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Poverty BayANDREW Higham is no stranger to doing club championship doubles.
But he faces a player determined to achieve one of his own in the men’s 2018 finals on Saturday.
Higham, chasing a sixth Poverty Bay-Te Puia Springs senior double, will play William Brown over 36 holes of matchplay.
Poverty Bay greenkeeper Brown has a big weekend ahead of him. He also had the Patutahi senior men’s final on Sunday and is hungry to go into that with part one of the double accomplished.
The Higham-Brown final is shaping up to be a cracker. Both men were in imperious form in the semifinals on Saturday — Higham three-under the card in blitzing Glenn Morley 7 and 6 and Brown also in red figures in putting away David Situ 5 and 4.
Both finalists also played postponed quarterfinals on Friday — Brown beating Jason Devery 3 and 2 while Higham breezed past Dave Jenkins 6 and 5.
Neil Mackie closed in on a second consecutive intermediate title with a 3 and 2 semifinal win over Richard Foon.
His final opponent is Glenn Burnside, who has had the luxury of playing only one match to get to the last two.
He was meant to play Mike Dodgshun in Saturday’s semi only for Dodgshun to forfeit the match after suffering a finger injury during the week.
Ray Veall was also gifted his junior men’s semi against Don Wright, who was unavailable.
Veall faces Ron Young, who beat Dave Mettrick in a clash that featured one of the pars of the weekend.
Young, teeing off the blue championship tees, hit a white tee marker with his drive on the 13th. His ball was found near the women’s tees and Young proceeded to make a near-miracle par, much to the disbelief of his opponent.
Phil Wauchop and John Rouse will decide the endeavour title.
Barry Brown produced the shot of the week — a hole-in-one on the 155-metre par-3 second on Sunday. Five-iron was his weapon but he did not see the ball go in because of the pin position.
On getting to the green and there being no sign of the ball, he presumed it had gone through the back.
“Try the hole,” a playing partner suggested . . . and there it was.
Brown scored five stableford points for his effort and after four holes was 2-under the card and had amassed 14 points.
A rough patch put paid to a sensational score to go with his perfect shot but he wasn’t worried. It was a career-first ace and his name will go up in gold lettering on the club honours boards again. He is already there as a two-time winner of the Barns-Graham Cup men’s pairs.
The round of the week came from Peter Kerekere — a 5-under 67-1-66, which won him the division 1 men’s stableford on Sunday.
Kerekere went out in 6-under 30 but the momentum eased in a back nine of 37.
n Tessa McDonald, Mary Allan, Karen Crosby and Brigit McIldowie are the 2018 women’s club champions.
Hot favourite McDonald beat Jan Utting 9 and 8 in their 36-hole senior matchplay final yesterday.
Allan defeated June MacKinnon 8 and 7 in the intermediate final while Crosby beat Peri Gayford 6 and 5 in the intermediate final.
McIldowie won the 9-holers’ title, beating Annabelle Sutton in the final.
Consolation winners were Gay Young, (senior), Pip Dymock (intermediate), Louise Shepherd (junior) and Jennifer Alderson (9-holers).
More on the women’s club champs in tomorrow’s Herald.
SUNDAY — Men’s stableford, division 1: P Kerekere 42, P Clayton 41, T Goldsmith 41, S Andreassen 40.
Division 2: K Travers 40, M Armstrong 40, B Payne 39.
Twos: P Kerekere, M Norman, S Andreassen.
Approach: S Jeune.
Hole-in-one on the 2nd: B Brown.
SATURDAY — Men’s stableford, division 1: B Morrissey 37, V Richardson 37, T Goldsmith 37.
Division 2: A Abrahams 39, B Allen 37, M Armstrong 36, D Griffin 36.
Twos: P Clayton, W Brown.
Approach: W Brown.
The Insurance golf tournament is at Poverty Bay TOMORROW. Report at 12 noon for a 12.30pm shotgun start. The draw is — No.1 tee: R Brott/G Cunningham (of Vero)/S Spooner/L Gunther; S Harbottle/P Molloy/B Talbot/D Williams.
No.2: P Mullooly/F Lewis/J Castles/R Moleta; B Rothschild/B Marsden/T Petro/Rod Young.
No.3: W Spence/P McKenzie/T Lupton/M Owen.
No.5: A Abrahams/A Reedy/D Bush/D Hall; R Morley/G Morley/E Morley/H White.
No.6: J Glassford/R Griffiths/P Hogan/T Sweeney; N Jones/M Tilley/D Gregory/S Shields.
No.7: M Clapham/A Baldwin/L Evans/L Ball.
No.8: G Hannah/C Newman/T Berry/R Moloy; A Ross/R Foon/K Charlton/B Graves.
No.9: D Waide/G Cunningham/M Sowerby/M Mahuika; A Paterson/M James/F Cook/R Menzies.
