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Poverty BayPETER Kerekere’s mission to win the East Coast Open got a birdie-filled boost on Sunday.
Kerekere came home like Kiwi in the 1983 Melbourne Cup in one of two rounds in the 60s at the Eagles Halberg charity tournament.
Admittedly the course was nearly as short as it could be off the white tees, but Kerekere still had to play the shots.
Even then, playing partners said he could have scored lower than his men’s gross-winning 5-under 67 that featured five birdies in a flawless back nine of 5-under 31.
Clubmate Pete Anderson was nearly as impressive. He dropped no shots in a 3-under 69.
Had Simon Jeune not made triple-bogey 7 on the 13th, he too would probably have been in red figures. He settled for 1-over 73.
The low scoring continued off the women’s tees, with Tessa McDonald shooting even-par 74 to win the gross.
Kerekere is building towards the East Coast Open at Te Puia Springs at the end of next month, and it was a Springs member who provided one of the rounds of the Eagles tourney. Peter Harrison had 90-26-64 to win the men’s net.
Waikohu member Valerie Grace clearly enjoyed her handicap jumping from 30 to 35 at the Bay. She not only won the women’s stableford with 43 points, she anchored the Bob Grierson Trophy Memorial winning team.
Grace and Waikohu clubmates Audrey Tamanui-Nunn, Margaret Tuapawa and Larry Green combined for 156 points — an impressive average of 39.
Ellen Ball won the women’s net with 87-21-66 and Mark Gemmell’s 89-23-66, for 42 points, won the men’s net.
Andy Hayward joined an elite club during the Reynolds and associated cups men’s matchplay round on Saturday.
Hayward made birdie on all three of the course’s par-3s — the second, sixth and 11th holes. Fewer than 10 players have achieved the feat, the most prominent of those the late Eric Gordon who had four twos (he also made eagle-2 on the seventh hole) in one round.
The top two seeds fell in the first round of those who qualified for the Reynolds Cup. No.1 seed Vance Richardson was beaten by Mark Stewart and No.2 Alex Kirkpatrick fell to Alan Baldwin.
Viv Bell collected her second piece of silveware in the space of three weeks yesterday. Recently-crowned Hutchinson Cup matchplay champion Bell was in a class of her own in the Viv Swann Salver women’s net.
She carded 83-20-63 — eight shots clear of runner-up Anne Witters.
WEDNESDAY — Viv Swann Salver women’s net: V Bell 83-20-63, A Witters 86-15-71.
Twos: K Crosby, S Bramwell.
Sue Bunt 9-holers’ competition, round 1, net: J Ngarimu 52-17-35.
TUESDAY — Russian Roulette women’s pairs stableford: A Witters/P Corson 71.
SUNDAY — Eagles Halberg charity tournament, men’s gross: P Kerekere 67.
Women’s gross T McDonald 74.
Men’s net: P Harrison 64.
Women’s net: E Ball 66.
Men’s stableford: M Gemmell 42, J McGregor 41, L Hewson 41, C Duncan 41, M Torrie 40, D Meadows 40, J Situ 40, S Jeune 40.
Women’s stableford: V Grace 43, M Tuapawa 42, J McKinnon 39, K Crosby 37.
Bob Grierson Memorial Trophy team stableford: A Tamanui-Num/M Tuapawa/L Green/V Grace 156.
Twos: G Morley, P Kerekere, K White, M Gemmell, J van Helden.
SATURDAY — Men’s stableford, division 1: B Morrissey 41, G Clapham 34, D Patumaka 33.
Division 2: P Goodwin 42, A Abrahams 39, B Allen 39.
Twos: A Hayward 3, C Payn, D Patumaka, G Clapham, C Poole, B Morrissey.
Jackpot: A. Hayward
THURSDAY — Men’s stableford, division 1: G Morley 39, D Bush 37, I Murphy 37, M Higham 36, A Abrahams 36.
Division 2: J Pittar 37, B Proudfoot 36, B Payne 36, T Sherratt 35.
Twos: D Bush, A White, J van Helden, M Higham.
Approach: P Humphreys.
Round 2 of the Reynolds and associated cups men’s matchplay is on SATURDAY. The draw is — No.1 tee, 11.47am: P Hakawai v D Grant, C Payn v C. Poole. 11.55: P Goodwin v A Hayward, A Abrahams v T Goldsmith. 12.03pm: M Stewart v B Morrissey, D Wright v B Talbot. 12.11: A Baldwin v D Pirimona, B Payne v T Donovan. 12.19: J Rouse v J McGregor, B Read v C Christie.
COMING UP: TOMORROW, Business House Mercantile 9-hole ambrose, teams of four, shotgun start 5.30pm, teams can tee off earlier, open to all, sausage sizzle to follow; SATURDAY, Reynolds and associated cups men’s matchplay, round 2; SUNDAY, April 7, ER Black Cup interclub (Tom Shaw Memorial Awapuni Shootout scheduled for April 7 will be held at a date to be confirmed); FRIDAY, April 12, Smarty Pantz quiz night, at Poverty Bay Golf Club, 6pm start, maximum of six per team, register team name at johnvanhelden1304@gmail.com
Gisborne ParkA MERE half-a-point separated the top two in the Lunken Cup mixed pairs on Sunday.
Rod Moore and Mihi Marino won with a net 65, with Robert Taylor and Di Webb second on 65.5.
