News, results from Gisborne and East Coast golf courses

Rotorua's Mark Smith will be on a mission to make it three consecutive Poverty Bay Men's Open championship 16 titles at the Awapuni Links course in September. Only one player in the history of a tournament dating back to 1931 has done this. Photo / Paul Rickard

Poverty Bay Open

Bay of Plenty golfer Mark Smith will be out to repeat what has only been achieved once in the 93-year history of the Poverty Bay men’s open at the 2025 edition in September.

Smith, the reigning Keiha Cup top-16 champion, has confirmed his entry for the Emerre and Hathaway Poverty Bay Open, which is being held on the Awapuni Links course from September 25-27.

The Springfield member will be vying for a third consecutive Open crown – a feat only one man has completed in the 89 times the tournament has been held.

The late, great Frank Gordon won it from 1960-1962 and went on to become the most prolific champion in Poverty Bay Open history, winning his eighth and final crown in 1969.

Younger brother Eric “E.J.” Gordon won it three times in four years (1964, 1965, 1967), as did Waka Donnelly (1989, 1990, 1992).

The late E.J. Gordon won it seven times in all while Donnelly, who will be playing in the 2025 Open, also sits on seven titles, the last of those coming in 2010.

Several players have successfully defended the title, including Smith, Peter Kerekere (2015, 2016), Alex Tait (2002, 2003) and East Coast legend, the late Peter Rouse (1982, 1983), who won it five times.

Smith heads a quality field of 112 players – among them former Awapuni Links head greenkeeper William Brown, now based in Queenstown, who has three Poverty Bay Open honours to his name (2012, 2020 and 2022).

Smith defeated Brown in last year’s final.

The 2025 field contains eight players who have won the Keiha Cup – the trophy for the championship 16 winner.

Electrinet Park winner Anaru Reedy, a winner when two Poverty Bay Opens were held in 2022 after Covid forced the cancellation of the 2021 tournament, is the lowest-handicapped entrant at +1.8.

There are more than 40 outsiders entered – from as far north as Kaitāia to as south as Wellington.

The Poverty Bay Open features 36 holes of strokeplay qualifying on day one. The field is then divided on gross scoring into seven groups of 16 for the matchplay stage.

Meanwhile, 48 players make up the Poverty Bay Women’s Open being held at the Links on September 22 and 23.

Among them is Aroha Tito, a multiple New Zealand Māori women’s champion and a driving force behind Māori golf development. Tito plays at the Waitangi course and has a 1.7 handicap index.

Poverty Bay

Golfing perfection on certain holes will earn a $10,000 reward during the Emerre and Hathaway Poverty Bay men’s and women’s open in September.

The Craigs Investment Partners Hole In One $20,000 Challenges have been confirmed for both tournaments.

The men will get one chance at winning the challenge on the 11th hole in the first strokeplay qualifying round on Thursday, September 25.

The first player to ace the par-3 11th will get $10,000, while another $10,000 will be donated to the Sunrise Foundation charity organisation.

The women’s challenge will be on the par-3 sixth hole during finals day on Tuesday, September 23.

However, if more than one player gets an ace on the hole, the $10,000 will be shared while the other $10,000 goes to Sunrise.

Bring on the Barns-Graham Cup could be the call from Barry Brown after finding some timely form ahead of the prestigious men’s pairs matchplay series.

Brown – a two-time Barns-Graham Cup champion (1994 with Mike Glassford, 2004 with son Michael) – won the division 2 men’s Stableford on Sunday with 82-16-66, for 42 points, his best score in seven months.

Another former Barns-Graham Cup champ, John Van Helden, won division 1 with 79-12-67, for 41, on countback from Brent Colbert.

Suzy Gardner is the 2025 Nan Carmine Trophy 9-hole matchplay champion. Gardner defeated Jenny Alderson in the final on Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY – Nan Carmine Trophy 9-hole matchplay final: S. Gardner def J. Alderson.

9-hole stableford, front 9: S. Armstrong 20.

