GOLF ROUNDUP

Exit pretenders. Onwards contenders.

The 32 men's pairs chasing 2022 Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup glory were slashed to 16 as most of the top seeds flexed their muscle in the first round of matchplay.

Out of the the top 10 qualifiers, only one combo was banished to the consolation Bryan Cup, and among those remaining are several who have drunk from the trophy of BG success.

They include Dave Jenkins, who this year has quickly formed a formidable partnership with new partner Rod Norman.

Jenkins and Norman top qualified two weeks ago and averted any No.1 seed curse talk with a 3 and 2 defeat of Alex Kirkpatrick and Rob Fergus on Saturday.

No.2 seeds Cliff Poole and Vance Richardson also eased into the round of 16 with a 3 and 2 win over Collin Jeffrey and Pete Goodwin.

Arguably the performance of the day came from one-man band Tene Goldsmith.

With partner and younger brother Kit Goldsmith out with illness, Tene had to take on Roger Murphy and John Pittar on his own, and the lethal leftie came out on top 3 and 1.

However, two proved too good for lone soldier Bill Allen. After brilliantly qualifying on his own with 40 points the previous weekend, Allen was once again without partner and son Mike, and fell 5 and 4 to Bernie Rothschild and Ray Farmer.

Neil Mackie appeared a little embarrassed after witnessing partner Paul Mullooly almost singlehandedly dispose of Thomas Donovan and Greg Hawea.

Mullooly, off 18, had a bunch of pars and a birdie-2 (but didn't go in the pro's twos competition) in a 13-hole blitz.

Defending champions Andy Hayward and Mark Stewart crushed George Brown and Don Griffin 5 and 4 in a match played on Matariki Friday.

Pete Graham and Willy Mortleman knocked out Stu Harbottle and John Van Helden 4 and 3 on Thursday, leading JVH to wage a 19th-hole $100 bet that they would win the Bryan Cup instead.

Two-time winner Barry Brown and one-time runner-up Ross Gibson swept aside Ross Chalmers and Peter Hakiwai on the 15th.

The only top 10 seeds to fall were No.8 qualifiers Lee “Pikey” Hewson and Chris Taewa, who for the second year running were eliminated by Glenn Morley and Gray Clapham — this time 3 and 1.

The match of the day was a Rocky movie-like duel between former BG winners Brian Clarke and Mike Dodgshun, and Bill Simpson and Steve Francks. They traded everything from uppercuts to roundhouse hooks in a match that featured just one half before Clarke and Dodgshun delivered the knockout blow on the 19th.

Duncan Bush and Colin Christie sneaked home 1-up over Carl Carmody and Dean Robertson. Bush said he birdied their first hole for the win and Christie pretty much played the other 17 by himself.

Simon Jeune's outstanding short game was in full display as he and Dave Hall put away William Brown and Mark Barker 4 and 3 — with Barker later described as “a cardboard cut-out”.

Craig Bauld insisted he and Larry Foster had “no chance” of winning the BG. He was right. They were chewed up and spat out 6 and 5 by Richard Foon and Don Wright.

Third seeds Nick Whyte and Tim Williams beat John Williams and Marty Reynolds 4 and 3; seventh seeds Jim McGregor and Phil Wauchop accounted for Murray Smith and Brian Read 2 and 1; and straight-driving Pete Clayton and Mark Hunt did what the Black Caps cricket team couldn't in a 17th-hole triumph over English thorns Lee “Polly” Pollitt and Keith “Jack” Daniels.

Round 2 of matchplay is on Saturday. All BG Cup round 1 losers drop into the Bryan Cup subsidiary. Round 1 of this is also on Saturday.

■ Maxine Francois will face Kirsty Shaw in the Hutchinson Cup women's matchplay final.

Francois eased past Rosie Spence in their semifinal yesterday while Kirsty Shaw got a free pass to the title decider after Lynne Holmberg was unable to play due to injury.

Holmberg, giving a shot a hole, had knocked out top qualifier Vicki Fraser in the quarterfinals on Monday.

Francois beat defending champion Odette Thompson and Shaw defeated Pip Dymock.

WEDNESDAY — Women's stableford: S Spence 34, P Dymock 34, C Nelson 34.

Twos: M Allan.

Hutchinson Cup women's matchplay semifinals: K Shaw def L Holmberg, M Francois def R Spence.

Quarterfinals (played on Monday): L Holmberg def V Fraser, K Shaw def P Dymock, M Francois def O Thompson, R Spence def P Wanklyn.

Nan Carmine Cup 9-holers' pairs matchplay, round 2: S Ellwood /C McDonald def C Burke/J Loffler, R Pettigrew/S Jefferd def T Allan/R Dymock, J Ngarimu/J French def B McIldowie/J Alderson, L Daniels/S Armstrong def J Hall/S Johnstone.

MONDAY — Women's stableford: G Young 33.

SUNDAY — Men's stableford, division 1: M Norman 38, B Talbot 37, P Kerekere 36, M Callaghan 35, M Jefferson 35.

Division 2: K White 37, B Morrissey 37, K Travers 36.

Twos: J Blair, B Talbot, P Jefferson, B Morgan.

Approach: B Morgan.

SATURDAY — Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup men's pairs first round of matchplay, twos: C Christie, W Brown, G Morley.

Approach: C Christie.

THURSDAY (June 23) — Men's stableford, division 1: M Higham 36, P Butler 36, J Pittar 36.

Division 2: B Clarke 40, R Murphy 40, P Humphreys 39, M Gemmell 39.

Twos: T Goldsmith, P Humphreys, N Mackie.

Approach: P Humphreys.

COMING UP: TOMORROW, Association Day women's tournament, 9.30am tee-off.

