GOLF ROUNDUP

An unwelcome water feature at the Electrinet Park course. Once again flooding forced the closure of the course which has been hammered this year. The water table is so high it only takes moderate rainfall to cause flooding. And its members, understandably, are well over it. Unfortunately, rain is predicted every day to Tuesday which MetService forecasts will be partly cloudy with light winds.All other courses in the district have been heavily affected. There was no weekend play at Te Puia Springs, Patutahi, Waikohu and the Park. Tahunga remains closed following severe silt damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and as members continue repair and recovery work on their farms and infrastructure. Picture by Pete Tamatea

POVERTY BAY

Phil Allan didn’t know he and partner Chris Shaw were the No.1 seeds for the 2023 Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup men’s pairs until told three days after qualification.

“What? Top qualifiers? How’s that, eh?” the scaffolding company director said in disbelief.

Playing in Poverty Bay’s premier men’s pairs event for the first time,  Allan and architect Shaw topped a field of 40 pairs in probably the worst weather in the event’s 72-year history.

Those with later tee times had to endure flooded  greens at the end of their rounds, with at least a couple of pairs raising the white flag and trudging off without completing 18 holes.

Greenkeeper Rowan Clark, who started his golf as a teenager at the Bay over 45 years ago, took a photo of the large dip near the end of the 15th fairway filled with water as it was the first time he had ever seen this.

Allan, off a 26-handicap, and Shaw (18) were among the latter groups but battled their way to the finish line.

In conditions which only the sand-based soil of the Awapuni Links course could handle, they posted a predictably low best-ball stableford of 41 points — six points worse than the top scorer last year — to snatch the No.1 seeding on countback from Lee “Polly” Pollitt and Keith Daniels.

Pollitt had 40 points on his own but Daniels insisted his one-point was vital.

Allan said the secret to his success — he shot an admirable 100-26-74 — was his “15th” club; a hip flask of whisky, with shots administered when required.

Men’s club captain Andy Hayward and Mark Stewart  — champions in 2021 — qualified third on 40, followed by Collin Jeffrey and Brent Colbert on 39 on countback from Vance Richardson and Cliff Poole, who had 24 points for their opening nine.

Defending champions Peter Clayton and Mark Hunt comfortably made the top 32 cut-off with 35 points. However, a couple of former BG championship-winning combos failed at the first hurdle.

With 2017-winning partner Neil Mackie absent, Paul Mullooly was one of a handful of players who had to qualify on their own. His measly 22 points relegated them to the BG Plate.

Darryl Grant, winner in 2009 (with Dan Cook) and 2019 (with Arthur Bacon), rekindled the Grant/Cook combo, but they staggered to 24 points and out of the running.

Another two-time winner, Bill Allen, who with Roy Skuse won it in 1980 and again in 2016 — a 36-year between-drinks achievement unlikely to be surpassed — also missed the cut, partnered for the second year running with son Mike. Bill qualified on his own last year.

The 32nd qualifiers were Carl Carmody and Dean Robertson, who limped off the 18th green thinking there was no way they were going to make it.

Performance of the day came from Tim Sherratt who, minus partner Mark Gemmell, qualified on his own — his 36 points good enough for 16th spot.

For the second year running, Bruce Talbot had to go solo in qualifying.

This time he got there with 32. Partner Anthony Battistella will be back for the first round of matchplay.

Shot of the day was Deevon Gray’s gap wedge on the par-3 sixth hole — his ball hitting the flagstick and ending a foot away from an ace.

The first round of matchplay is on Saturday. Rain and strong easterlies are predicted. So too are upsets.

TUESDAY —Veterans’ stableford:  R Wells 71,  C Christie 71, B Morrissey 72, S Phillips 73,  T Goldsmith 73.

SATURDAY — Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup men’s pairs qualifying, twos: M Stewart, D Gray, B Colbert, G Kemp, B Anderson.

Approach: D Gray.

THURSDAY (June 15) — Thursday Throne men’s par: H Johanson +1, B Williams sq, P Butler sq, H Williams sq, M Thomas sq, S Andreassen sq, P Graham -1 .

Twos: K Houkamau.

Approach: P Graham.

The first round of matchplay in the Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup men’s pairs is on SATURDAY. The draw is — No.1 tee, 10.45am: P Allan/C Shaw v D Robertson/C Carmody. 10.53: K Summersby/S Boyd v T Sherratt/M Gemmell. 11.01: K Marshall/N Jones v Snake Chalmers/G Hawea. 11.09: N West/R Foon v S Andreassen/B Anderson. 11.17: V Richardson/C Poole v B Brown/R Gibson. 11.25: M Parkes/Partner v S Harbottle/A Abrahams. 11.33: J Van Helden/R Owen v M Hunt/P Clayton. 11.41: J Williams/C Dean v B Colbert/C Jeffrey. 11.49: P Wauchop/J McGregor v L Foster/C Bauld. 11.57: P Goodwin/C Hensley v D Cook/D Grant.

No.10 tee, 10.45am: A Hayward/M Stewart v K Goldsmith/T Goldsmith. 10.53: C Taewa/L Hewson v P Graham/W Mortleman. 11.01: D Griffin/G Brown v C Christie/D Bush. 11.09: B Talbot/A Battistella v H Williams/P Butler. 11.17: F Ball/P Hakiwai v R Fletcher/G Kemp. 11.25: W Brown/R Clark v Z Rolls/M Gray. 11.33: D Gray/C Christophers v S Berezowski/S Francks. 11.41: G Morley/R Young v K Daniels/L Pollitt. 11.49: B Allen/M Allen v M Callagham/M Jefferson. 11.57: M Smith/B Read v P Mullooly/N Mackie.

TOLAGA BAY

His only birdie proved the difference for Bruce Yates in the stableford on Sunday.

Yates fired 74-4-70, for 34 points, including a birdie on the second hole, to win by one point from four others — Maioha Waru, Taine Lincoln, Rongo Pomana and Mark Watts.

SUNDAY — Stableford: B Yates 34, M Waru 33, Taine Lincoln 33, R Pomana 33, M Watts 33.

Twos: T Higgs.

Approach: M Yates.

PATUTAHI

Friday golfers got their fix before the weather gods slammed and locked the door for weekend hopefuls.

Patutahi remained closed as of yesterday and president Tony Green was not sure when it would reopen.

Lindsay Jamieson (19 pts) and Warwick Stevens (18) won their respective divisions of the Friday meat pack 9-hole stableford.

FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: L Jamieson 19, T Brodie 18, D Russell 17 on c/b.

Junior division: W Stevens 18, S Fookes 18, A Davis 18 on c/b.

WAIKOHU

The Turanga Health Waikohu Men’s Open will not be played at the  rescheduled date of this Saturday.

The club is to look at whether the Open can be played on another date.