Golf roundup

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

Patutahi

Jill Smith was not just the star of the show at the Patutahi women’s open tournament on Saturday — she was in another galaxy.

Smith cracked 100 with ease on her way to a personal-best 94-34-60, for 47 stableford points.

She was light years  ahead of the field in the junior division, winning the stableford by 10 points.

Clubmate Sheree Gray did not light it up to that degree but had the temperature rising on  the golfing mercury as she won the junior gross with 85 — her lowest round since late March of last year.

Poverty Bay’s Birgitt Whyte also impressed with the gross round of the day — 80 off a 13-handicap, including two birdies in the front nine holes of 2-over 38.

Whyte won the senior gross while home-course player Shelley Robertson won the senior stableford with 37 points.

The opening round of the Poverty Bay women’s interclub pennants was held in conjunction with the open. Results in the women’s pennants section of Golf Roundup.

Tuesday — Women’s net: J Ewart 102-38-64, L Haisman 104-32-72.

SUNDAY — Men’s net, senior division: R Pardoe 64, M de Luze 66, H Harris 67, G Brown 69, D Russell 70.

Junior division: W Stevens 63, C Kaa 64, D Humphrey 67, A Zame 68, M King 68.

Women’s net: S Robertson 66.

Twos: T Sweeney, D Russell, M King.

SATURDAY — Patutahi women’s open, senior division (up to 18 handicap), gross: B Whyte 80, D Johnson 82.

Stableford: S Robertson 37, T Paku 34, J Foot 33, J Muir 31, K Hay 30, M Wesche 30.

Junior division (19+), gross: S Gray 85, E Wynyard 92.

Stableford: J Smith 47, M Philip 37, R Hiko 37, P Rutene 37, K Torrez 36, H Humble 35.

Twos: B Whyte.

FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: A Hindmarsh 21, C Parker 21, P Johnston 21, P Molloy 20, J Blair 20.

Junior division: S Fookes 24, M White 24, I Tietjen 23, B Tietjen 22, W Kahaki 22.

Poverty Bay

Welcome back Waka.

Seven-time Poverty Bay Open champion and 1988 senior men’s club champion Waka Donnelly has returned to Gisborne to live and has quickly made his presence felt.

Donnelly, who has been living in Napier for several years, is working across the road from Poverty Bay Golf at LeaderBrand.

It was hard watching players on the course last Thursday from a shanked ball off the sixth tee away, but Donnelly hit the fairways on Saturday to shoot 74, then upped his game on Sunday.

Playing off a +1-handicap in the “Sunday School” weekly gathering, Donnelly carded 3-under 69, mixing three birdies with 15 pars.

His handicap means he has to make birdie on the par-3 sixth for two points. He did just that with an approach-winning tee shot and went on to achieve the Sunday School “jackpot” of having two points or better on every hole.

Donnelly has indicated his interest in playing Oligoi Jug interclub pennants and is likely to be in the mix for the Tairāwhiti squad for the Freyberg  masters national interprovincial.

Donnelly’s 38 points wasn’t enough to win the Division 1 men’s stableford on Sunday. That honour went to another Oligoi player, Nick Richardson, who shot 75-7-68, for 40 points — his best round since August 2023.

Dom Wilson went from the ridiculous to the sublime in the space of two days. He had a disastrous 100 for 18 points on Saturday, then improved by a  whopping 25 strokes on Sunday with 75-6-69, for 39.

James Situ overcame a triple-bogey six on the second hole to win the Div 1 men’s stableford on Saturday with 78-9-69, for 39.

Shaun Boyd won Div 2 with

80-14-66, for 42.

Club captain John Van Helden broke 80 for the first time this year to win Div 1 last Thursday with 79-11-68 for 40, while club caterer Kit Goldsmith’s Div 2-winning 85-16-69, for 39, was his lowest score on the Awapuni Links since December 2022.

This weekend features two men’s club cup competitions — the Reynolds and associated cups qualifying on Saturday; and the Bull Cup team stableford aggregate on Sunday. Enter at the pro shop.

