William Brown will continue his association with Tairawhiti Golf from the depths of the South Island as a greenkeeper at the Jack's Point course in Queenstown. He will be playing for the Tairāwhiti team at the national interprovincial in Christchurch for the 16th year in a row next month. Photo / Paul Rickard
William Brown will continue his association with Tairawhiti Golf from the depths of the South Island as a greenkeeper at the Jack's Point course in Queenstown. He will be playing for the Tairāwhiti team at the national interprovincial in Christchurch for the 16th year in a row next month. Photo / Paul Rickard
Waikohu
The Sonny shone and the cheers flowed at Waikohu on Saturday.
Home-course player Sonny Ritchie produced the round of the day at the Waikohu Christmas Cheer open tournament – a net 59 – to win the men’s net.
Electrinet Park member Chris Fox was also in top form –winning the gross with a 2-over 72.
Patutahi’s Lucian Nickerson denied Richard Reeves another weekend victory in the men’s Stableford – just. Both had 37 points but Nickerson won on countback.
William Brown at the 2008 Poverty Bay Open – a tournament he has won three times in recent years. Brown has finished after 10-and-a-half years as a greenkeeper at the Awapuni Links course and has shifted to Queenstown's Jack's Point course. He was farewelled at a tournament in his honour last Thursday. Photo / Paul Rickard
Poverty Bay
Cliff Poole didn’t take home the big prize but he managed something no else did in the “Willie’s Away” farewell to William Brown tournament and Liquorland Thursday Throne series ender last week.
The 83-year-old shot his age – 83-15-68 – to achieve the feat that, while not unique, is still a special achievement.
Poole was only 5-over the card after 10 holes and well on track only to triple bogey the par-5 12th. He bounced back with a birdie on 14th to be 8-over and held his nerve with three bogeys and a par in the last four holes.
Chief sponsor Marty Van Der Velde stole his own show in the Thursday Throne finale.
Van Der Velde posted the best par score of the day – 93-26-67 and 8-up on the card – despite a 12 on the 12th.
Hamish Williams was second with 84-17-67, 6-up – his equal-best score of the year – and Peter Goodwin was third with 100-34-66, 5-up.
Van Der Velde subsequently donated his prize to bar manager Adrienne Weatherley.
The overall Thursday Throne series winner was Neil Mackie.
The “Sunday School” annual prizegiving was held at the weekend. SS head honcho Paul Rickard announced that Lee “Pikey” Hewson had the best average over the year.
TUESDAY - Veteran men’s best-ball pairs stableford: P. Rickard/P. Goodwin 46, K. Goldsmith/R. Farmer 45, J. Aitchison/J Holmes 44.
Twos: D Bullivant.
SUNDAY – Men’s Stableford, division 1: D. Pirimona 38, W. Mortleman 37, C. Taewa 35.
THURSDAY (Nov 21) – Liquorland Thursday Throne par: M. Van Der Velde +8, H. Williams +6, P. Goodwin +5, G. Udall +4, D. Gregory +4, C. Poole +4, M. Smith +3, Reid Fletcher +3, J. Witika +3.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Dec 8, Taste One/First Light Frozen Christmas Open Tournament, men’s and women’s Stableford, assemble at 9am for 9.30am shotgun start, first paid 144 entries, enter at pro shop.
Patutahi
John Neilson and Lindsay Jamieson are the 2024 men’s four-ball best-ball pairs champions.
Neilson, off an 11 handicap, and Jamieson (16) defeated Pat Tinnelly (39) and Duncan Humphrey (20) on the 17th in the matchplay final on Sunday.
Greg Hawea’s first official round in over four months was a triumphant one. He won the senior net on Sunday with 80-11-69.
Chris Kaa continued his solid form in winning the junior division with 86-20-66.
SUNDAY – Net, senior division: G. Hawea 69, G. Brown 70, A. Hindmarsh 70, R. Pardoe 71, M. McMenamin 72.
