The Electrinet Park golf course has been operating over nine holes for several months after storm damage saw Gisborne District Council close several holes due to dangerous trees. A huge amount of removal work has been done since then. The club hosts its Christmas tournament on Sunday. Photo / Chris Taewa
The Electrinet Park golf course has been operating over nine holes for several months after storm damage saw Gisborne District Council close several holes due to dangerous trees. A huge amount of removal work has been done since then. The club hosts its Christmas tournament on Sunday. Photo / Chris Taewa
Patutahi’s Tom Brodie was the star of a 136-strong cast in a blockbuster 2024 edition of the First Light Frozen/Taste One Xmas Hams tournament on Sunday.
Brodie took full advantage of a short and friendly Awapuni Links course to post the round of theday – 79-15-64 – to win the men’s overall Stableford with 44 points.
First-season Poverty Bay member Cate Hills’ official first 18 holes on Awapuni Links reaped her the overall women’s Stableford with 117-48-69, for 41 points.
Hot on her golfing heels was Maxine Francois, who equalled her best round of the year to win the women’s Stableford with 87-18-69, for 41.
Regular nine-hole player Jacob “J.P.” Douglas – the son of former Poverty Bay-East Coast representative and five-time Poverty Bay senior club champion Hamish Douglas – ventured into 18-hole territory and won the Division 3 men’s Stableford with 89-22-67, for 41.
Electrinet Park players featured prominently. Mike Bond fired 79-13-66, for 42 points, to top the Division 2 men’s Stableford. Craig Christophers won the Division 1 men’s Stableford with 77-8-69, for 39.
Waka Donnelly mixed three birdies with three bogeys en route to winning the men’s gross with even-par 72.
The Christmas tournament has been running since the mid-2000s and chief sponsors Wade and Tanya Owen confirmed that would continue.
Sunday’s edition featured three generations of the Owen family – Richard, son Wade and his son Brooklyn.
Wade Owen, a former PBEC golf representative, shot 81-14-67, for 41, and Richard Owen 88-17-71, for 37. Brooklyn Owen, off 19, is a golfing work in progress, but has going below Richard’s handicap clearly in his sights.
TUESDAY – Veterans’ Stableford: L. Foster 40, R. Fletcher 39, G. Marchbanks 38, L. Owen 38, K. Daniels 37, G. Pellet 37.
SUNDAY – First Light Frozen/Taste One Xmas Hams tournament, men’s gross: W. Donnelly 72.
Women’s overall Stableford: C. Hills 42.
Men’s overall Stableford: T. Brodie 44.
Women’s Stableford: M. Francois 41, D. Kirkpatrick 38, K. Reeve 38, L. Holmberg 34.
Division 1 men’s Stableford: C. Christophers 39, N. Mackie 38, T. Akroyd 38, H. Douglas 38, M. Callaghan 38, I. Loffler 37, B. Colbert 37, M. Henwood 36, A. Kirkpatrick 36, T. Adamson 36, J. Situ 36, S. Francks 35.
Division 2 men’s Stableford: M. Bond 42, W. Owen 41, T. Reynolds 40, R. Moleta 39, M. Norman 39, P. Rickard 39, H. Johanson 38, A. Lawler 38, R. Norman 38, R. Chalmers 38, R. Owen 37, M. Jones 37.
Division 3 men’s Stableford: J. Douglas 41, J. Partington 40, R. Fletcher 40, N. Jones 39, T. White 38, K. Travers 38, M. Karalus 38, D. Bayley 38, D. Raggett 37, M Van Der Velde 37, D. Rameka 36, B. Tietjen 36.
Men’s back nine: P. Reid 21, G. Holland 20, C. Harris 18, M. Henwood 18.
Women: K. McLatchie 19, S. Gray 19.
Three generations of Owens competed in the First Light Gisborne/Taste One Xmas Hams open tournament on the Awapuni Links course on Sunday. From left are Brooklyn Owen, his father Wade Owen and grandfather Richard Owen.
Te Puia Hot Springs
The locals reigned supreme but it was a case of everyone’s a winner enjoyment-wise at Te Puia Hot Springs’ annual Christmas tournament on Saturday.
Around 40 competed, including several visitors led by the ever-supportive Waikohu crew.
And it was one of them who took a major prize – Larry Green’s 41 points winning the men’s Stableford.
Home-course players Hiria McClutchie and Iritana Ngarimu had a good day. McClutchie won the women’s gross (87) and the long drive while Ngarimu won the women’s net (68) and approach.
Women’s Stableford: A. Cook 36, K. Torrez 35, V. Grace 34, R. Ngatai 34, Andrea Reeves 32, A. Tamanui-Nunn 26.
Men’s gross: M. Higham 76.
Men’s net: N. Dewes.
Men’s Stableford: L. Green 41, R. Walker 40, C. Brown 40, P. Ngarimu 38, D. Cook 37, B. Clark 35, James Junior Forrester 35, T. Haenga 35, J. Forrester 34, G. Holland 34.
Approaches: I. Ngarimu (women), M. Higham (men).
Long drives: H. McClutchie (women), B. McLeod (men).
COMING UP: SUNDAY, trophy day, club committee meeting.
Waikohu
Larry Green followed up Christmas tournament success at Te Puia Hot Springs with his best round of the year on his home track on Sunday.
The “Green Machine”, having won the men’s Stableford at the Te Puia tourney on Saturday, carded 81-14-67, for 39 points, to top the Waikohu men on Sunday.
Cheryl Te Rito’s 96-26-70, for 38, won the women’s competition.
SUNDAY –Men’s Stableford: L. Green 39, U. Chambers 37, K. Tamanui 34, T. Smith 34.
Women’s Stableford: C. Te Rito 38, V. Grace 37, P. Rutene 37, Andrea Reeves 36.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, free day; SUNDAY, Dec 22, Guys v Dolls, prizegiving, shared tea.
Patutahi
Abbie Davis was a rose among the thorns in the Friday meat pack nine-hole Stableford on Friday.
Davis piled on the points with 25 in her 40-11-29, to win the junior division.
Simon Pittar went agonisingly close to breaking a century for the first time in eight months. However, his 100-25-65 on Sunday was good enough to win the men’s net.
SUNDAY – Women’s net: K. McLatchie 70, S. Robertson 70.
Men’s net: S. Pittar 65, R. Pardoe 67, J. Phillips 67, B. McKenzie 68, T. Hindmarsh 68.
FRIDAY – Friday meat pack nine-hole stableford, senior division: L. Owen 20, L. Jamieson 20, B. McKenzie 20, G. Brown 19, A. Blakeman 19, H. Harris 19.
Junior division: A. Davis 25, R. Evans 22, G. Tattersfield 21. K. Dodgshun 20, W. Stevens 20.
Tolaga Bay
Pete Stevenson has had to settle for runner-up honours in the last couple of weeks ... not last Sunday.
Stevenson turned the clock back 10 years in shooting 86-26-60, for 44 points, in a one-man Stableford show.
His round featured two twos – on the third and 15th holes – and he won the approach.
He was nine points clear of second-placed Peewee Tuapawa.
Places are filling fast for the MTF Finance Electrinet Park Christmas Tournament on Sunday.
As of Wednesday, club captain Mike Christophers confirmed entries of over 140 – great news for the club, which continues its recovery from severe cyclone damage.
THURSDAY (Dec 5) – Gordon’s Pharmacy twilight Stableford: C. Akuhata-Brown 22, S. Hayes 21.
