Dave Jenkins, who recently turned 70, is playing some good golf lately. Photo / Paul Rickard
Dave Jenkins turned 70 recently but no one but his family and close friends believed it.
He doesn’t look like a man who has entered his eighth decade. And he certainly isn’t playing like one.
Pat Butler and Hamish Williams will vouch for that.
Jenkins’ display in his and partner Rod Norman’s Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup men’s pairs round of 16 victory on Saturday drew high praise from the opposition.
Butler was left in awe of Jenkins, who ended up signing for a 3-over 75 off a 10-handicap after winning 3 and 2 on a demanding blue championship tee Awapuni Links course.
There was reference to “a fine wine” when it comes to Jenkins, and he does have a history of success in the BG Cup, having won it with Mark Norman in 2018.
But every golfer knows, you’re only as good as your next round and Jenkins and Rod Norman will probably need to be on their game in a quarterfinal against 2024 runners-up Chris Shaw and Phil Allan, who eliminated second seeds Al Jennings and Manav Garewal.
That meant all of the top 10 qualifiers have been knocked out.
The 32nd and bottom seeds Richard Foon and Neville West are still alive. They came from 3-down after three holes in their clash – played last Thursday – with brothers Tene and Kit Goldsmith to win on the 16th.
Their quarter-final opposition are the quietly confident Colin Simpson and Carl Carmody, who beat Nick Richardson and Wade Owen.
Neil Mackie and Paul Mullooly - BG Cup champs in 2017 – stayed in the hunt for a second crown together in ousting Jimmy Situ and Dave Pirimona. Next up are Nigel Jones and BG Cup first-timer Lindsay Hunt, who brushed aside lone soldier Pete Anderson, whose partner Marcus Gray was away.
Paul Rickard and Brad Morgan had the Saturday off after winning their round of 16 match against Brent Colbert and Lee “Pikey” Hewson the previous weekend. They face a quarterfinal duel with regular BG combo John Williams and Clive Dean, who walloped Bruce Talbot and Jett Whitaker on the 14th.
Williams pooh-poohed a Warriors reference that “this is your year”.
The quarterfinals are on Saturday, along with Bryan Cup subsidiary matches. There is a Bryan Cup catch-up round on Sunday.
Simon Jeune, out of the BG running but still in the Bryan Cup with cohort Rowan Clark, shot the round of the week – a brilliant 2-under 70 last Thursday, highlighted by four birdies.
Ross Gibson produced one of the shots of the week – his tee shot on the par-3 sixth on Saturday hitting the approach marker and rebounding to 1.5m from the hole. He slotted the putt for two and won the approach.
WEDNESDAY - Women’s Stableford: J. Clayton 37, O. Thompson 35, M. Shanks 34.
9-hole women’s Stableford: S. McLaughlin 20, L. Daniels 19.
MONDAY - Russian Roulette women’s Stableford: L. Holmberg/M. Colebourne 67, M. Francois/F. Allen 64.
SUNDAY - Men’s Stableford, division 1: H. Keast 38, D. Pirimona 37, A. Hayward 35.
Division 2: L. Pollitt 40, L. Hewson 38.
Approach: H. Keast.
SATURDAY - Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup men’s pairs, twos: B. Talbot, R. Gibson, G. Morley, V. Richardson, J. Situ, P. Mullooly.
Approach: R. Gibson.
THURSDAY (June 26) - Men’s Stableford, division 1: S. Jeune 40, A. Kirkpatrick 38, P. Butler 37, N. Mackie 34.
Division 2: M. Lewin 40, C. Thompson 39, B. Read 37, W. Thompson 36, J. Williams 36.
Twos: S. Jeune, M. Smith.
Approach: J. Nepia.
WEDNESDAY (June 25) – Women’s net: C. Nelson 90-16-74, R. Taewa 90-14-76, M. Colebourne 96-19-77.
9-hole net: S. Gardner 37, L. Plowman 37.
Brothers Mike and Craig Christophers remain on track for a sibling bragging rights showdown after the Te Kanawa Cup men’s pairs semifinalists were confirmed at the weekend.
Men’s club captain Mike and partner Mat Downie needed extra holes to move into the last four.
Craig and Matt Henwood had to overcome a postponed sudden-death playoff before winning their weekend quarterfinal match.