Jan Utting top qualified for the Hutchinson Cup women’s matchplay yesterday.

Utting shot 85-17-68, with Marg Lane second on 70 and Kirsty Shaw third on 71.

WEDNESDAY — Sue Bunt 9-hole net, round 1: J Newman 59-27-32.

Hutchinson Cup women’s matchplay, qualifying (net): J Utting 68, M Lane 70.

Two: M Lane.

SUNDAY — Men’s stableford, Division 1: N Richardson 40, D Wilson 39, W Mortleman 39, W Donnelly 38, J Van Helden 38.

Division 2: R Chalmers 38, B Simpson 38, M Dodgshun 38, L Hewson 37.

Twos: N Richardson, G Morley, W Donnelly, D Wilson.

Approach:  W Donnelly.

SATURDAY — Men’s stableford, Division 1: J Situ 39, V Richardson 36, T Goldsmith 34.

Division 2: S Boyd 42, C Christie 40, C Poole 39.

Twos: R Foon, C Simpson, J Situ, C Poole .

Approach: R Foon.

THURSDAY (Feb 15) — Men’s stableford, division 1:  J Van Helden 40, M Higham 39, G Brown 39, T Goldsmith 38.

Division 2: K Goldsmith 39, C Christie 38, M Thomas 38, P Graham 37.

Twos: G Brown. V Richardson, A White, A Abrahams, S.Jeune, S Harbottle.

Approach: A White.

Week 1 of the Fulton Hogan Friday Ambrose Teams Series is TOMORROW. Teams to report by 5.30pm (earlier if requiring cars) for 5.45pm shotgun start. Two teams to play together off each tee. Teams off tees 1 to  5 will play holes 1 to 6 in order of where they tee off (eg, if you tee off 5, you will play 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4); teams teeing off  back nine will play holes 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18.  The draw for tomorrow is —

No.1 tee: Team Turf, Lexi’s Swingers.

No.2: Draggnett, Hook & Slice.

No.3: Sugar Nightclub, White Haulage.

No.4: BDO, Gis Int 1.

No.5: Gis Int 2, City Lights.

No.10: Up The Pars, G-Force.

No.11: 2 Lemon, Zach & the Hacks.

No.12: Fulton Hogan, Rock Apes.

No.16: Pioneer Seeds, Team Xtreme.

COMING UP: SATURDAY, Reynolds and associated cups qualifying round, top eight qualify for Reynolds Cup, 9-16 for Willock Cup, 17-24 for Low Bros Cup, 25-32 for Lunken Cup, enter at pro shop; SUNDAY, Bull Cup men’s teams’ aggregate stableford, teams of four, all stableford scores count, enter at pro shop.

Electrinet Park

The combined forces of Jason Devery and Matt Henwood proved too powerful in the Pairs Special 6s stableford on Sunday.

The Special 6s was a 3x6-hole competition in which pairs added their stableford points together for the first six holes, multiplied their points for the second six and took the best-ball stableford for the third six.

The Devery/Henwood combo won with 71 points — Devery making birdies on the first, second and third holes in his 75 off the stick — with Zane Boyle and John Collier Sr second on 67 and Bailey Matoe and Brad Reynolds third on 63.

SUNDAY —  Pairs special 6s stableford: M Henwood/J Devery 71, Z Boyle/J Collier Sr 67, B Matoe/B Reynolds 63, G McKinnon/M Emery 62.

Twos: J Devery, D Craven, M Henwood, J Hayes.

Approach: A Pahina.

Long drive: C Christophers.

Birdie board: M Christophers, J Devery.

THURSDAY (Feb 15) — Gordon’s Pharmacy 9-hole stableford: J Lloyd 22, B Rogers 22.

Long drive: Beau Toa.

Approach: C Christophers.

Monkey on the back: J McCafferty.

Simulator Challenge winner: C Fox.

Te Puia Hot Springs

Mikaera Aurupa set the men’s pace in Round 1 of the Jo Hale Memorial series on Sunday.

