Waikohu players came, saw and conquered at the Eagles Golf Society of Gisborne fundraising tournament at the Awapuni Links course on Saturday. The country club enjoyed a successful day, capped by the team of Ella Wynyard, Ike Ruru, Larry Green and Val Grace winning the Bob Grierson Memorial teams' net. Wynyard (left), Green and Grace (right) are pictured with Lou Kriel representing major sponsor PGG Wrightson Seeds.
Waikohu players came, saw and conquered at the Eagles Golf Society of Gisborne fundraising tournament at the Awapuni Links course on Saturday. The country club enjoyed a successful day, capped by the team of Ella Wynyard, Ike Ruru, Larry Green and Val Grace winning the Bob Grierson Memorial teams' net. Wynyard (left), Green and Grace (right) are pictured with Lou Kriel representing major sponsor PGG Wrightson Seeds.
The round of Mike Callaghan’s golfing life so far featured plenty of brilliance, a shot he described as “a bit jammy” and deservedly earned him top honours at the Eagles Golfing Society of Gisborne Charity Golf Tournament on Saturday.
A 99-strong field enjoyed a user-friendly Awapuni Links courseand Callaghan and a crew from Waikohu took full advantage.
Callaghan 2-over 74-10-64 won the men’s overall net and featured two memorable shots within the space of three holes.
The man known to many as “Colt” used a gap wedge from 80m out on the par-5 fifth hole and sank his shot for eagle-3.
On the seventh, he drove into trouble, pitched out, then sank his third shot for birdie with the same club as his eagle effort – his ball hitting the top of the flagstick and dropping down into the hole.
“It was a bit jammy,” he admitted, although he went on to play the remaining 11 holes 1-over the card and beat his previous best at the Bay by one shot.
Andrea Reeves starred as most of a supportive Waikohu contingent enjoyed success on the big-city track.
The Waikohu team of Larry Green, Val Grace, Ella Wynard and Ike Ruru collected the Bob Grierson Memorial combined Stableford trophy with an impressive 155 total.
Jay McCafferty not only won the overall women’s net with 97-31-66, but she also picked up an approach and was leading two of the approaches before Megan Allen’s brilliant shot on the second hole.
Head greenkeeper Rowan Clark turned the clock back towards his scratch handicap and Poverty Bay-East Coast representative days with his men’s Stableford-winning 76-10-66, for 42 points.
The gross winners were Waka Donnelly (73) and Maxine Francois (87).
More than $3000 was raised for the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation.
The Wednesday twilight competition for 2025-2026 started this week with a hiss and a roar ... a field of more than 100 teeing off. Scoring was warm, including Reece Witters firing 2-under 34 for 22 points to win the senior men’s front 9.
It continued a dramatic transformation in scoring as the summer run kicks in.
Rounds of note last week included Garth Marchbank’s bolt-from-the-blue Sunday School and Division 1 Stableford-winning 78-14-64, for 44 points, and Brent Croskery’s Thursday Division 2 men’s Stableford-topping 97-31-66, for 44, despite a 10 on the 13th.
Pip Dymock rode that wave into this week with her Wednesday women’s Stableford-winning 99-31-68, for 42 points – her best round off the yellow pegs since September of 2022.
It was a busy day for the Eagles Society of Gisborne at its annual Halberg Disability Sport Foundation tournament at the Awapuni Links course. Pictured on the sixth tee are Stephen Francks, who filled in for a representative of major sponsor PGG Wrightson Seeds, sponsor's rep Lou Kriel and Eagles reps Bruce Talbot (back), Peter Hakiwai and Brian Morrissey.
Twos: N. Mackie, I. Murphy, G. Udall, S. Harbottle, J. Pittar.
Poverty Bay Golf Club 9-hole players got into the "pink" theme of the day for a Cancer Society fundraising event on Wednesday.
