Golf roundup

Forty-three proved the magic number as player dominated course in arguably the most popular tournament of the year on Sunday.

The Poverty Bay carpark was filled as a field of around 144 vied for vouchers in the Taste One First Light Frozen Christmas Hams open.

A friendly course and summer conditions suggested Awapuni Links would be at the mercy of the players, and they obliged.

All but one division was won with 43 points.

Leigh Fletcher (102-34-68) won the women’s stableford with 43 on countback from Di Sherrratt (104-37-67) with Penny Shaw third on 42.

The “Tiki Toas” transferred their Te Kanawa Cup men’s pairs success at Gisborne Park earlier in the year to the Bay fairways. Shannon Toa’s 78-13-65, for 43, was the top score of the day while son Beau won the junior men’s division with 94-27-67 for 41 — a personal best.

While struggling at Electrinet Park’s Christmas hams tournament the previous weekend, Ross “Gibbo” Gibson proclaimed, “it’s going to be a vegetarian Christmas”.

Not so. He won the senior men’s stableford with a brilliant 74-9-65 for 43 while Park teenager Zach Rolls fired 75 forf 41.

John Kerekere’s 43-point effort was edged for top honours on countback.

Brian Morrissey had 42, Phil Grogan and Mark Tilley 41 and there were a bunch of players on 40 including Graeme Eriksen, whose 106 was his low score of the year.

The best gross of the day came from William Brown, who fresh from leading Poverty Bay-East Coast to 11th place at the men’s national interprovincial, carded 3-under 69 off his +2 handicap. He had seven birdies.

TUESDAY — Poverty Bay veterans’ stableford: J Holmes 40, J Aitchison 37, P Reid 37, R Veall 37, K Marshall 37.

Twos: B Morrissey.

SUNDAY — Taste One First Light Frozen Christmas Hams Tournament, women’s stableford: L Fletcher 43, D Sherratt 43, P Shaw 42, M Shanks 40, C Kora 40, S Eriksen 40, M Allan 40, L Brown 39, M Francois 39, S Johnstone 38, P Gayford 38 on c/b from M Marino 38.

Senior: R Gibson 43, Z Rolls 41, A Kirkpatrick 39, C Taewa 39, N Whyte 38, M Callaghan 38, J Devery 38, T Adamson 38, M Henwood 37, W Brown 37 on c/b from A Hayward, P Hakiwai.

Intermediate: S Toa 43, J Kerekere 43, B Morrissey 42, P Grogan 41, N Jones 40, M Parkes 40, A Haughey 38, R Norman 38, K Goldsmith 38, T Green 38, D Hall 38, W Mienie 37 on c/b from C Fox, S Francks.

Junior men: B Toa 41, M Tilley 41, R Castle 40, D Price 40, G Eriksen 40, J Holmes 40, J Taylor 40, T Sherratt 39, H Johanson 39, J Leaf 38, K Travers 38, R Johnstone 37 on c/b from L Hayes.

SATURDAY — Men’s stableford, division 1: V Richardson 40, J Situ 39, T Goldsmith 38, D Pirimona 37.

Division 2: M Smith 40, K Travers 38, B Read 37, M O’Dowd 37.

Twos: J Situ, S Andreassen.

Approach: D Jenkins.

THURSDAY (Dec 8) — Men’s stableford, division 1: J Van Helden 38, C Poole 37, T Goldsmith 37, C Dean 37.

Division 2: M Gemmell 39, J Aitchison 37, G Eriksen 37, P Goodwin 36.

Twos: M Thomas, A Abrahams, I Murphy.

Approach: T Sherratt.

Different courses, same results.

Wiki and Brian Morrissey spread the golfing love on Sunday and it ended in mirror-image performances.

While Brian was racking up 42 points and earning the couple a voucher at Poverty Bay’s Christmas Hams tournament, Wiki was emulating his efforts on her home Park track albeit for a lesser reward.

Wiki shot 85-17-68, also for 42 points, to win the stableford. It was her best round in 18 months.