John Collier had the round of the weekend, shooting 84-17-67, for 41 points, to win the men’s stableford on Saturday.
A front nine holes of 43 anchored Mike Hutton’s best round in months. He won the Tuesday veteran men’s stableford last week with 93-27-66, for 42 points.
The Ladies Handicap Cup matchplay continues on Sunday and all three matches could be thrillers. Jo Kerr faces Wiki Morrissey, Kath Papuni is up against Marino and Karen Hay plays Lil McFlinn.
SUNDAY — Lunken Cup mixed pairs net: R Moore/M Marino 65 from R Taylor/D Webb 65.5
Twos: B Huhu/T Ford, A Pahina/W Morrissey, R Taylor/D Webb.
Men’s stableford: J Collier 41, P Wellard 40, L Green 39pts on c/b.
Men’s best second shot: T Pointon.
Approach: G McKinnon.
Twos: R Walford, J Charles.
SATURDAY — Men’s stableford: G Hill 36, A Pahina 36, E Morley 36.
Twos: R Walford.
WEDNESDAY (March 20) — Women’s net-minus-stableford: L McFlinn 72-37-35.
TUESDAY (March 19) — Veteran men’s stableford: M Hutton 42, P Koorey 41, P Simpson 40, E Parkin 39. R Walford 38,. B Lumsden-Nicholls 38, R Moiser 37 on c/b.
Twos: E Parkin, R Walford, R McGann.
THE Ladies Handicap Cup matchplay is on SUNDAY. The draw is — No.1 tee, 10am: J Kerr v W Morrissey. 10.06: K Papuni v M Marino. 10.12: K Hay v L McFlinn.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, April 6, women’s foursomes, report at 9.30am for 10am start; SATURDAY/SUNDAY, April 20-21, Summit Forestry NZ Ltd 36-hole Easter open tournament, start sheet at office.
PatutahiTOP qualifier Hamish Harris has made his intentions clear for this weekend’s 19-man shootout final.
Harris had 12 pars in his junior men’s net-winning 77-19-58 on Sunday, reinforcing his No.1 seeding for the shootout.
Tony Green looms as a threat. He won the senior men’s net on Sunday with 2-over 72-11-61.
Mike de Luze also looks in formidable touch, placing second behind Harris on Sunday with 79-17-62.
Two players are vying for the 19th and final shootout spot — Dave Skudder and Garth Tattersfield.
The shootout comprises a field of 19 teeing off the first hole and a player being eliminated each hole until there is one man left standing.
The format is handicap net, with chip-offs or putt-offs to decide ties on each hole.
The women’s shootout is also on Saturday.
TUESDAY — Women’s net: L Haisman 93-28-65, M Philip 97-26-71.
SUNDAY — Men’s net, senior division: T Green 61, D Pohatu 64, A Hindmarsh 66, B McKenzie 66.
Junior division: H Harris 58, M de Luze 62, B Pohatu 64, J Blair 64.
Women’s net: D Johnston 68.
FRIDAY — Meat pack nine-hole stableford, senior division: T Cave 25, R Hindmarsh 22, P Summersby 21, J Brodie 21 on c/b.
Junior division: I Foxley 22, D Maloy 22, M Owen 21, D Quinn 20.
The 19-man shootout final is on SATURDAY. There will be a chip-off/putt-off between Dave Skudder and Garth Tattersfield for the 19th spot. Those confirmed and their net scores are — Hamish Harris 181, Ashley Hindmarsh 186, Pat Maloy 186, Tony Green 186, Butch McKenzie 18, Joe Blair 188, Mike de Luze 188, Selwyn Pohatu 188, George Brown 189, Pete Johnston 190, Simon Pittar 190, Tony Cave 191, Whata Brown 191, Hukanui Brown 192, Brian Wallace 193, Rios Moleta 193, Cecil Brown 194, Wayne Baty 194.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Ruka Tupara Memorial Canadian mixed pairs.
Tolaga BayCHAPPIE O’Sullivan headed off Mark Watts and Peter Stevenson to win the men’s medal on Sunday.?O’Sullivan carded 94-30-64 to win by a stroke.
SUNDAY — Men’s medal: C O’Sullivan 94-30-64, M Watts 80-15-65, P Stevenson 98-33-65.
Twos: J Murphy.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, men’s and women’s stableford.
Te Puia SpringsJOHN Babbington-Welsh dominated round 2 of the Jo Hale Memorial Trophy on Sunday.
Babbington-Welsh won the net competition with 82-24-58, four ahead of James Forrester and Aomihi Cook.
SUNDAY — Jo Hale Memorial Trophy, round 2, net: J Babbington-Welsh 58, J Forrester 62, A Cook 62, R Smith 65, J Puha 66, N Dewes 69, N Truman 69, R Ngatai 70, I Ngarimu 70, J Devery 72, H Rasmussen 72,T McNeil 72, R Walker 73, F Walker 74, D Goldsmith 74, P Ngarimu 75, H McClutchie 76.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Jo Hale Memorial, round 3; SATURDAY/SUNDAY, April 27-28, Hikurangi Foodmarket East Coast Amateur Open, matchplay in sections and an 18-hole stableford section, entry includes twos and lunch and dinner on both days.
WaikohuWAIKOHU Golf Club’s AGM is on Sunday at 10am. Agenda is election of officers and general business.
A club competition will follow.