Waka Donnelly (left) and Marcus Gray before heading out to do battle in the senior men's club championship final at Poverty Bay Golf Club on Saturday. Donnelly won on the 36th hole.
You know you have achieved greatness when you are referred to as “an era”.
The “era” of Hukanui Brown continued on Sunday when he won a seventh consecutive senior men’s club championship crown – equalling Tony Burns’ run from 1976-1982.
The Brown juggernaut rolled through Regan Hindmarsh 9 and 8 in the 36-hole match on Finals Day.
Four birdies in the opening seven holes and a three-under 67 for the 18 had Brown 7 up at the halfway mark against Hindmarsh, who beat Shayde Skudder 3 and 2 in their semifinal on Saturday.
Pātūtahi women’s club captain Kennedy Sarich, despite being involved in her own final, kept an eye on proceedings and was able to report to Golf Roundup about the other title matches.
Denise Johnston remained top of the senior women’s pecking order with a 7 and 6 defeat of “an unwell” Shelley Robertson, with putting proving the difference.
Jon Priestley added the 2025 intermediate men’s title to his 2019 win but had to go all the way against Tom Hindmarsh, who fought back from four down after five holes. Priestley led 1 up after 18 and finally finished off his gritty opponent on the 36th.
Experience and the short game proved the difference as Sheree Gray beat Sarich 3 and 2 in the intermediate women’s final. Sarich praised Gray’s approaches and consistent putting and said it showed “that being 60m in front off the drive doesn’t make a difference if you can’t put the ball in the hole”.
Korban Harrison-Allen retained the junior men’s title with a 9 and 8 demolition of Joe Blair – the intermediate or even senior ranks are in the champion’s near future.
The junior women’s final was a battle royal, with Kim Torrez pipping newcomer Frances Tupara 1 up after the pair agreed to give a 36-hole match a go. Tupara only took up the game properly five months ago.
The endeavour men’s 18-hole final went the distance with Chris Harris beating mate John Tietjen 1 up.
SUNDAY – Women’s Stableford: K. Sarich 33, F. Tupara 32, S. Gray 32.
Men’s Stableford: S. Toa 37, T. Green 36, H. Brown 36, J. Brown 36, T. Hindmarsh 35.
Division 2: B. Tietjen 36, C. Harris 36, J. Tietjen 35, C. Kaa 34.
Twos: D. Pohatu, D. Russell.
Eagle on 10: J. Brown.
COMING UP: Saturday, open closing day, men’s and Canadian mixed pairs sections, Ruka Tupara Memorial; Saturday, October 4, Birdies for Boobies Women’s Pink Ribbon tournament, pairs 3x6-hole, novelty prizes and raffles, cup of tea at 8.30am, 9.30am tee-off, wear pink and be in to win. Email ladies.patutahigolfclub@gmail.com or text Charlie on 027 344 2224.
Waka Donnelly stepped back in time on Sunday in winning his second senior men’s club championship title on the Awapuni Links course where he has made his name immortal.
Not only was it 37 years after the now-55-year-old’s first club championship success, the seven-times Poverty Bay Open champion did it against a young man exhibiting similar talent to a teenage Donnelly.
Donnelly defeated 16-year-old Marcus Gray 1 up in a titanic 36-hole duel, not so much for the quality of play but the tension and trading of blows, particularly in the latter stages.
That was encapsulated on the 36th hole, where Donnelly made an up-and-down par for the half after teeing off 1 up.
Donnelly’s second shot from the right rough on the par-4 appeared to have found the bunker, but when he got to his ball it was in thick grass at the bunker and not the sand.
Referee Duncan Bush, after careful inspection, including lifting the ball to see if there was a depression underneath, ruled it was embedded and Donnelly was given a drop.
His decades of experience in pressure-cooker situations helped him finish the job against a worthy adversary.
“He’s a neat young guy,” Bush said of Gray. “He behaved impeccably well throughout the match.”
Left-hander Gray had a couple of early hiccups, which put Donnelly 2 up after five holes, but he won the eighth and ninth holes to square it and a bogey on the 11th was good enough for the Gisborne Boys’ High student to go 1 up.
Donnelly had the only birdie of the morning round – on the 14th – to tie the battle and he went into lunch with a 1-up advantage. That became 2-up when he won the 21st, but Gray hit the par-5 23rd for two and just missed his eagle to reduce his deficit to 1 down.
When Donnelly won the 26th to go back to 2 up, it was the start of a 10-hole run without a half.
Gray won three holes on the trot, including a birdie-3 on the 38th, and from there they traded punches like the end of a Rocky movie.
Bush felt a “turning point” came when Gray three-putted the 32nd for bogey to lose a hole he had a great chance to win.
That drew them level. Donnelly won the 15th, Gray the 16th and Donnelly the 17th to edge 1 up.
Donnelly’s victory came just a week after winning his age group at the Bay of Plenty masters strokeplay in Whakatāne and he is now eyeing a record-equalling eighth Poverty Bay Open title.
Gray, while falling just short, has an exciting future ahead and is set to make his mark on Tairāwhiti’s flagship tournament.
A post on the Awapuni Links Facebook page after Gray’s narrow defeat predicted ... “your time will come”.
WEDNESDAY – Murray Halberg Eagles 9-hole teams’ Stableford (best two of three scores on each hole): R. Dymock/L. Daniels/P. Shaw 53.
