Poverty Bay - East Coast golf roundup

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Poverty Bay

WAS it something in his Sunday morning coffee WADA should be suspicious of?

Was it Ryan Fox’s inspirational Perth World Super 6 victory?

Did the same golf supremo aliens that have snatched Dustin Johnson’s body invade his?

Or was it simply one of those days when the golfing stars aligned in perfect symmetry?

Whatever it was, it transformed Mark Karalus into a world-famous-in-Gisborne golfer, filled his wallet and put his name on a 2019 piece of Poverty Bay silverware.

Karalus went into Sunday morning’s Bull Cup men’s teams’ stableford round with a personal best score of 85.

By lunchtime he had slashed seven shots off that in shooting 78-21-57 for a wheelbarrow-filled points haul of 51 points.

He dealt in only pars and bogeys — 12 and six — and carried teammates Colin Simpson (40pts), Mark Barker (37) and Bryan Pratt (35) to Bull Cup glory with a total points aggregate of 163.

They were 12 shots ahead of the next-best team led by Andy Hayward’s 78-15-63, for 45.

It didn’t stop there for Karalus.

He also won the division 2 men’s stableford by 11 points, won the approach on the sixth hole and struck the Sunday School jackpot of $200 for scoring two stableford points or more on every hole.

Hayward’s effort was his best round at the Bay in over five years.

Pete Clayton was on his way to something special on Saturday. He was 2-under after 14 holes but dropped four shots in the last four holes for a still impressive 74-7-67, for 41 points.

Clayton’s double bogey on the last allowed 72-year-old Tene Goldsmith to snatch the div 1 stableford honours with 74-8-66, for 42.

Richard Foon was not in the competition but was buzzing on Saturday after a personal-best 76-15-61, including a front nine of 1-under 35, off the blue tees. Inevitably the golfing gods brought him back to Earth the next day — 88.

Harvey Johanson went close to his first sub-80 round since June of 2015 in the Thursday stableford last week. He shot 80-14-66, for 42 points, to win the div 1 men’s stableford.

The last four of the Hutchinson Cup women’s matchplay have been sorted.

Marg Colebourne faces Viv Bell in one semifinal while Margaret Williams meets Gay Young in the other.

Poverty Bay’s front nine has been at the mercy of the district’s lowest-handicapped golfer in recent weeks.

In his past 10 rounds, Pete Anderson, off +1, has played what is generally regarded as the easier of the nines 14-under the card including 4-under 32 in a 68 on Sunday.

Wednesday— Women’s stableford: L Holmberg 88-17-71, 41.

Twos: J Utting

9-holers’ stableford: B McIldowie 58-21-37, 18 on c/b.

Sunday — Men’s stableford, division 1: T Donovan 40, K White 40, M Callaghan 39, M Norman 39.

Division 2: M Karalus 51, C Simpson 40, A Hayward 40.

Twos: P Anderson, T Donovan.

Approach: M. Karalus.

Saturday — Men’s stableford, division 1: T Goldsmith 42, P Clayton 41, A Reedy 38, G Clapham 38.

Division 2: A Hayward 45, P Wauchop 41, C Taewa 38, C Poole 38, J McGregor 38.

Twos: D Mettrick, W Brown, T Sweeney.

Approach: J McGregor.

Thursday (Sept 21) — Men’s stableford, division 1: H Johanson 42, T Donovan 40, D Griffin 39, M Higham 38.

Division 2: M Mulrooney 37, R Owen 37, N Absalom 36, P Graham 36, B Proudfoot 36.

Twos: T Donovan, H Johanson, D Griffin, R Owen.

Approach: C Dean.

PatutahiSKYLAH Pohatu, Gay Young and Georgina Roberts claimed the major prizes in the Patutahi women’s open opening day tournament on Saturday.

Dual Patutahi/Poverty Bay member Pohatu won the gross with 5-over 76, Poverty Bay’s Young won the net with 81-16-65 and Te Puia Springs’ Roberts won the stableford with 37 points.

Peter Johnston’s junior division net-winning 80-17-63 was the round of the weekend.

