Members of the Mainfreight team walk down the first fairway under dark clouds during week 2 of the Fulton Hogan Friday Ambrose Team Series at the Awapuni Links course last Friday. The six-hole ambrose competition is running for four weeks and features 24 teams of four. Ruff Riders, under fill-in captain Damian Pilitati, won week 2 with a 4-under gross for a net 16.50 - easily the best score so far. Ruff Riders' win put them equal top of the table with Awapuni Links head greenkeeper Rowan Clark's Team Turf on 36.62. The Zach Rolls-led Fore Hackers are third on 37.54. Eddie Brown Jr's The Big M were second in week 2 with 18.46 and Team Turf were third with 18.62. Photo / Chris Taewa
Members of the Mainfreight team walk down the first fairway under dark clouds during week 2 of the Fulton Hogan Friday Ambrose Team Series at the Awapuni Links course last Friday. The six-hole ambrose competition is running for four weeks and features 24 teams of four. Ruff Riders, under fill-in captain Damian Pilitati, won week 2 with a 4-under gross for a net 16.50 - easily the best score so far. Ruff Riders' win put them equal top of the table with Awapuni Links head greenkeeper Rowan Clark's Team Turf on 36.62. The Zach Rolls-led Fore Hackers are third on 37.54. Eddie Brown Jr's The Big M were second in week 2 with 18.46 and Team Turf were third with 18.62. Photo / Chris Taewa
Māhia
Waikohu members' trip to Māhia to support the beachside club’s opening day tournament proved a fruitful one.
Waikohu combinations filled the top three spots in the Canadian mixed pairs Stableford, with Kahu Tamanui and Cheryl Te Rito winning with 43 points from Andrea and Richard Reeves on 42 andMarg Tuapawa and Tipi Ruru also on 42.
Waikohu’s Audrey Tamanui-Nunn and Māhia’s Graham Shapland were fourth on 41.
Bruce Maher won the men’s Stableford with 40 points.
Māhia club president Maraea Wesche said conditions were perfect for “a fantastic day of golf” and she highlighted “the hard work of our dedicated groundskeeper Bernie Crowley”.
“The course was in top condition, boasting well-maintained fairways for those lucky and skilled enough to find them,” she said.
“Visitors and locals alike were treated to warm welcomes, great company, and plenty of laughs ... the day was filled with enjoyment, proving once again that Māhia Golf Club is about more than just the game, it’s about the experience.
“A huge thank you to everyone who participated, helped out and supported the event.”
SATURDAY - Mahia open opening day tournament, Canadian mixed pairs Stableford: K. Tamanui/C. Te Rito 43, A. Reeves/R. Reeves 42, M. Tuapawa/T. Ruru 42, G. Shapland/A. Tamanui-Nunn 41, V. Kyle/H. Campbell 37, T. Smith/S. Adam 37, R. Hiko/D. Waihaki 36.
Men’s Stableford: B. Maher 40, J. Aitchison 37, P. Trow 35, K. Solomon 35, G. Wilson 33, D, Bremner 33, W. Crowley 31.
Twos: R. Hiko/D. Waihaki, A. Reeves/R. Reeves, P. Bremner, B. Maher.
Men’s long drives: W. Reedy, D. Russell.
Women’s long drives: R. Hiko. A. Reeves.
Approaches: G. Shapland (men), P. Rutene (women), R. Hiko/D. Waihaki (Canadian mixed pairs).
Poverty Bay
The day after turning 78, local leftie legend Tene Goldsmith went out and broke his age ... easily.
The “Golden One” fittingly top qualified for the Reynolds Cup men’s handicap matchplay on Saturday with 75-9-66.
He made birdies on the first and second holes, copped a Joseph Parker right with triple bogey 7 on the third but from there mixed two birdies and three pars in his 3-over effort.
It wasn’t his first age-breaker. It won’t be his last.
Goldsmith finished four shots ahead of the field and as No.1 qualifier in the top eight will face brother Kit in the first round.
