Their 3 and 2 defeat of Paul Rickard and Brad Morgan in the handicap matchplay final came eight years after they first won it.
Before Sunday’s final, only five pairs in the cup’s 74-year history had been able to do it again and it was fitting Bill Allen was on the course watching Mackie and Mullooly emulate him.
Allen won it with the late Roy Skuse in 1980 and 36 years later (2016), they repeated history – a length-of-time feat you can bet the house on won’t be surpassed.
The referee in Sunday’s final, Duncan Bush, could also relate to it. He won the B.G. Cup with Bruce Carey in 1977 and again with Colin Christie in 2012. And he was referee when Skuse and Allen completed their double.
For Mullooly, it was a fitting final round before undergoing a left-hip replacement operation this week.
Restricted to using a buggy and clearly struggling to get through the ball these days, Mullooly has been relying on his short game, and it was the work around the greens that proved the difference in the final.
Both Mullooly, off an 18-handicap, and Mackie (12) slotted decent-length putts against Rickard (19) and the big-hitting Morgan (12).
With the match all square after four holes, Mackie and Mullooly won the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth holes to be 4-up at the halfway stage.
Rickard birdied the 10th to reduce the deficit to 3-down and later chipped in for a birdie-3 on the 14th, only for Mullooly to sink his birdie putt for the half.
Morgan won the 15th to give them a glimmer of hope at 2-down with three to go, but Mullooly extinguished the comeback flame with a par on 16, getting a shot, for victory.
It was a triumph in teamwork for the “Mackalooly” combo.
Mullooly played four shots under his handicap while the ever-consistent Mackie had nine pars up to when they shook hands.
Morgan and Rickard, who had made the final before but with different partners, can look back on their run with pride.
Last year they top-qualified for the B.G. Cup, only for Morgan to be sidelined with injury after a collision with a car while biking home from the golf club.
It left Rickard having to play the rest of the series on his own – he lost the first match on the 18th – and Morgan undergoing a lengthy period of recovery.
The finalists took contrasting paths to “the Big Show” in Saturday’s semifinals.
Mackie and Mullooly played Richard Foon on his own as his partner, Neville West, was out of town.
Foon and West had been on a giant-killing roll after qualifying 32nd and bottom. It ended when Foon pulled out of the semifinal at 2-down after four holes – giving Mullooly and Mackie a “2 and 14″ win.
Rickard and Morgan were 3-up with three holes to play against Chris Shaw and Phil Allan, who proceeded to win all three to send the semi to a sudden-death playoff.
Five holes later, a Morgan par got them home after both pairs had chances to win.
Sunday also featured subsidiary trophy finals.
Greenkeeper Collin Jeffrey and Chris Taewa, the 2024 Barns-Graham champs, defeated course superintendent Rowan Clark and Simon Jeune 3 and 1 in the Bryan Cup final.
Brothers Mike and Craig Christophers defeated John Grant and 84-year-old Joe Green 4 and 3 in the Barns-Graham Plate final.
It was the first time in many years Grant and Green had played in a club event.
“Nothing’s changed,” Grant said as he supped a rum and coke among the 19th-hole hardcore later that afternoon.
TUESDAY – Veterans’ Stableford: P. Dow 35, L. Own 35, C. Hensley 35, C. Dean 33, R. Fletcher 33, G. Pellett 32.
Twos: G. Marchbank, P. Dow, C. Hensley, T. Goldsmith.
SUNDAY – Men’s Stableford, division 1: D. Pirimona 38, D. Bullivant 37, B. Anderson 36, M. Norman 36, A. Hayward 36.
Division 2: R. Chalmers 36, L. Pollitt 32, L. Hewson 32.
Twos: C. Carmody, C. Simpson, A. White.
Approach: C. Simpson.
SATURDAY – Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup and associated cups semifinals, twos: J. Jenner (eagle on 14), S. Jeune, C. Jeffrey.
Approach: M. Christophers.
THURSDAY (July 10) – Thursday Throne men’s par: K. Goldsmith +3, A. White +2, M. Wright +2, M. Dodgshun +2, A. Hayward +1, A. Kirkpatrick +1.
Twos: J. Van Helden, M. Wright.
Approach: M. Wright.
Electrinet Park
One thing is certain when the Te Kanawa Cup men’s pairs finalists go head to head to decide the 2025 champions on Sunday ... they won’t be holding back.