Pat Molloy (64) topped the seniors and Helen Humble (68) the women.

TUESDAY — Women’s stableford: L Haisman 102-28-74, 33; S Robertson 90-16-74, 34.

SUNDAY — Men’s net, senior division: P Molloy 64, J Brown 64, H Brown 66, W Baty 66.

Junior division: P Johnston 63, A Hindmarsh 66, R Moleta 66.

Women’s net: H Humble 68 on c/b.

Twos: W Baty, P Molloy, T Akroyd, M Pohatu.

Jackpot: W Baty, P Molloy, T Akroyd.

SATURDAY — Patutahi women’s open opening day tournament, gross: S Pohatu 76.

Net: G Young 65.

Stableford: G Roberts 37, S McRoberts 37, W Morrissey 37, B Walker 36 on c/b.

FRIDAY — Meat pack nine-hole stableford: J Brown 23, P Johnston 21, R Moleta 21, C Parker 21.

Gisborne ParkREPORTS that Glen McKinnon was possessed by the spirit of the late, great Seve Ballesteros on Sunday are unconfirmed.

McKinnon was unstoppable on his merry way to 77-13-64, for 44 points, and a one-point win in the men’s stableford.

He had not broken 80 since December 3, 2017 – a freakish 76 off a 16 handicap.

Ray Walford only recently returned to single-figure ranks and looks set to stay there. He was second with an excellent 1-over 73-8-65, for 43 points.

Karen McDonald is also back on a single-digit handicap after an eight-month stint in double figures. She won the women’s net on Sunday with 78-8-69, for 41 points.

In other Sunday highlights, Jack Glassford had twos on the fifth and seventh holes while Rod Moore made eagle-3 on the eighth hole.

Wiki Morrissey and Margaret Alley won the women’s mystery pairs stableford on Wednesday of last week — Morrissey prominent with 83-17-66 in their haul of 81 points.

A front-nine 36 led James McGann to the Tuesday veteran men’s stableford win last week. His 76-11-65, for 43 points, pipped Alan Lewington’s 83-18-65, for 43, on countback.

Electrinet Park, results, SUNDAY — Men’s stableford: G McKinnon 44, R Walford 43, P Wellard 41.

Women’s net: K McDonald 69, B Woods 71.

Twos: J Glassford 2, K McDonald.

Eagle on 8: R Moore.

Men’s best second shot: G McKinnon.

Women’s best third shot: M Marino.

Approach: G McKinnon.

WEDNESDAY (Feb 20) — Women’s mystery pairs stableford: W Morrissey/M Alley 81.

Twos: J Foot, L McFlinn.

TUESDAY (Feb 19) — Veteran men’s stableford: J McGann 43, A Lewington 43, H Schreiber 41, L Green 40, H White 40, E Parkin 39, B Cameron 38.

COMING UP: SATURDAY/SUNDAY, April 20-21, Summit Forestry NZ 36-hole Easter tournament, start sheet at office.

Te Puia SpringsMUSIC-LOVING Billy Clark was on song on the golf course for the second consecutive Sunday last weekend.

Trumpet and guitar-playing Clark repeated his previous Sunday score of 76, this time off a handicap cut by one — 17 — for a net 59 and 43 points.

Hiria McClutchie was second on 40, indicating she and Clark are in good form for this weekend’s Peter Rouse Memorial Tournament.

The late Rousie will be looking down on his favourite track this Sunday and Te Puia Springs members are hoping plenty of visitors will head their way in force to pay tribute to one of the district’s finest players.

There is a rolling start from 10am to 12 noon.

SUNDAY — Stableford: B Clark 43, H McClutchie 40, R Smith 39, H Rasmussen 39, N Truman 38, J Devery 38, M Puke 36, G Roberts 36, A Cook 36, I Sykes 35, J Puha 35, I Ngarimu 35.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, Peter Rouse Memorial Tournament, men’s and women’s divisions, all welcome, rolling start from 10am to 12 noon.

Tolaga Bay

Tolaga Bay has again postponed its open opening day tournament.

The tournament had been put back to this Sunday due to last weekend’s poor weather forecast.

But it has been further postponed until further notice.