Back 9: S. McLaughlin 22.

SUNDAY – Men’s Stableford, division 1: J. Van Helden 41, B. Colbert 41, D. Patumaka 39, C. Christophers 36.

Division 2: B. Brown 42, K. Summersby 39, G. Marchbank 38, R. Chalmers 37.

Twos: S. Andreassen, D. Bullivant, M. Henwood.

Approach: C. Taewa.

SATURDAY – Men’s Stableford, division 1: P. Clayton 37, T. Akroyd 37, T. Goldsmith 36, M. Henwood 35.

Division 2: T. Williams 37, D. Bush 37, M. Lewin 35, H. Williams 34.

Twos: J. Devery, C. Palmer, P. Clayton.

Approach: C. Palmer.

Patutahi

Cecil Brown is no king but he did reign on the fairways over the holiday weekend.

Brown won the division 2 net on Sunday with 92-21-71, then upped his game on Monday to win the voucher day men’s Stableford with 89-21-68, for 38 points.

This Sunday’s club round will tee off at the earlier time of 11am. Following play, the club will celebrate its success in the 2025 Tairāwhiti men’s interclub and Endeavour Shield men’s handicap series.

Patutahi won both titles, along with two other trophies.

MONDAY – Voucher day men’s Stableford: C. Brown 38, J. Phillips 37, T. Hindmarsh 35.

Women’s Stableford: D. Johnston 34.

SUNDAY – Men’s net, division 1: A. Hindmarsh 66, D. Pohatu 67, D. Williams 68, P. Hakiwai 69, L. Anania 69.

Division 2: C. Brown 71, M. Broad 74, J. Phillips 74, M. de Luze 74.

Women’s net: S. Gray 80.

Twos: L. Anania 2, D. Pohatu, M. de Luze.

FRIDAY – Meat pack nine-hole Stableford, division 1: B. Williams 20, B. McKenzie 19, A. Blakeman 19, W. Stevens 19, D. Wilson 18.

Division 2: C. Kirkpatrick 17, G. Maude 16, I. Tietjen 16, M. Forrester 16.

Waikohu

The Reeves cleaned up the Stableford + hidden holes competition on Sunday.

Richard Reeves’ 74 off a 7 handicap gave him 39 points. He picked up 9 points from the hidden holes for an overall total of 48 and victory in the men’s division.

Andrea Reeves won the women’s division with 37 + 7 = 44.

Battle lines are being drawn for Sunday when Terry Reeves and Mike Christophers take on Kahu Tamanui and Tom Smith in the men’s pairs championship final.

Reeves will be handing out shots like lollies to his opponents, including 24 to Smith.

SUNDAY – Stableford + hidden holes, men’s division: R. Reeves 39 + 9 = 48; T. Ruru 37 + 7 = 44, K. Tamanui 37 + 6 = 43.

Women’s division: A. Reeves 37 + 7 = 44, T. Rutene 28 + 3 = 31.

Twos: R. Reeves, T. Ruru.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, men’s pairs championship final (T. Reeves/M. Christophers v K. Tamanui/T. Smith, drawn pairs net for women.

Te Puia Hot Springs

Brendon McLeod’s sixth official round of the year also proved to be his best of 2025 so far.

Senior men’s club champion McLeod won the men’s Stableford with a 3-over 69-6-63.

Robyn Ngatai’s 96-23-73 won the women’s net.

SUNDAY – Women’s net: R. Ngatai 96-23-73, H. McClutchie 96-18-78.

Men’s Stableford: B. McLeod 69-6-63, 39; H. Rasmussen 85-18-67, 35.

Veterans

Poverty Bay member Jim McGregor topped a small field in the Gisborne East Coast Veteran Golfers’ Johnny Jackson salver tournament at the Electrinet Park course on Tuesday.

A Sunday practice session at his home course paid off for McGregor, who posted 85-14-71 to win the net title on countback from clubmate Paul Reid, who shot 87-16-71.

Tai Aramakutu won the women’s division with a net 81.