"Great weather, great vibes" was the call at the Patutahi Ladies Open on Saturday, which also featured Round 1 of the Tairāwhiti women's interclub pennants.
Kim Torrez put a couple of Bay of Islands centuries well and truly behind her with a personal-best performance in the Patutahi Ladies Open on Saturday.
Torrez, fresh from two 100+ scores at the Bay of Islands Golf Club course in Kerikeri, put together the round of the day to win the overall net with 87-25-62 - her official first-ever sub-90 performance after going close in December (91).
The tournament was also the first round of the Tairāwhiti women’s interclub pennants and Elaine Westwood flew the Mahia flag high in not only winning the Division 1 Stableford with 40 points, but also her pennants match.
Likewise, Te Puia Hot Springs’ Robyn Ngatai, who won the Division 2 Stableford with 39 points and her pennants game.
Holly Miller was the pick of the Electrinet Park crew, who were the inaugural winners of the prize for the most players to enter from a visiting club. Miller won the Division 2 net with 99-30-69.
The other major winners were all host course members - Sheree Gray (Division 1 gross, 86); Frances Tupara (Division 2 net, 67) and Jill Smith (Division 2 gross, 97).
Patutahi women’s club captain Kennedy Sarich summed the day up succinctly: “Great weather, great vibes”.
Reigning senior men’s club champion Hukanui Brown took full advantage of a gross prize being introduced to the Sunday club competition in the build-up to the men’s interclub pennants series.
Brown won the Division 1 gross with an even-par 70 that included him driving the 320m par-4 16th and sinking a 2m putt for eagle.
But arguably Brown’s shot of the round came on the 276m fifth hole where he launched a drive into the neighbouring paddock, his ball hooking back around large trees down the right side of the hole and ending up on the green ... he has been renamed ‘Hook-a-nui’ Brown.
Shannon Toa struck the jackpot with an eagle-3 on the first and a two on the sixth while son Beau won the Division 1 net with 76-11-65 on countback from Sel Pohatu’s 73-8-65.
SUNDAY - Women’s gross: D. Johnston 86.
Women’s net: K. Sarich 73.
Division 1 men, gross: H. Brown 70.
Net: Beau Toa 65, S. Pohatu 65, S. Toa 67, D. Wilson 68.
Division 2 men, gross: M. Broad 82.
Net: J. Phillips 67, G. Watson 67, C. Brown 69, G. Holland 70.
Twos: S. Toa, S. Pohatu, H. Brown, G. Brown.
Eagles: H. Brown (on 16), S. Toa (on 10).
Jackpot: S. Toa.
SATURDAY - Patutahi women’s open, overall net: K. Torrez 62.
Division 1, gross: S. Gray 86.
Stableford: E. Westwood 40.
Net: F. Tupara 67, K. Sarich 70, D. Brown 75, L. Tana 76.
Division 2, gross: J. Smith 97.
Stableford: R. Ngatai 39.
Net: H. Miller 69, A. Tamanui-Nunn 73, L. Haisman 74, P. Gayford 74.
Approaches: M. Colebourne, R. Ngatai.
Long drives: K. Sarich, R. Chesley.
Twos: V. McQueen.
Visitor club with most players entered: Electrinet Park.
FRIDAY - Meat pack 9-hole Stableford, Division 1: T. Brodie 20, T. Sharp 20, N. Bunting 19, C. Parker 19, L. Anania 18.
Division 2: D. Somerton 23, J. Blair 21, C. Harris 20, D. Tarry 20, K. Sarich 20, A. Haisman 19.
He started with a birdie. He ended with a birdie. And in between wasn’t too bad either as Willie Mortleman led his four to Bull Cup men’s team glory on Sunday.
Mortleman, Pete Anderson, Tairāwhiti Golf president Pete Hakiwai and Colin Simpson won the aggregate Stableford competition with a 144 total - averaging 36 points.
Mortleman had his best round in seven months - 75-5-70, for 38 points - highlighted by his last stroke of the day, a birdie putt “bomb” Anderson put at “74 feet, 4 inches”.
He also birdied the first and 10th, and Anderson highlighted the bogey Mortleman had on 13 after going out of bounds, through the back of the green and slotting a 27-foot putt.
Hakiwai shot 81-10-71, for 37; Simpson 82-10-72, for 36; and Anderson 77-2-75, for 33.
The winners finished three points ahead of Ross Gibson (37), Tony Akroyd (36), Mark Karalus (34) and Lindsay Hunt (34) - Akroyd’s round of 73 featuring 15 pars.
Stefan Andreassen also had 15 pars in his 73-5-68, for 40 points - the equal-top individual score of the day alongside Brad Morgan’s 78-10-68, for 40.
Father and son Waiti and Kymani Tamatea filled the top two spots in qualifying for the Reynolds Cup men’s matchplay on Saturday, but the defending champion was back-seat close in their rear-view mirror.
Kymani, who beat his dad in the junior men’s club championship final last year, grabbed the No 1 spot in the Reynolds Cup top 8 with a scintillating 75-11-64 that slashed his handicap index from 10.5 to 8.3.
Waiti was second with 83-17-66 while reigning champion Pat Butler was third with an impressive 75-8-67.
Vance Richardson (80-11-69), Jacob Leaf (80-10-70), Matt Henwood (74-2-72), Clive Dean (86-13-73) and Colin Simpson (85-11-74) completed the eight.
The rest of the field will contest subsidiary trophies.
In Saturday’s first round of matchplay, top seed Kymani faces Colin Simpson, who has already won two club trophies this year. But the match of the day could be the bottom-of-the-table battle of the brothers - Mike v Craig Christophers.