A sub-century is in Dave Te Maro’s sights after he won the men’s stableford on Saturday with 101-33-68 for 40.

SUNDAY — Stableford: W Morrissey 42, G McKinnon 39, D Collier 39, M Emery 39.

Approach: J Foot.

Twos: J Collier Sr.

SATURDAY — Men’s stableford: D Te Maro 40, S Peneha 38.

TUESDAY — Veterans’ stableford: J White 37, P Nepia 37, E Brown 34, P Koorey 33, D Te Maro 33, H Schreiber 33.

Twos: P Koorey.

THURSDAY (Dec 8) — Carters Building Supplies twilight stableford, overall points: R Walford from B Toa.

Approaches: K White (women), C Fox (men).

Men’s long drive: M Christophers.

Non-golfers’ section: D Clark.

Monkey on the back: D Price.

Pauline Summersby and BJ Sidney starred in Te Puia Springs’ Christmas tournament on Saturday.

Summersby won the women’s net with a sizzling 87-27-60, for 44 points.

Sidney’s 79-19-60 won the men’s net.

Mahia’s Trina Smith (81) and Tolaga Bay’s Bruce Yates (75) were the gross winners.

Home-course players Hazel Miratana (37) and James Forrester (39) topped the stablefords.

Fifty-two players from as far away as Opotiki entered.

SATURDAY — Te Puia Springs Christmas tournament, women’s gross: T Smith 81.

Women’s net: P Summersby 87-27-60, 44.

Women’s stableford: H Miratana 87-22-65, 37; R Taiapa 33; D Goldsmith 32; H McClutchie 31; I Ngarimu 31.

Men’s gross: B Yates 75.

Men’s net: BJ Sidney 79-19-60.

Men’s stableford: J Forrester 78-15-63, 39; P Ngarimu 39; B Clark 38; H Rasmussen 37; G Holland 36; T Rangi 35.

Guys ruled in their annual exchange with the Dolls on Saturday.

The matchplay went the way of the Guys — 6-2 — and they also dominated the stableford, averaging 32 to the Dolls’ 29.

Dudley Reeves dominated the individual stableford with 47 points.

SUNDAY — All-in stableford: K Tamanui 37, V Grace 36, L Green 34, C Ruru 32, S Ritchie 31.

SATURDAY — Guys v Dolls, matchplay: Guys 6 Dolls 2.

Stableford (average points): Guys 32.1 Dolls 29.

Individual stableford, men: Dudley Reeves 47, S Ritchie 39, K Tamanui 37, T Smith 35.

Women: A Tamanui-Nunn 30, P Rutene 29, C Te Rito 28, E Wynyard 27.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, mystery competition.

Sheree Gray turned back the clock with a scintillating performance in Sunday’s club competition.

One of Patutahi’s top players in her day, Gray produced her best round in over eight years to win the women’s net with 81-21-60, a performance that chopped her handicap index from 23.8 to 20.2.

Shane Reeves also went low in winning the junior men’s net with 61 while George Brown topped the senior division with 64.

Peter Jex-Blake piled on the points — 25 in all — in the meat pack 9-hole stableford on Friday.

The Patutahi Golf Club AGM is at the clubhouse (175 Wharekopae Road) on Sunday, starting at 10.30am.

SUNDAY — Men’s net, senior division: G Brown 64, C Beattie 64, P Hokianga 68, J Brown 68.

Junior division: S Reeves 61, G Tattersfield 65, C Brown 66, J Blair 69.

Women’s net: S Gray 60, J Smith 66.

Twos: J Brown, G Brown, R Hindmarsh (eagle on 18).

FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: T Green 21, A Nimmo 20, T Brodie 19, L Jamieson 19, M Pohatu 18.

Junior division: P Jex-Blake 25, J Tietjen 22, G Tattersfield 22, C Kirkpatrick 21, D Dodgshun 21.

COMING UP: SATURDAY, Enterprise Motor Group Xmas Hams Tournament, men’s and women’s divisions, 8am and 12 noon start times, other novelties to be revealed on the day, contact George Brown at 0273709869 or horiboy1@xtra.co.nz