Others to make the top eight were Keith Marshall (net 70), Kurt Summersby (71), Stephen Francks (71), Cliff Poole (72), Pat Butler (72) and Calum Mackay.
Keith Marshall tasted victory twice with the number 12 on Sunday.
Marshall combined with Carl Carmody, Nigel Jones and Arvin Lawler to win the Bull Cup men’s teams' title.
They posted an aggregate stableford of 148 and two of them were relieved it was not a net competition.
Marshall was only 2-over the card playing the ninth when bunker disaster struck. As he dug his way to China, Marshall was determined to finish the hole and eventually picked his ball out of the hole for a 12.
Men, front 9: B. Tietjen 21, A. Blakeman 19, W. Aupouri 19, B. Marshall 19, B. Talbot 18.
Men, back 9: G. Hannah 21, J. Partington 21, P. Reid 20, L. Beattie 20, J. Chambers 20.
Members of the Bull Cup men's teams' combined stableford at Poverty Bay Golf Club on Sunday are (from left) Carl Carmody, Keith Marshall and Nigel Jones. Absent is Arvin Lawler. Photo / Chris Taewa
Te Puia Hot Springs
Mopey Devery eked out a one-shot win in round 2 of the Jo Hale Memorial series on Sunday.
The former East Coast and Poverty Bay rugby representative shot 84-18-66, one ahead of Henry Rasmussen, James Forrester and Iritana Ngarimu.
Te Puia hosts the second round of the Tairāwhiti women’s pennants this Saturday as part of its women’s open tournament.
Pātūtahi go into round 2 as the early pacesetters.
SUNDAY - Jo Hale Memorial net series, round 2, men: M. Devery 84-18-66, H. Rasmussen 84-17-67, J Forrester 82-15-67, R. Walker 87-19-68.
Women: I. Ngarimu 94-27-67, H. McClutchie 88-19-69.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, Te Puia Hot Springs women’s open plus round 2 of Tairāwhiti women’s interclub pennants.
Pātūtahi
The four-week countdown is on to seal a spot in the men’s 19-hole shootout final.
Lucian Nickerson is sitting pretty at the top of the qualifying board with a best-three-nets total of 260, with Chris Kaa (263) second and Pete “Chopper” Summersby (264) third.
Mike de Luze is precariously placed in 19th on 273 while the likes of Lyal Anania (272) and Cecil Brown (270) are uncomfortably close to the precipice.
Division 2: A. Zame 64, W. Brown 65, D. Williams 65, J. Blair 66, P. Johnston 66 on c/b.
Twos: T. Brodie (eagle on 2), D. Russell, P. Summersby, M. Broad.
Jackpot: M. Broad, P. Summersby.
FRIDAY - Meat pack 9-hole Stableford, division 1: P. Molloy 21, M. Smith 21, G. Brown 20, D. Russell 19, M. Broad 19.
Division 2: G. Maude 21, G. Holland 20, S. Fookes 19, D. Skudder 19, C. Harris 18 on c/b.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, March 22, Patutahi men’s open, including Bryan Johnson Memorial Cup, field limited to 100 players, morning tea followed by 11am tee-off, contact George Brown 0273709869 or horiboy1@xtra.co.nz
A Liverpool-inspired Steve Phillips is gunning for the top seed’s scalp as the Men’s Handicap Cup matchplay competition continues.
Phillips will have done it the hard way if he ends up winning the intermediate division.
Buoyed by his beloved Liverpool’s seemingly unstoppable run at the top of the English Premier League, Phillips started his Handicap Cup campaign in a play-in round – 12 of the 20 players qualified for the round of 16; the other eight face an extra round to sort out the other four spots.
Phillips' 4 and 3 victory over Damian Pilitati set up a round of 16 clash with the No 1 seed Dave Rameka.
James Witika booked himself a spot in the intermediate quarter-finals after beating Riki Reedy.
Phil Nepia defeated Riki’s father Anaru in the only round of 16 senior match played.