Junior division: C. Kaa 66, J. Phillips 68, M. de Luze 69, C. Brown 69, A. Davis 69.
FRIDAY - Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: P. Molloy 21, K. Harrison-Allen 19, M. Smith 19, B. McKenzie 18, T. Brodie 18.
Junior division: M. White 23, D. Skudder 22, B. Williams 21, G. Maude 20, P. Tinnelly 20, L. Nickerson 20.
Electrinet Park
It’s not quite PGA Tour players battling for their 2025 cards but the men’s shootout qualifying is heading into the “must-fire” stage for some.
James Witika is sitting pretty at the top of the qualifying standings for the December 22 final. He is on a net total of 417 for his six counting scores – three of those on the old 18-hole course, three on the composite course.
Hot on his heels are Craig Christophers and Luke Hayes on 418, with Matt Downie and Warren Muir on 420.
Sitting on the bubble in 19th is Anthony Pahina on 467, one clear of Brad Reynolds.
Youngster Kymani Tamatea is dominating qualifying for the Gordon’s Pharmacy Thursday twilight shootout. The 11-year-old has totalled 109 for his top five scores so far, well clear of Junior Akurangi and Shannon Ratima on 101.
But there is plenty of time to go as players count their top five scores before Christmas and top five after it.
THURSDAY (Dec 21) – Gordon’s Pharmacy twilight Stableford: J. Taylor 23, R. Maynard 21.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Dec 15, MTF Finance Electrinet Park Xmas Tournament, men’s and women’s divisions, gross, net and Stableford, rolling tee times, entry includes lunch, start sheet at clubhouse or contact office 8679849 or Mike 027-534-4971.
Tolaga Bay
Trent Higgs survived a series of putt-offs before claiming the annual shootout crown on Sunday.
A par on the 18th with a shot was good enough for Higgs as he and Pete Stevenson ended up the last two standing in the hole-by-hole elimination final. Stevenson made bogey with a shot.
Higgs had survived four consecutive putt-offs up to that point.
Roland Waru was third, Bruce Yates fourth and Mark Watts fifth.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Dec 1, Tolaga Bay Christmas Tournament, 8am and 12 noon tee-offs, men’s and mixed sections.
Willie’s Away: Faithful servant of golf farewelled
Departing head greenkeeper William Brown made a pledge to family, friends and fellow members at an event honouring his service to Poverty Bay Golf Club last week.
“I’m going to go down there and do well.”
Brown ended 10-and-a-half years as an apprentice, qualified then became head greenkeeper at the Awapuni Links course on Thursday.
He will ply his trade far from his Waikohu Golf Club and Gisborne home as a greenkeeper at prestigious Queenstown course Jack’s Point, where he will rejoin the man he replaced as Poverty Bay’s chief superintendent, Jimmy Walker.
Committee members and fellow Thursday golfers organised a special tournament to farewell Brown, who has not only led a team that produced a supreme course over the years but has been a stalwart of Poverty Bay-East Coast and now Tairāwhiti golf for half his life.
Brown made his national interprovincial debut for PBEC as a 16-year-old in 2009 – he won his first match – and has been in the team every year since.
He will be there again this year and only has a short drive from Queenstown to Christchurch for the December 3-7 tournament being held on the Russley and Harewood courses.
It will be his 16th consecutive national interprovincial and odds on he will make it 17 in 2025, and will join a special group of players to have reached 100 matches at that level.
Brown leaves Gisborne with an impressive achievement record, including Poverty Bay Open, King of the Coast and East Coast Open titles, along with multiple club championship honours, an Aotearoa New Zealand Māori championship crown and representative success.
He told the clubhouse gathering last Thursday that he had “learned heaps”, “made some good mates” and “felt supported by a lot of members of the club ... pretty much everyone”.
He paid tribute to Poverty Bay director of golf and long-time representative manager Dave Keown and club manager Carol Wells for “having my back”, and made special mention of his greenkeeping team.