And with the brothers on opposite sides of the draw, it has set up a potential Christophers v Christophers final.
Two large hurdles, however, stand in their way.
Top seeds Pete Tamatea and Darren Kahukoti showed their mettle under pressure as they fought back from 2-down at the turn to beat Wally Whangapirita and Mat Greeks 3 and 2 in their quarterfinal.
The Tamatea/Kahukoti combo won six of the seven holes played on the back nine to keep alive Tamatea’s hopes of a second Te K crown, having won it in 2020 with Anaru Reedy.
That put them into a semifinal against Mike Christophers and Downie, who, at 2-up with two to play, were on course for a regulation quarter-final win over Peter Stewart and Josh Hayes only to lose both holes - a Stewart birdie on the 18th sending it to extra time.
Hayes and Downie traded pars - each getting a shot - on the 19th, but a Downie bogey (getting a shot) on the 20th was enough to see them through to the semis.
Craig Christophers and Henwood, the 2021 Te Kanawa champions, finished their round of 16 match against Jason Devery and Bailey Matoe several days after they started it.
They ran out of time to play extra holes after ending 18 holes all-square, so rescheduled the sudden-death playoff. Christophers and Henwood won on the second extra hole, then took a more standard route to the semis by beating Josh Adams and Zavier Lister 2 and 1.
Looming large between Christophers/Henwood and the final are Ian Loffler and Steve Webb, who defeated Kelly Spring and Jason Lloyd 4 and 2.
It will be a battle-of-the-teachers semi, Gisborne Girls’ High’s Loffler and Webb versus Lytton High’s Christophers and Henwood.
Loffler and Webb have the extra incentive of going one better than their 2020 runners-up effort.
A chip-in for par-3 on the ninth hole secured Tom Hindmarsh the winter shootout 9-hole crown last Wednesday.
Hindmarsh and cousin Ashley Hindmarsh were the last two standing after 10 players teed off the first and one was eliminated each hole.
Kim Dodgshun, having knocked out brother and top qualifier Dave on the seventh, fell on the eighth hole to place third.
First-season Patutahi golfer Mitch Forrest posted his first sub-100 score as a member in winning the division 2 men’s Stableford on Sunday.
Forrest, predominantly a 9-hole player, fired 95-30-65 for 41 points and a comfortable victory.
Club president Tony Green won division 1 with 78-10-68, for 38.
SUNDAY - Stableford competition, division 1: T. Green 38, A. Hindmarsh 38, T. Hindmarsh 38, P. Hokianga 37, D. Russell 36.
Division 2: M. Forrest 41, P. Johnston 36, B. Tietjen 35, P. Summersby 35.
Twos: P. Summersby, A. Hindmarsh, T. Green.
Jackpot: A. Hindmarsh.
FRIDAY - Meat pack 9-hole Stableford, division 1: Beau Toa 21, D. Russell 20, W. MacLellan 20, J. Nielson 19, M. Broad 19.
Division 2: D. Niven 23, C. Newman 22, G. Maude 19, C. Harris 19, P. Tinnelly 18.
BJ Sidney and Gary McLean are the 2025 men’s four-ball best-ball champions.
Sidney and McLean beat Mark Watts and Roland Waru in the final.
Murray Yates and Peewee Tuapawa won the plate.
Johnny Hale ended a run of century-plus scores in winning the medal with 94-25-69.
SUNDAY - Medal: J. Hale 69, W. Reedy 69.
Putting: P. Tuapawa 27.
Approach: P. Stevenson.
Twos: R. Pomana 2, W. Reedy, B. Yates, T. Adamson.
Andrea Reeves continued her successful season in collecting another piece of silverware on Sunday.
Having won the women’s drawn pairs with Marg Tuapawa and played her part in Waikohu’s women’s interclub pennants title run, Reeves added the women’s pairs handicap matchplay crown to those successes.
Reeves (off a 21 handicap) and Tony Rutene (18) beat club stalwarts Ella Wynyard (19) and Tuapawa (34) 2-up in the final.
SUNDAY - Stableford: K. Ruru 36, K. Tamanui 35, S. Ritchie 31, Andrea Reeves 30, E Wynyard 28.
Women’s pairs handicap matchplay final: Andrea Reeves/Toni Rutene def Ella Wynyard/Marg Tuapawa 2-up.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, club competition.
