RUNNER-UP: Electrinet Park member Tony Akroyd was runner-up to William Brown in the final of the Poverty Bay Open on Saturday. Brown won on the 16th to claim his third PB Open title and deny 2007 champion Akroyd a second.Picture by Paul Rickard
Golf is a game.
The Poverty Bay Open is an experience.
And of the 111 men who competed in the 87th edition of the Open on the Awapuni Links course last week, that experience is likely to bring the bulk of them back for the 88th.
The Open organisational team fronted by club captain Andy Hayward and Stu Harbottle — a club committee member and firm partner in major sponsors Emerre and Hathaway — delivered a tournament from the top shelf.
The foundation of that was an impeccable course produced by a small but dedicated gang of greenkeepers and volunteers.
The man at the helm, chief greenkeeper William Brown, was the star of the show.
Brown won his third Keiha Cup championship 16 title with a 4 and 2 defeat of a gallant Tony Akroyd in the final on Saturday afternoon.
Brown's commitment to his job, the Open and Poverty Bay-East Coast golf in general is unquestionable. His name is on all major men's open golfing trophies in the district and he has represented PBEC for many years. He will rack up his 14th national interprovincial in December before the age of 30.
Akroyd also deserves plaudits. Another loyal servant of rep golf over the years, his route to the final included the scalps of fellow PBEC Masters David Solomann and Anaru Reedy — the defending Open champion.
He will no doubt be hard on himself after some uncharacteristically bad shots in the final — golfers tend to dwell on the negatives — but should remember it more for the positives.
Another shining light from the three days of play was Gisborne Boys' High student Zach Rolls. The left-hander won the third 16 and at the prizegiving was presented the Bill Donnelly Memorial as top junior — note, Bill was a leftie as well. Rolls continues to develop and there is a space on the Keiha Cup waiting for his name.
Locally connected Russley teenager Lochie Horne is another to watch for in the future.
At the other end of the age spectrum, praise should be heaped on top 16 qualifiers Bruce Wilson, aged 67, and Tim Mackie, 71.
Kinloch's Wilson went through an intensive recovery from shoulder surgery, which included him setting up a chin-up bar at home. That determination resulted in him being able to swing a club again and second seed Craig Van Der Nagel was among his Open victims.
Mackie has played at the Open for decades. Off his 9-handicap, he wasn't expecting to be mixing it with the big boys in the top 16, but after grabbing the 16th spot in qualifying, he showed plenty of fighting spirit.
Country courses are famous for their hospitality. Poverty Bay and the sponsors emulated this with manaakitanga that included a complementary pitch repairer for every player, filled rolls for lunch and meals each night after play, including a wonderful hakari on Friday.
On the course were a team of volunteers ranging from referees to spotters — Sally Spence, stationed on the third tee, saw shots of PGA Tour quality through to the head of a driver rolling down the tee box after the club jettisoned from angry hands.
Match of the tournament? Hard to go past the first eight holes of the championship final — birdies on the first five, a birdie apiece on the eighth.
Jak Rowe, however, will suggest it was his wallet-fattening victory over John Van Helden in their bunny 16 clash.
Nearly half of the field were visitors and one of the more colourful of them was Tyrell Peak — a tropical-shirt-wearing, affable Canadian chiropractor from the Pupuke course, who launched space rockets off the tee that were either scared straight or sent into Borneo jungle depths.
Asked if he would return in 2023, Peak spoke for most of the field when he replied “for sure”.
■ Her best round since December 2019 led Anne Witters and Fay Pell to a convincing win in the women's drawn pairs stableford yesterday.
Senior women's club champion Witters fired 81-15-66 as she and Pell racked up 83 points.
WEDNESDAY — Women's drawn pairs stableford: A Witters/F Pell 83; M Allan/T Lewis 78.
Twos: M Francois, D Kirkpatrick.
Sunday— Men's stableford, division 1: B Morgan 39, B Colbert 38, B Morrissey 36.
Division 2: G Marchbank 35, R Chalmers 32.
Twos: B Morgan, R Chalmers, N Jones.
Approach: B Morgan.
SATURDAY — Emerre and Hathaway Poverty Bay Men's Open (from Poverty Bay unless otherwise indicated), championship 16, Keiha Cup first 16 final: William Brown (Waikohu) def Tony Akroyd (Electrinet Park).
Consolation: Glenn Morley from Dwayne Russell (Patutahi).
Flight 1: Craig Van Der Nagel (Te Puke).
Flight 2: Robert Cooper (Waikanae).