Mike Christophers, brother Craig Christophers and Matt Henwood hit the ball hard and they hit it long.
“Mikey is bombing his driver,” Henwood said recently, although it was a little wild when Mike Christophers played with Craig Christophers in the final of the Barns-Graham Plate at Poverty Bay on Sunday.
They won that comfortably and one of them will make it two trophies in a week when Mike Christophers and Mat Downie face Craig Christophers and Henwood in Sunday’s Te K Cup handicap matchplay final.
Craig Christophers and Henwood know how to win it, having lifted the trophy in 2021.
But they’ll be giving a few shots this Sunday, particularly to 19-handicapper Downie, who could be the key factor.
The Christophers weren’t getting into a sibling war of words after their win at the Bay.
Craig Christophers only had compliments for his brother and Downie – choosing not to poke the bear.
The final tees off at 9.20am and follows the subsidiary trophy finals.
The Fletcher Cup at 9am pits Heath Tupara and Michael Bond against Adrian Wyrill and Tane McGuire.
The Turanganui Cup final at 9.10am features James Witika and Steve Phillips against Junior Akurangi and Tim Beattie.
COMING UP: AUGUST 30-31, Treemarkables Men’s Strokeplay 54 Hole Open, 18 holes then 9 holes on day 1, 9 holes then 18 holes on day 2, inquiries/entries to golf club (06)8679849 or email competitions@gpgc.co.nz.
Patutahi
Ashley Hindmarsh is on a roll.
He followed up two rounds of 80 with a 79 off his 11-handicap on Sunday to win division 1 of the men’s Stableford last Sunday.
A quadruple 8 on the 10th was the only blemish in his 39-point effort, one ahead of Lyall Anania’s 73-5-68, for 38.
Mitch Forrest won division 2 with 36 and Denise Johnston won the women’s section with 34.
SUNDAY – Men’s Stableford, division 1: A. Hindmarsh 39, L. Anania 38, J. Neilson 37, Beau Toa 36, R. Pardoe 36.
Division 2: M. Forrest 36, G. Holland 35, M. Broad 35, L. Jamieson 35.
Women’s Stableford: D. Johnston 34.
Twos: D. Williams.
Jackpot: D. Williams.
FRIDAY – Meat pack 9-hole Stableford, division 1: R. Hindmarsh 19, Beau Toa 18, A. Nimmo 18, Blue Toa 17, N. Hansen 17.
Division 2: G. Roadley 20, D. Tarry 18, K. Dodgshun 18, J. Tietjen 17.
Te Puia Hot Springs
James Forrester and Iritana Ngarimu were the victors on a lovely winter’s day of golf at the Springs on Sunday.
Forrester won the men’s Stableford with 80-16-64, for 38 points.
Ngarimu’s 96-27-69 won round 2 of the President’s Cup while Pauline Summersby’s 30 putts topped the LGU.
SUNDAY – Men’s Stableford: J. Forrester 80-16-64, 38; K. Waitoa 82-15-67, 35.
Women’s President’s Cup round 2 and LGU: I. Ngarimu 96-27-69, 31 putts; H. McClutchie 95-20-75, 35 putts.
LGU (putting): P. Summersby 30.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Women’s President’s Cup final round, club committee meeting 10.30am.
Waikohu
Karauria Ruru’s best round in three-and-a-half years won the men’s net-minus-Stableford competition on Sunday.
Ruru fired a homeward nine of 1-under 34 in his 76 off the stick, and he posted net-66-minus-40-points for a winning total of 26.
Audrey Tamanui-Nunn’s 78-30-48 topped the women.
SUNDAY - Net-minus-Stableford, men: K. Ruru 66-40-26, Tom Smith 68-38-30, K. Tamanui 74-32-42.
Women: A. Tamanui Nunn 78-30-48, E. Wynyard 78-30-48, M. Tuapawa 80-30-50, V. Grace 80-28-52.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, all-irons competition.
Tolaga Bay
Rewi Castle made it two Sunday wins on the trot.
Castle shot 81-16-65 to head off a trio on 69.
SUNDAY – Net competition: R. Castle 65, B. Yates 69, R. Waru 69, D. Maitai 69.
Putting: B. Yates 26.
Twos: R. Waru, R. Paora.
Approach: R. Paora.