No.10: G Bates/R Gibson/B Brown/I Dudley; M Cousins/P Bayly/M Stevens/T Goldsmith.
No.11: J van Helden/G Clapham/P Grogan/D Pirimona.
No.12: P Rickard/A White/T Green/P Florence; C Bauld/G Marchbank/L Pollitt/K Daniels.
No.18: H Williams/N Kitchen/C Sutton/T Reynolds.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Poverty Bay-East Coast Golf Association Fundraiser Golf Day (including funds for Booth Shield junior team), one-tee start from 8am to 12 noon. gross net and stableford divisions, contact pro shop for start time, 867-4402.
Gisborne ParkTHE scalp of the top qualifier is in Zach Rolls’ sights after the Gisborne Intermediate student blasted past Ray Callaghan in matchplay last weekend.
Rolls, who will represent his school at the AIMS Games in Bay of Plenty next week, won on the 12th to set up a clash with No.1 seed Dave Harrison.
Club champs continue this weekend with all the top seeds in action, including senior top qualifier Anuresh Chandra, who has Sel Peneha to get past first-up.
Defending champion Jayden Bright has a tricky opponent in Thomas Donovan while intermediate No.1 seed Steve Phillips won’t have it easy against Ray Walford.
The match of the weekend could be the intermediate clash between former Marist football cohorts Tony File and Derek Craven.
Barry Cox emphasised his endeavour section favouristism in the Tuesday men’s stableford last week. He won with 83-20-63, for 45 points.
Tracey Ford won the Women’s Handicap Cup final on Sunday, beating Ann Richardson on the 19th.
Electrinet Park results, SUNDAY — Men’s stableford: B Huhu 41, J Collier 40, S Phillips 39.
Twos: G McKinnon.
Approach: P Cameron.
Women’s stableford: K McDonald 81-11-70,39.
Twos: T Ford, K McDonald.
Women’s Handicap Cup final: T Ford def A Richardson on the 19th.
SATURDAY — Men’s stableford: T Donovan 75-6-69, 39; R Callaghan 87-17-70, 38; S Peneha 82-10-72, 36 on c/b.
Women’s stableford: J Foot 96-22-74, 35.
Twos: J Akuhata, T Donovan.
TUESDAY (Aug 28) — Veteran men’s stableford: B Cox 45, E Parkin 39, A Lewington 37, P Koorey 37, C Brown 36, P Mitchell 35.
Twos: N Jones.
WEDNESDAY (Aug 29) — Women’s stableford: S Paku 40.
Drawn two: T Ford.
THE men’s club championships are on SATURDAY and SUNDAY. The draw is – SATURDAY, No.1 tee, 9am: J Charles v P Wellard.
SUNDAY, No.1 tee, 9am: Z Boyle v T Teneti, T Donovan v J Bright. 9.06: A Chandra v S Peneha, P Cameron v B Reynolds. 9.12: S Phillips v R Walford, T File v D Craven. 9.18: D Boyle v G McKinnon, T Reynolds v B Huhu. 9.24: D Harrison v Z Rolls, P Koorey v A Hira.
9.30: J Collier v R Grace, N Jones v W Tamatea. 9.36: B Cox v D Tombleson, T Leggett v P Tamatea. 9.42: R Maxwell v M Emery.
InterzoneThe Northern Zone team to play in the interzone at Poverty Bay Golf Club on MONDAY, September 17, are — Rochelle Taewa (Poverty Bay), Anne Witters (PB), Jan Utting (PB), Wiki Morrissey (Gisborne Park), Viv Bell (PB), Sally Spence (PB), Denise Johnston (Patutahi), Elaine Westwood (Mahia), Jean Foot (GP), June MacKinnon (PB), Pat Johansen (GP), Karen Crosby (PB), Mihi Marino (GP), Materoa Philip (Pat), Vicki Fraser (PB), Jan Ewart (Pat).
Any players unable to play, contact Marg Colebourne.
PatutahiSKYLAH Pohatu is a warm favourite to make it five senior women’s club championship in finals day on Sunday.
Pohatu’s handicap is 10 less than opponent Denise Johnston, who faces a monumental challenge to prevent her from making it another golf-hockey title double — Pohatu was a member of the Poverty Bay club hockey A-Grade-winning YMP A women’s team.
Hukanui Brown will play “distant cousin” William Brown in the senior men’s final. H Brown beat Tony Akroyd while W Brown knocked out Hukanui’s brother Eddie in the semis. Both matched ended on the 17th.
Top seed George Brown plays defending champion Selwyn Pohatu in the intermediate final while Tom Brodie has the challenge of an in-form Tony Cave in the junior final.
Rios Moleta and Gerry Maude will contest the endeavour final.
Helen Humble and Rae Burgess are in the junior women’s final. The intermediate title was uncontested, with Kelly Utting the only qualifer.