Second 16, Barrington Miller trophy final: Dave Jenkins from Bruce Yates (Tolaga Bay).
Consolation: Ed Nolloth (Temuka) from Pete Stewart (Park),
Flight 1: Neil Mackie.
Flight 2: Torban Landl (Wairakei International).
Third 16, final: Zach Rolls (Park) def Jeremy Tucker (Mt Maunganui).
Consolation: Cedric Wallis (Waikanae) from David Sharp.
Flight 1: Andy Hayward.
Flight 2: Alex Kirkpatrick.
Fourth 16, final: Chris Coleman (Hastings) from Grant Pollard (Karori).
Consolation: Lochie Horne (Russley) from Dean Robertson.
Flight 1: Tim Adamson (Tol Bay).
Flight 2: Chris Taewa.
Fifth 16, final: Richard Foddy (Hast) from John Smith (Hawke's Bay).
Consolation: Glen Udall from Andy Kupa (Hast).
Flight 1: Russell Kane (Rangitikei).
Flight 2: John Van Helden.
Sixth 16, final: John Pittar from Gray Clapham.
Consolation: Nigel Jones from Khan Rogers (Waimairi Beach).
Flight 1: Ross Chalmers.
Flight 2: Matt McKone (Mt M).
Seventh 16, final: Brian Geddes (Waikanae) from Mike Christophers (Park).
Qualifying round 36-hole gross, Scott Plate: Anaru Reedy (Park) 145 (70, 75) from Craig Van Der Nagel (Te Puke) 146 (72, 74).
36-hole net: Reid Fletcher 143 (68, 75) from Sean Shivnan 144 (75, 69).
Ian Logan moved a victory closer to the intermediate men's club championship crown at the weekend.
Logan not only eliminated Peter Ngarimu from the running in their semifinal match, he also won the men's stableford with 40 points and had a two.
He awaits the winner of the other semifinal between Kahu Waitoa and Daryl Goldsmith.
Hiria McClutchie's 29 points was enough to top the women's stableford.
SUNDAY — Women's stableford: H McClutchie 29, I Ngarimu 27, R Ngatai 26, H Miratana 25.
Men's stableford: I Logan 40, D Goldsmith 36, P Ngarimu 34, K Waitoa 34, J Forrester 34.
“It's a Walk in the Park” is the theme of the Carters Building Supplies Thursday twilight 9-hole golf competition, which teed off today.
The weekly event is for golfers from any club, as well as non-golfers.
Prizes on the night include stableford, long drive, closest to the pin and a lucky card, and there is also a putting competition, special prize for a hole-in-one and a birdie board.
The regulars have the chance to qualify for the top 10 shootout held on the final night — the winner pocketing $1000.
And there is also the opportunity to “meet the monkey”, a special “privilege” that goes to the worst score each week.
Tee-off is between 3pm and 6pm although due to the interest from the Park's vets, there will also be a 10am tee-off each week.
Matt Henwood is leading the way in qualifying for the men's shootout final.
Henwood has a net total of 424 for his three best scores off the white tees and three best off the blues.
He is just one shot ahead of James Witika, with Steve Phillips next on 427 and Zane Boyle and Darrel Gregory fourth-equal on 430.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, Greentree Plaque drawn mixed teams competition, register at 9am for 9.30am tee-off, prizegiving to follow.
And then there were four.
The semifinalists of the men's four-ball best-ball matchplay championship were sorted out on Sunday.
Peter “Chopper” Summersby and Brian Tietjen moved into the last four with victory over Eddie Brown Jr and Ashley Hindmarsh in the quarterfinals.
They next face Butch McKenzie and Hamish Harris who disposed of lone soldier Charlie Taylor, whose partner Chris Beattie was married (to Patutahi member Jandy Winiata) at the course the day before.
John Neilson and Lindsay Jamieson ousted John Tietjen and Mason Smith to set up a semifinal against Shane Watson and Mana Pohatu, who beat George Brown and Hukanui Brown.
The semifinals are this Sunday and the final is on October 16.
MONDAY — Voucher day stableford: H Humble 37, J Brown 34, G Brown 33, D Pohatu 33.
SUNDAY — Stableford: G Brown 37, C Parker 35, S Watson 35, J Neilson 34, M Pohatu 33.
Twos: G Brown, S Robertson.
Jackpot: G Brown.
Tolaga Bay
SUNDAY (Sept 18) — Stableford: BJ Sidney 39, J Sheridan 34, R Moleta 34, P Tuapawa 34.
Twos: J Sheridan.