one on March 30.

That allows plenty of chances for players to seal a spot in the 10-person field for the climactic and lucrative twilight shootout final.

Heading into today’s twilight round, the top 10 and their overall stableford totals over 10 counting rounds were Beau Toa 190; Ian Loffler 182; James Witika 182; Daniel Collier 180; Chris Fox 177; Shannon Toa 175; Anthony Pahina 174; Steve Phillips 174; Shaun Pahina 174 and Mason Emery 172.

Park men are steadily completing first-round matches in the Handicap Cup. The quarterfinalists should be confirmed by the end of this weekend.

S Toa from M Emery and J Witika.

K White, D Collier.

D Collier.

P Hakiwai.

S Toa.

H Tupara from S Lardelli.

K White, P Hakiwai.

D Russell.

J Witika.

J Lloyd.

B Toa.

THOSE wanting to play in the Patutahi Men’s Open on March 25 are advised to confirm their entry as soon as possible.

Plenty of interest has been shown in the tournament including large groups from Hamilton and Opotiki, according to club president Tony Green.

The field is limited to 100 players.

Tee-off is 11am after morning tea.

To confirm a spot in the field, contact George Brown on 027-370-9869.

Lindsay Jamieson posted the round of the weekend while Regan Hindmarsh was in the red for the first time this year.

Jamieson won the junior men’s net with 83-18-65 including a two.

Hindmarsh had five birdies in a 2-under 68-2-66 which topped the senior men’s division.

Jandy Winiata-Beattie won the women’s net.

R Hindmarsh 66, P Summersby 66, S Pohatu 67, A Hindmarsh 67, H Harris 67.

L Jamieson 65, G Holland 68, G Watson 72, G Tattersfield 72, M Smith 72.

J Winiata from S Robertson.

L Anania, L Jamieson, R Hindmarsh.

L Anania.

P Molloy 21, P Summersby 18, A Hindmarsh 18, W MacLellan 18.

G Maude 20, D Dogshun 20, B Williams 18, H Humble 18.

TOKOMARU Bay-based members unable to get to the Springs remain in the thoughts of those on the northern side of the cyclone-wrecked section of State Highway 35 .

“We’re still missing our Tokomaru Bay lot,” club member Hiria McClutchie said. “But we will play on.”

And they did on Sunday with John Puha’s 38 points topping the men’s stableford and Pauline Summersby’s 28 enough to win the women’s competition.

J Piha 38, J Forrester 36, I Logan 33, M Higham 33.

P Summersby 28, R Ngatai 26.

R Ngatai.

TE Ngakau Welsh is trending in the right direction. Welsh followed up 18-hole rounds of 99, 97 and 95 with 90-29-61 on Sunday.

His 43-point haul won the stableford and dropped him to a 30.5 handicap index.

A sub-par round is in the sights of Will Yates, who was second with 3-over 71-7-64, for 40 points.

There is a working bee on Saturday from 8.30am and a committee meeting on Sunday.

T Welsh 43, W Yates 40, M Yates 38.

W Yates.

A 14-SHOT improvement from the previous weekend earned Larry Green top dog status among the men on Sunday.

Green came back from an 88 the previous Sunday to win the stableford with 74-12-62, for 44 points.

Penny Rutene racked up 40 points to win the women’s stableford.

L Green 44, R Reeves 39, K Ruru 34.

P Rutene 40, V Grace 34, C Te Rito 33.

S Reeves.

SUNDAY, club competition.

CLUB patron Duncan Bremner and president Maraea Wesche led the way with matching efforts in cup stableford rounds on Sunday.

Bremner won the Foster Cup men’s stableford with 37 points while Wesche won the Connolly Cup women’s equivalent also with 37.

D Bremner 37, D Waihaki 36, B Cooper 32, T Smith 32, R Bremner 31, I Parker 31, P Bremner 31, G Shapland 31.

Maraea Wesche 37, L Morgan 30.

THURSDAY, Iseki round 1; SUNDAY, Aces, Bluck Putting.