Best individual Stableford: P. Shaw 25.
TUESDAY – Veterans’ Stableford: K. Travers 38, V. Richardson 37, N. Jenkins 37, M. Pittar 37, Rob Fletcher 36, C. Hensley 36, B. Read 36.
SUNDAY – Men’s Stableford, Division 1: A. Hayward 38, D. Bullivant 36, M. Callaghan 36, S. Andreassen 36.
Division 2: K. Travers 38, B. Talbot 36, L. Hewson 35, D. Keown 34.
Twos: S. Andreassen, R. Gibson, W. Mortleman, D. Bullivant.
Nearest to pin: W. Mortleman.
SATURDAY – Men’s Stableford, Division 1: P. Hakiwai 36, B. Anderson 34, S. Andreassen 34, N. Mackie 34.
Division 2: S. Harbottle 39, R. Richards 37, M. Wright 37, B. Read 37, B. Simpson 37.
Twos: M. Christophers, W. Mortleman, D. Pirimona.
Nearest to pin: D. Pirimona.
THURSDAY (Sept 11) – Liquorland Thursday Throne men’s par: W Thompson +5, M. Higham +3, G. Udall +3, B. Colbert +2, J. Aitchison +2, M. Thomas +1, A. Kirpatrick +1, K. Goldsmith +1.
Twos: D. Keown, K. Goldsmith, J. Aitchison.
Nearest to pin: M. Higham.
One top qualifier is gone, another had a skin-of-the-teeth escape in the first round of matchplay in the men’s club championships.
Senior division No 1 seed and three-time club champion Anaru Reedy looked on track for a comfortable win at 3 up after nine holes against Zane Boyle.
Boyle had other ideas and, in Reedy’s words, “played awesome” in a back nine fightback that sent the match to extra holes – Reedy winning with a par on the 19th.
Reigning champ Dan Collier, on a quest for a sixth senior honour, won by default over Quentin Peneha while Craig Christophers’ opponent Anthony Pahina had to pull out during their match.
Ian Loffler beat Jason Devery 4 and 2, Pete Stewart beat John Collier jnr 3 and 2 and Bailey Matoe beat Reuben Maynard 3 and 1 to join Brad Reynolds in the quarter-finals.
Steve Phillips, who had a play-in match to make the intermediate top 16, blew away No 1 seed Shaun Pahina 6 and 5.
Josh Adams, Kelly Spring, Tom Reynolds, Josh Hayes, reigning champion James Witika and Mike Christophers were also comfortable victors.
Tracey Ford went one better than last year to win the intermediate women’s club championship on Saturday. Ford defeated Min Vette on the 23rd hole of their 27-hole final.
Uncle would have been proud.
Cheryl Te Rito paid homage to her uncle Terry Rutene with a title victory in the tournament played in honour of him.
Te Rito won the Cup section of the annual Terry Rutene Memorial 4x9-hole matchplay.
She defeated Terry Reeves in the final.
Te Rata Ritchie beat Ella Wynyard in the final of the Plate.
Chris Kaa was the top qualifier but had to settle for third.
Waikohu’s AGM is on Sunday from 9.30am.
SATURDAY/SUNDAY – Terry Rutene Memorial 4x9-hole matchplay, top qualifier: C. Kaa.
Cup section, final: C. Te Rito def T. Reeves.
Third: C. Kaa from L. Green.
Plate section, final: T. Ritchie def E. Wynyard.
Third: S. Ritchie from D. Reeves.
18-hole Stableford: R. Reeves 28, K. Tamanui 23.
9-hole Stableford: V. Grace 17, P. Rutene 17, A. Reeves 16, M. Tuapawa 13.
COMING UP: Sunday, AGM from 9.30am, followed by Baty Cup drawn mixed pairs Stableford.
The weather turned Sunday into a club championship final warm-up for Hiria McClutchie and Robyn Ngatai.
The women played nine holes and McClutchie and Ngatai returned on Monday to play their intermediate women’s decider – McClutchie winning the final 2 and 1.
Ian Logan advanced to the Makarika Cup men’s handicap matchplay final with a 1 up win over Kahu Waitoa.
That match doubled as an intermediate men’s club championship quarter-final while Bill Clark also moved into the semis with a 4 and 3 defeat of Roly Smith.
SUNDAY – Stableford: I. Logan 38, K. Waitoa 37, P. Takarua 34.
Claude Smith had a memorable day as the Tahunga golf course was given back to the sheep on Sunday.
Tahunga signed off the season with its club closing day.
Smith and Kylie Johnson won the Tau Tupene Cup drawn pairs combined Stableford by one point, Smith won the overall Stableford with 39 and he had the men’s best third shot.
SUNDAY – Club closing day, Tau Tupene Cup drawn pairs Stableford: C. Smith/K. Johnson 71, T. Jefferd/K. Johnson 70.
Overall Stableford: C. Smith 39, N. Smith 36.
Men’s Stableford, Division 1: T. Stewart.
Division 2: T. Sherratt.
Women’s Stableford: T. Steele 35.
Men’s best third shot: C. Smith.
Men’s best second shot: M. Cooper.
Women’s best second shot: N. Smith.
Women’s approach: K. Johnson.
All-in approach: G. Williams.
Twos: G. Williams, M. Steele.