Second PB Open women's title won by Tess McDonald

GET CLOSE: Tessa McDonald watches her tee shot on the sixth hole during the McFadyen Trophy top 8 final of the Poverty Bay women’s open on the Poverty Bay course yesterday. No.1 seed McDonald defeated Jo Kerr 5 and 4 to clinch her second PB Open crown and replace mother Karen McDonald as the reigning champion. Pictures by Paul Rickard

THE No.1 spot in the Hawke’s Bay-Poverty representative team is in the sights of Poverty Bay women’s open champion Tessa McDonald.

“Hopefully I can be,” the 22-year-old told The Herald yesterday after earning her second Poverty Bay women’s open title.

McDonald put an exclamation mark on her favouritism with a 5 and 4 win over Jo Kerr in the matchplay final of the McFadyen Trophy top 8 on the Poverty Bay course.

The 2-handicapper assumed control against her 7-handicapped opponent in the front nine holes.

She went out in 1-under 36 to be 4-up and after hiccups on the 11th (lost ball) and 12th (halved in double-bogeys), finished off Kerr on the 14th.

Only a particularly daring/stupid gambler would have bet against McDonald, who steamrollered her way to the final with big wins over Mahia’s Sylvia McRoberts and Poverty Bay’s Jan Utting.

Kerr booked her place in the last two with a 2 and 1 semifinal win against Wairoa’s Kodee Green.

The top 8 title remains in the McDonald family, as Tessa’s mother Karen won it last year but did not defend it.

Tessa McDonald, a receptionist at physioFIRST, does not have any specific plans this year.

“Just work and golf,” she said. “I’ll do a few more tournaments and see how it progresses.”

Practice is high on the agenda — her short game in particular — and she is keen to climb one more step to the top rung of the HBPB representative women’s pecking order.

Coached by Gisborne professional Dave Keown, McDonald made her national interprovincial debut for HBPB in 2011 and last year, in her sixth time at the tournament, was at No.2.

She would love to reach No.1 this year and pit her skills against the cream of amateur players in the country at the 2018 national interprovincial at Christchurch Golf Club in December.

Meanwhile, June MacKinnon, Odette Thompson and Louise Shepherd joined McDonald as PB open group champions yesterday.

MacKinnon described her 2 and 1 win against Poverty Bay clubmate Sally Spence in the Sandown Salver second 8 as “my last hurrah”.

It was the first time she had won a section at the open, and she reckoned it would probably be the last.

Thompson defeated Letty Poananga 5 and 4 in the Awapuni Salver third 8 final while Louise Shepherd won the 9-hole section, beating Jo Tietjen in the final. Mary Powdrell won the Tatapouri Salver round-robin.