Aurupa fired 78-19-59 to be three shots clear of a consistent Mark Higham, who had 12 pars and six bogeys in his 72-10-62.

Hiria McClutchie’s 88-21-67 topped the women.

SUNDAY — Jo Hale Memorial, Round 1, men’s net: M Aurupa 78-19-59, M Higham  72-10-62, P Harrison 91-28-63.

Twos: D Cook, P Harrison.

Women’s net: H McClutchie  88-21-67.

COMING UP: SATURDAY, working bee.

Tolaga Bay

Pete Stevenson eased to victory in the stableford on Sunday.

Stevenson had matching nines of 47 in his 94-27-67, for 37 points.

SUNDAY — P Stevenson 37, R Castle 34, W Reedy 33, T Higgs 33.

Waikohu

Te Rata Ritchie and Aaron Coker filled the top two spots in the men’s stableford on Sunday but had to settle for second-best in their men’s pairs match.

Ritchie won with 38 points on  countback from Coker, but the pair were beaten by Kahu Tamanui and Tom Smith.

Sonny Ritchie and Richard Reeves beat Tama Brown and Larry Green in the other pairs clash.

Val Grace won the women’s putting on 29.

SUNDAY — Men’s stableford: T Ritchie 38, A Coker 38, T Brown 36, T Smith 35.

Women’s putting: V Grace 29, C Te Rito 33, P Rutene 33, E Wynyard 34.

Twos: Karauria Ruru

Men’s pairs competition: K Tamanui/T Smith def T Ritchie/A Coker, S Ritchie/R Reeves def T Brown/L Green, P Milner/K Ruru bye.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, meeting at 9.30am, men’s pairs (P Milner/K Ruru v R Reeves/S Ritchie; Te Rata Ritchie / Aaron Coker v Larry Green / Tama Brown, K Tamanui/ T Smith bye), LGU, stableford and putting.

Women’s pennants

Patutahi earned maximum points with a dominant host club performance in the opening round of the Poverty Bay women’s interclub pennants on Saturday.

The ’Tahi posted a team net total of 281 led by Sheree Gray’s 65 and backed up by Denise Johnston (70), Shelley Robertson (71) and Helen Pomana (75).

The home-course crew were 17 shots better than second-placed Te Puia Hot Springs, whose team featured Patutahi fill-in Materoa Philip.

Aomihi Cook’s 70 was the best of the Springs’ four.

Mahia were third on 303, with Renee Hiko’s 70 their top  individual score.

Birgitt Whyte (net 67) was the stand-out for Poverty Bay who were fourth on 307.

Taina Paku (73) anchored Wairoa’s fifth-placed total of 314.

Electrinet Park were sixth on 319 — Jean Foot’s 74 their lowest net score.

Teams earn points from six for first down to one for sixth over the pennants series.

Round 2 is at Te Puia Hot Springs on March 2.

Results — Poverty Bay women’s pennants, Round 1 (net): Patutahi 281 (Sheree Gray 65; Denise Johnston 70; Shelley Robertson 71; Helen Pomana 75).

Te Puia Hot Springs 298 (Aomihi Cook 70; Materoa Philip 74; Pauline Summersby 75; Hiria McClutchie 79).

Māhia 303 (Renee Hiko 70; Janet Muir 76; Maria Wesche 77; Susie Adam 80).

Poverty Bay 307 (Birgitt Whyte 67; Pen Wanklyn 79; Mary Allan 80; Maxine Francois 81).

Wairoa 314 (Taina Paku 73; Tina Duncan 77; Maureen Pickles 79; Louise Tana 85).

Electrinet Park 319 (Jean Foot 74; Karen Hay 78; Carolyn Carpendale 83; Carney Pipi 84).

Māhia

Māhia is holding a mixed foursomes and men’s stableford competition on Saturday.

Entry fee includes a meal.

Tee-off is 11am after a cup of tea from 10am.

Inquiries to Maraea

027-229-2342.