Entry numbers are down in the wake of Covid-19 — notably due to the absence of internationals because of travel restrictions — but tournament director Dave Mangan, of NZ Golf, says the quality will be there in spades.
“The field is looking really good,” he said.
“The Aussie guests we would normally have won’t be there but the very best players in the country will be . . . the 10 (currently ranked) best males and 10 best females.”
And Mangan will not be surprised to see some of this talent ultimately follow in the professional swings of the likes of Michael Campbell, Phil Tataurangi, Ryan Fox and Lydia Ko.
Talent like reigning New Zealand men’s amateur champ Samuel Jones (a member of Taranaki’s Manaia club), who recently successfully defended the North Island 72-hole strokeplay with a 7-under total; James Hydes (Gulf Harbour, Auckland), who topped a pro and amateur field to win the Muriwai Open in a playoff in July; and Mako Thompson (Maraenui, Hawke’s Bay), who was second on 11-under to pro Daniel Hillier (13-under) at The Charles Tour Pegasus Open in Christchurch last weekend.
Several of the field are competing at The Charles Tour Carrus Open on the Tauranga course — Hydes was sitting second on 11-under after rounds of 64, 65 while Trent Munn (Manawatu), also coming to Gisborne, shot 8-under 62, 70.
The in-form Darae Chung heads arguably the strongest women’s field to grace the Poverty Bay course in its 127-year history.
Wellington teenager Chung was a runaway winner of the North Island women’s amateur in Whakatane, finishing 10 shots clear of the field, and shot 64, 68 at the Carrus Open yesterday to be the leading female.
Chung’s fellow New Zealand Golf National Development Programme members Fiona Xu (Titirangi) and Vivian Lu (Royal Auckland and Grange) are also among the 23 players who had entered as of yesterday.
The women will be playing off the men’s white tees.
The field also features a few players with famous family connections.
Sam Reese (Gulf Harbour) is the son of 1975 NZ amateur and 1982 NZ PGA champion Stuart Reese, who competed on the European Tour.
Charlie Smail (Walton, Waikato), who won the 2018 NZ Amateur, is the son of David Smail, who had a successful career on the Japan Tour, played in several majors and won the 2001 NZ Open.
Kahu Tataurangi (Remuera) is son of Phil Tataurangi, a member of the famous New Zealand team who won the 1992 Eisenhower Trophy world amateur teams’ title, and winner of the 1996 Australian PGA Championship and the PGA Tour’s Invensys Classic in 2002.
Local golfers might recognise a couple of other names.
Former New Zealand international cricketer Alex Tait (Mangawhai, Northland), who has family in Gisborne, is a two-time winner of the Poverty Bay Open.
James Tauariki (Futures Geyserland, Rotorua) won the 2018 King of the Coast at Tolaga Bay.
Kerry Mountcastle (Masterton) is the son of former Poverty Bay-East Coast representative Paul Mountcastle.
Tim Neill (Matamata), who made the semifinals of the Poverty Bay Open last month and has family ties to Gisborne, has also entered.
The home flag will be flown by several of the district’s top players — Tessa McDonald, Hukanui Brown, Thomas Donovan, Peter Kerekere, Andrew Higham and Poverty Bay greenkeeper and 2020 Poverty Bay Open champion William Brown.
The amateur features 36 holes of qualifying strokeplay, followed by matchplay to decide the champions.