Former Poverty Bay club pro and manager Dave Keown was on caddy duty for defending champion Tyler Hodge at the New Zealand PGA on the Paraparaumu Beach links. Left-hander Hodge, who is engaged to top Gisborne golfer Tessa McDonald, finished fifth-equal on 2-over 282 (73, 72, 65, 72) - eight shots adrift of winner Austen Truslow of the United States.
WEDNESDAY - Women’s Stableford: P. Gayford 38, L. Thompson 35.
Twos: M. Allen.
Sue Bunt Salver 9-hole women’s net: L. Fletcher 33, S. Armstrong 34, V. Meade 35, J. Newman 35.
MONDAY - Women’s net: L. Holmberg 76.
SUNDAY - Bull Cup men’s teams’ aggregate Stableford, overall winners: W. Mortleman/P. Anderson/P. Hakiwai/C. Simpson 144.
Twos: M. Henwood, J. Finch, G. Clapham.
Nearest to pin: J. Finch.
SATURDAY - Reynolds Cup qualifying round (men’s net), top qualifier: K. Tamatea 64.
Twos: T. Akroyd.
Nearest to pin: T. Akroyd.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, March 15, Mixed Pairs Open, featuring DJ Barry Jug (net) and Toogood Jug (Stableford), fundraiser for clubhouse upgrades, enter at pro shop, club will organiser partner if required.
It’s tight at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the DCL Cup men’s net series.
Derek Craven set the early pace in the three-round series, thanks to his 85-15-70, but breathing down his neck are Tony Leggett (92-21-71) and Anthony Pahina (76-5-71).
Leggett would have been in the No 1 slot but for a quadruple-bogey 9 on the ninth.
THURSDAY (Feb 19) - Novus Glass Twilight Stableford, Division 1: K. Tamatea 22.
Division 2: C. Rohe 26, J. Cunningham 25.
Long drive: D. Davis-Nepe.
Nearest the pin: J. Collier Jnr.
Monkey on the back: T. Beattie.
Karauria Ruru had one of those rare dream golfing days that brought him double the delight on Sunday.
Ruru shot a sensational 3-over 73-9-64 to win the men’s net and along the way defeated Blair Crawshaw in their men’s Handicap Singles match.
All golfing roads lead Te Karaka way this Saturday for the Turanga Health Waikohu Men’s Open.
This year’s edition will feature a special novelty challenge - the Tama Brown Longest Drive Lefty - in honour of the long-time club member who passed away in December.
SUNDAY - Men’s net: K. Ruru 64, K. Tamanui 67, R. Reeves 72, P. Milner 74, L. Green 77.
Women’s putting: A. Reeves 24, C. Te Rito 27, E. Wynyard 27, V. Grace 29
Twos: R. Reeves 2, A Reeves, E. Wynyard.
Men’s Handicap Singles: I. Ruru def T. Reeves, L. Green def K. Tamanui, P. Milner def T. Smith, K. Ruru def B. Crawshaw, R. Reeves def E. Reeves.
Women’s Handicap Singles: C. Te Rito def M. Tuapawa, V. Grace def P. Rutene
COMING UP: SATURDAY, Turanga Health Waikohu Men’s Open, cup of tea from 10am, tee-off 11am, contact Karauria Ruru 0274041752; SUNDAY, March 1, LGU, Stableford and putting.
The new-look Tairāwhiti women’s interclub pennants got off to a great start with multiple matchplay thrillers at Patutahi on Saturday.
The first round of the pennants, this year being played under matchplay format, was held as part of the Patutahi Ladies Open.
Seven clubs are competing. The host club for each round gets a bye and banks the maximum 10 points. Competing clubs on the day get two points for each individual win, two for a team win, and one for an individual half or team draw.
Each team comprises one senior, one intermediate, one junior and one open player.
On Saturday, Waikohu defeated Poverty Bay 8-2, Mahia beat Te Puia Hot Springs 8-2 and Wairoa and Electrinet Park drew 5-all.
All but one of the 12 matches went to the 17th hole at least. Six went to the 18th, two of those ending in halves.
Patutahi, in getting the 10 points as hosts, lead the competition by two points from Mahia and Waikohu.
Round 2 is at Te Puia Hot Springs on March 7.
Results, Round 1 - Mahia 8 Te Puia Hot Springs 2 (Mahia names first): Senior - Maria Wesche def Hiria McClutchie 2-up; Intermediate - Elaine Westwood def Pauline Summersby 3 and 2; Junior - Renee Hiko lost to Robyn Ngatai 3 and 2; Open - Viv Kyle def Iritana Ngarimu 1-up.
Wairoa 5 Electrinet Park 5: Senior - Louise Tana lost to Carney Pipi 1-down; Intermediate - Dardie Brown def Pat Johansen 8 and 7; Junior - June Underhill halved with Wai Miller; Open - Tina Duncan halved with Jo Kerr.
Waikohu 8 Poverty Bay 2: Senior - Ella Wynyard def Marg Colebourne 3 and 2; Intermediate - Cheryl Te Rito lost to Peri Gayford 2 and 1; Junior - Audrey Tamanui-Nunn def Teresa Lewis 2 and 1; Open - Penny Rutene def Pen Wanklyn 1-up.
Kahu Waitoa and Mikaera Aurupa claimed the honours in rounds 1 and 2 of the Jo Hale Memorial Trophy series.
Aurupa’s 73-10-63 two Sundays ago won Round 1.
Waitoa shot 79-14-65 last Sunday to top Rounds 2 on countback from Willy Mannering’s 86-21-65 while Peter Ngarimu carded 90-24-66.
Ian Logan had a two.
A working bee is being held on Saturday as the club looks to a busy first weekend of March, featuring the Te Puia Hot Springs women’s open and Round 2 of the Tairāwhiti women’s interclub pennants on March 7, and the club’s open opening day on March 8.