“You can't rest on your laurels,” Ian Loffler said after cruising into the semifinals of the Te Kanawa Cup men's pairs.

Loffler and Steve Webb outgunned Shaun Nepe and Charlie Uili 5 and 4 to stay alive in the handicap matchplay event.

But Loffler is well aware of the fickle nature of the sport and how things can change quickly and mercilessly.

For now, it's going well for the No.2 seeds.

“Steve and I are still playing pretty well together,” he said of their latest match. “When I have a bad hole, he has a good hole.”

This is an often vital formula to pairs success and one that proved too much for Nepe and Uili in what Loffler said was “a good, fun match”.

They will need to continue that teamwork in the semifinals where they face John Collier Jr and Waiti Tamatea.

Collier and Tamatea showed their calm under pressure in coming from 3-down after 10 holes to beat Steve Phillips and James Witika 2 and 1.

“They just went nuts,” Phillips said of the comeback which included a superb approach shot by Collier to gimme birdie distance on the par-4 16th.

“John's chipping and putting was amazing.”

It was Toa to the fore in the father-and-son quarterfinal between Shannon and Beau Toa and Steve and Zach Rolls.

The “Tiki Toas”, as they have called themselves, won 3 and 2, and there were no complaints from their opponents.

“They both played really well,” Rolls sr said.

Facing team Toa in the semis (are the top seeds and first-season club members Chris Fox and Matt Downie.

Like Loffler and Webb, their 4 and 3 defeat of Derek Craven and Luke Hayes was all about combination.

Fox said Downie got them off to a flier and led them to a 3-up lead before Craven and Hayes fought back to close the deficit to one.

“And I started pulling my finger in the second nine,” Fox said.

The Loffler/Webb-Collier/Tamatea semi is on Sunday while the Fox/Downie-Toa match is on Saturday, July 9.

SUNDAY — Women's stableford: J Muir 37.

Drawn twos: R Taiapa.

Men's stableford: M Christiphers 37, M Henwood 35,

Twos: M Henwood.

WEDNESDAY (June 22) — Billies Cup women's putting: J Muir 32.

Wednesday (June 15) — Women's par: K Hay.

Drawn twos: P Shaw.

coming up: SUNDAY, July 17, Lowe Bros Cup aggregate teams (of four) stableford, 9.30am shotgun start, contact Steve Phillips to enter your team or if you are looking for a team.

Reuben Mottart and Denise Johnston won two of Patutahi's most prestigious trophies in impressive style.

Mottart trounced Chris Beattie 5 and 4 in the final of the Te Kani Pere Cup men's handicap matchplay.

Johnston eased past Helen Pomana 4 and 3 in the McKeague Cup women's final.

Tony Green ended a nearly-four-month sub-80 drought in winning the senior men's stableford on Sunday with 78-11-67, for 39 points.

Kobe Jones' 41 points and a two put him out on his own in the junior men's division.

The Patutahi Men's Open, featuring the Bryan Johnson Memorial trophy, has been rescheduled to Sunday, July 17, with tee-off at 11.30am.

SUNDAY — Men's stableford, senior division: T Green 39, H Harris 35, G Brown 34, D Russell 34.

Junior division: K Jones 41, B Tietjen 37, M Smith 37, R Mottart 35.

Women's stableford D Johnston 28.

Twos: H Harris, K Jones.

FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: T Reeves 21, T Hindmarsh 19, G Brown 18, R Pardoe 18, J Blair 18.

Junior division: T Sharp 21, D Maloy 20, D Quinn 18, R Shannon 17, D Humphrey 17.

Te Puia Springs

IAN Logan produced his best round of the year to comfortably top the men's stableford on Sunday.

Logan shot 78-17-61, for 41 points.

Robyn Ngatai won the LGU on countback from Hiria McClutchie.

SUNDAY — Men's stableford: I Logan 78-17-61, 41; R Walker 86-21-65, 37; H Rasmussen 88-18-70, 32.

LGU: R Ngatai 94-22-72, H McClutchie 96-24-72, M Puke 107-33-74.

Putting: I Ngarimu 33, H Miratana 33, H McClutchie 35, R Ngatai 36, M Puke 36.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, Women's Handicap Cup, first round.

Waikohu

TE Rata Ritchie continued his handicap slide with easily his best round at Waikohu on Sunday.

Ritchie had three birdies in his 84-20-64, for 43 points, and dominated the Sunday stableford.

SUNDAY — Stableford: T R Ritchie 43, P Milner 36, I Ruru 35, T Smith 35, E Wynyard 34, A Tamanui-Nunn 33, V Grace 32.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, club competition.

It's the number for an emergency but there was no distress for Lil Morgan as she staved off the challengers for a one-point victory in the stableford on Sunday.

Morgan shot 111-39-72, for 39 points, to head off a group on 38, including Pete Bremner who had seven birdies, including three on the trot, in his 1-under 69-+1-70.

SUNDAY — President's men's four-ball best-ball matchplay: C Pitman/Wayne Wesche def D Bremner/R Bremner.

Stableford: L Morgan 39, Wayne Wesche 38, P Bremner 38, P Te Hau 38, L Steel 38.

THURSDAY (Jun 23) — Harwood women's par: T Smith sq, L Morgan -2, J Smyth -2, L Steel -2, E Westwood -3.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, President's men's four-ball best-ball matchplay.

Scott Cranswick marked Matariki with a starring performance on Sunday.

Cranswick brought out Doc's famous exclamation from the Back To The Future movie franchise with a 1-over 69-8-61 — six shots clear of the field.

SUNDAY — Net: S Cranswick 61, T Higgs 67, Tere Lincoln 67.

Putting: P Stevenson 26, T Higgs 26.

Twos: Taine Lincoln, T Higgs, P Tuapawa.

Approach: M Watts.