COMING UP: Starting November 7, Fulton Hogan Friday Ambrose Teams Series mercantile, six holes, teams of four, 5.30pm shotgun start, maximum handicap of 24 for non-golfers, entry available at bit.ly/KnockOffEarlyFriday
Patutahi
A new golfing era of the Brown whānau reached another highlight in his rising career.
Watene Brown, son of former Tairāwhiti representative Eddie Brown jnr, won Division 1 of the men’s net on Sunday with a personal-best 2-over 72-11-61.
It led a raft of excellent scoring at the ’Tahi in Friday and Sunday competitions.
Korban Harrison-Allen broke 80 for the first time and did it with almost contemptuous ease – 74-13-61 – although he had to settle for second behind young Brown.
Beau Toa’s impressive 76-12-64 was only good enough for third.
Calypso Stills-Hindmarsh returned to golf last month after an eight-year hiatus and is quickly making up for lost time. Stills-Hindmarsh won the women’s net on Sunday with 66, following up a 23-point haul in Friday’s meat pack Stableford.
Scoring in her Division 2 Friday section was hot enough to melt gold. Michael Broad won with 38-9-29, for 24 points, while those who did not have 22 points were out of the running.
SUNDAY – Women’s net: C. Stills-Hindmarsh 66, S. Robertson 67, D. Johnston 71.
Men’s net, Division 1: W. Brown 61, K. Harrison-Allen 61, B. Toa 64, R. Hindmarsh 68, T. Hawea 68, T. Hindmarsh 69, A. Hindmarsh 69.
Division 2: M. Broad 68, P. Johnston 69, C. Brown 69, C. Harris 72.
FRIDAY – Meat pack 9-hole Stableford, Division 1: K. Harrison-Allen 21, H. Harris 20, W. Aupouri 20, T. Hindmarsh 20, J. Neilson 19, M. Mackintosh 19, S. Toa 19 on c/b.
Division 2: M. Broad 24, N. Fraser 23, J. Tietjen 23, C. Stills-Hindmarsh 23, H. Hawea 22, P. Tinnelly 22, D. Hamilton 22.
Te Puia Hot Springs
Mark Higham and Ian Logan took contrasting semifinal paths to the men’s club championship final last Sunday.
Higham brushed aside James Forrester snr 7 and 6, while Logan needed two extra holes to get past Bill Clark.
Peter Ngarimu beat Daryl Goldsmith 2 and 1 in a junior men’s quarter-final.
Reeves and Tuapawa won round 2 of the course backwards competition. It was a drawn pairs Stableford format and the pair totalled 49 points, two ahead of Percy Milner and Blair Crawshaw.
SUNDAY – Course backwards, round 2, drawn pairs Stableford: R. Reeves/M. Tuapawa 49; P. Milner/B. Crawshaw 47; S. Ritchie/A. Reeves 43; K. Tamanui/P. Rutene 43, K. Ruru/C. Te Rito 42; L. Green/V. Grace 42.
Twos: I. Ruru/E. Wynyard.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, meeting 9.30am, shootout 11am; SATURDAY, Christmas Cheer tournament, featuring Waikohu v Opotiki interclub trophy, morning tee 10.30am, tee-off 11am, contact Audrey 0221772474 or Karauria 0274041752.
Tolaga Bay
Joe Sheridan has bounced back from a character-building Poverty Bay Open qualifying experience with a couple of solid numbers on home soil.
The second of those on Sunday, a 34-point effort, was good enough to win the Stableford.
SUNDAY – Stableford: J. Sheridan 34, J. Hale 33, D. Maitai 32.
Approach: R. Pomana.
Junior golf
The Tairāwhiti Junior Masters tournament is being held at Poverty Bay Golf Club on Saturday, December 6.
The Masters is open to golfers and non-golfers aged 8-18 years and will feature gross and Stableford for individuals, along with an ambrose section, long drives, nearest to the pin and food.
Tee-off is from 9am to 11am.
Inquiries to Anaru Reedy 021727825 or anaru.reedy@golfnz.org
