Glenn Solomann makes Poverty Bay Open win a family tradition

Poverty Bay Open winner Glenn Solomann and his father, David, pictured sitting on the rock commemorating 100 years of the Poverty Bay Golf Club. Glenn asked for the photo to be taken there because it was the setting for a photo of David and his elder brother Michael, now of Hawke’s Bay. That photo is on show in the home of Glenn’s grandmother, Elaine Solomann, and her late husband, John, who died in 2016. Photo / John Gillies

Glenn Solomann has done at 17 what his father David did 30 years ago at 18.

He’s won the Keiha Cup championship 16 of the Poverty Bay Men’s Open Golf Tournament.

He beat 2021 winner Anaru Reedy (Gisborne Park) on the 18th hole, having been four down after eight holes in the final of the Emerre & Hathaway Poverty Bay Men’s Open on Saturday.

But it was the match before the final that Glenn Solomann said was probably his favourite of the tournament. It was against his dad, and he won four and three to go into the decider.

“It was a mental battle because of how close we are and how emotional it could get,” Glenn said.

They had met once before in tournament play – two years ago at the King Country Matchplay Tournament on the Tarrangower course in Taumarunui.

“We had a good battle and Dad beat me on 17, two and one,” Glenn said.

Father and son are both members of Whitford Park Golf Club, southeast of Auckland, although David was a Poverty Bay club member when he won the Open in 1995.

Glenn Solomann received his first set of clubs – from David – when he was 5 but didn’t give the game “a real go” until five years ago.

At intermediate school, he did gymnastics and played hockey and cricket. Even this year, he captained the Howick College First XI hockey team and says the running and weight training for that helped build the stamina for 36 holes a day for three days.

With an estimated walking distance of more than seven kilometres a round, that’s over 42km for the tournament. Toss in a practice round on Wednesday, and you’re looking at about 50km across four days. At least Glenn had his dad as caddy for the final.

“Having Dad on the bag for me was extra motivation to get it done,” he said.

“I was nervous, but Dad’s always told me nerves are a good thing. It shows you care.”

Glenn was pleased he was able to stay calm, motivated and patient against second qualifier Reedy (71, 74).

“I struggled off the start,” Solomann said.

“Small mistakes on two and three let Anaru go two up.

“He made a birdie on five to go three up, and I made another mistake on six and he went four up.

“I won nine with a par to bring it back to three, then won 12 with a par to go two down, and 13 with a par to go one down.

“We halved 14 with birdies, I won 15 with a par to go all square, and Anaru made birdie on 16 to go one up again.

“I won 17 with a par to go back to all square, and won 18 with another par to win the match.”

It is Solomann’s first big tournament victory. He also won the Bill Donnelly Memorial Trophy for top junior, presented by Bill’s son and seven-time Poverty Bay Open winner Waka Donnelly.

Thirty years between their grips on the Keiha Cup, dad David — who won the Poverty Bay Open men's senior golf championship in 1995 aged 18 — and son Glenn Solomann, aged 17, who won the same championship on Saturday. Photo / Gray Clapham

Solomann had finished as fourth qualifier from Thursday’s two rounds of strokeplay, with a gross 146 (72, 74), the same as third qualifier and three-time Open winner (2012, 2020 and 2022) William Brown (75, 71).

Brown (Cromwell) lost to 14th qualifier Aaron Goddard (St Andrews of Hamilton) in the first round of matchplay on Friday, and the same fate almost befell Solomann.

Against 13th qualifier Peter Anderson, the 2018 Open winner, Glenn Solomann was four down after eight holes.

Anderson (Poverty Bay) was still four up after 11, but by the 18th tee Solomann was one up.

Anderson won the 18th to send the game to an extra hole, where Solomann closed out.

On Friday afternoon, Solomann beat fifth qualifier Ben Jujnovich (Redwood Park, Auckland) 2 and 1. They’d been all square after nine holes but Solomann never trailed.

In the same round, his dad – and eighth qualifier – David Solomann beat two-time defending champion and top qualifier (70, 72) Mark Smith, of the Springfield club in Rotorua, to throw the competition wide open.

In the first round of matchplay, Solomann snr had beaten Gisborne Park’s Dan Collier, whose 68 gross in the first round of qualifying was the best of the day (his second round was 85).

Reedy had felled some tall timber on his way to the final. In the first round of matchplay he beat 2013 Open winner Bruce Wilson, of Taupō, still making the top 16 at age 71. Then he beat seven-time winner Waka Donnelly (Poverty Bay) in the quarter-final and Goddard (who beat three-time winner Brown) in the semi.

The question of whether Glenn Solomann is – at 17 years 218 days – the youngest Poverty Bay Open champion was a matter for speculation on Saturday. Solomann snr and Waka Donnelly said they were 18 – “almost 19” in Solomann’s case – when they first lifted the Keiha Cup.

Glenn doesn’t turn 18 till February 21.

He attended his first Poverty Bay Open as a caddie for his dad at the Covid-postponed 2021 tournament held in March 2022. He debuted as a player in the 2022 tournament held in September that year.

Glenn cites his dad as a big influence on his golf as he grew up. In the past two and a half years he’s had monthly sessions with an Auckland coach, Oscar Sachs, and that has helped with his technique and mental approach.

He plans to leave school at the end of this year and has a job lined up in land surveying. His goal is to be a professional golfer, and he has plotted a pathway.

He aims to gain a diploma in surveying and – once he has earned “a decent amount of money” after perhaps five years – move to Australia or Asia to seek professional status by way of Q (qualifying) school.

Out of 15 to 20 New Zealand golfers seeking a tour card, only the top two or three would get one, he said. It allowed them to compete on the tour for one year, and whether they stayed on it depended on results.

While Glenn had played golf “on and off” since he was 5, the time he spent on the course grew until he was playing most weeks.

Two developments pushed golf to the forefront of his interests.

When he was 13, Glenn was given the chance to play alongside Ryan Fox, whose old home club was Whitford Park.

“I found the way he hit the ball and managed his way around the course inspirational. That, and watching him on TV, pushed me to put more time into my game.”

The other development came when he got his restricted driver’s licence.

“We live in Manurewa and Glenn goes to school in Howick,” dad David said.

“Glenn didn’t have the opportunity to go to the course much after school. But once he got his restricted licence about a year ago, that changed.

“Over the past year he’s been practising three or four times a week and playing at least once a weekend.”

After his 1995 success, Gisborne-raised David Solomann started work, didn’t play much golf and had a disappointing 1996 tournament. The next year he moved to Auckland.

“I gave up golf for almost 20 years,” he said.

“I started playing again in 2013 [around the time Glenn got his first clubs], and from 2014 I’ve always made the trek down here for the Open.”

He works for food services company Bidfood and is based in Auckland, where Glenn and his sister Ashleigh, 21, were both born.

“Ashleigh hates golf, but she was a trampolinist who bounced for New Zealand three times.”