SUNDAY — Men’s stableford, senior division: S Pohatu 38, E Brown jr 38, W Brown 36.
Junior division: T Cave 45, R Pardoe 38, J Blair 38, T Brodie 38.
Women’s stableford: J Winiata 32.
Twos: C Brown, A Hindmarsh.
Jackpot: A Hindmarsh.
FRIDAY — Meat pack nine-hole stableford, senior division: Sel Pohatu 22, Skylah Pohatu 21,H Brown 20, T Green 20, E Brown jr 20.
Junior division: T Cave 26, J Neilson 24, A Hindmarsh 24, M Smith 22, L Jamieson 21 on c/b.
WaikohuELLA Wynyard was the common denominator in two mixed pairs victories by Waikohu players over the weekend.
Wynyard combined with Ike Ruru to win the Noonan Cup mixed pairs stableford at Tahunga’s open closing day on Saturday.
She returned to her home club on Sunday to win the Canadian foursomes stableford with Kahu Tamanui, the pair posting 40 points.
Regular golf is starting to pay dividends for Uma Chambers, whose third round in three weeks was his best in more than three years — 84-21-63, for 43 points winning the men’s stableford.
SUNDAY — Canadian foursomes stableford: E Wynyard/K Tamanui 40, A Tamanui-Nunn/P Milner 38, A Coker/T Brown 33.
SUNDAY (Aug 26) — Men’s stableford: U Chambers 43, P Milner 42, DJ Baty 39, K Tamanui 38, A Coker 38.
Women’s stableford: A Tamanui-Nunn 35, E Wynyard 35.
Twos: A Tamanui-Nunn, P Milner.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, no club competition; SUNDAY, Sept 15, Waikohu open closing day tournament, Canadian mixed foursomes and men’s sections, 11.30am tee-off.
TahungaHUKANUI Brown fell agonisingly short of claiming sole ownership of the men’s course record at Tahunga’s open closing day on Saturday.
The Patutahi member, who equalled the record at the Tahunga men’s open in May, missed a five-foot putt on the 18th for 65.
He settled for 66 for the second time and remains joint club recordholder alongside Andrew Higham, the late Eric Gordon and Brent Colbert.
Brown’s excellent effort won him the men’s 0 to 18 division stableford with 43 points on countback from clubmate Tony Green.
Waikohu’s Ike Ruru and Ella Wynyard won the Noonan Cup mixed pairs combined stableford with 76 points on countback from Tahunga couple Mark and Tammy Steele.
SATURDAY — Tahunga open closing day tournament, Noonan Cup mixed pairs stableford: I Ruru/E Wynyard 76 on c/b from M and T Steele.
Men’s stableford, 0-18: H Brown 43 on c/b from T Green.
19-36: P Milner 41, P Cook 40.
Women’s stableford, 0-20: S Gray 30, J Winiata 24.
21-40: K Johnson 38, C Maddock 34.
Men’s best third shots: H Brown (0-18), P Milner (19-36).
Women’s best second shots: S Gray (0-20), C Mullany (21-40).
Men’s approaches: H Brown (0-18), B Johnson (19-36).
Women’s approaches: E Wynyard (0-20), C Maddock (21-40).
All-in approach: H Brown.
Te Puia Springs
WATCH out Robyn.
Iritana Ngarimu sent Robyn Ngatai that club championship final warning with a 41-point, women’s stableford-winning performance on Sunday.
Ngarimu and Ngatai meet in the intermediate women’s final this Sunday, one of several title matches.
Henry Rasmussen and James Forrester are in the intermediate men’s final, John Babbington-Welsh and John Puha the junior men’s final and Aomihi Cook and Hiria McClutchie the junior women’s final.
SUNDAY — Men’s stableford: H Rasmussen 35, P Harrison 35, J Forrester 34, I Sykes 33, P Savage 32.
Women’s stableford: I Ngarimu 41.
Twos: M Higham, D Cook, I Ngarimu.
The finals of the club championships are on SUNDAY. The draw is —
Intermediate men (36 holes), 9am: H Rasmussen v J Forrester.
Junior men (18 holes), 12.30pm: J Babbington-Welsh v J Puha.
Intermediate women (36 holes), 9am: I Ngarimu v R Ngatai.
Junior women (18 holes), 12.30pm: A Cook v H McClutchie.
Tolaga Bay
JOE Lincoln’s experience proved too much for Tony Sharp in the junior men’s club championship final at the weekend.
The 68-year-old left-hander gave grandson Taine inspiration for his senior men’s final with a 7 and 6 victory.
Taine Lincoln will look to emulate his pop this Sunday when he meets defending champion Neil Hansen in the senior men’s title decider over 36 holes.
The intermediate champion will also be crowned, and it should be a battle royal between Rongo Pomana and Trent Higgs.