Shootout champ, hole-in-one: what’s next for Patutahi’s Pat?

PERFECT PAT: Pat Hokianga with the ball he used to achieve his first hole-in-one. Hokianga holed an 8-iron on the 15th hole at his home Patutahi course. He is pictured with mate Stan Nikau, of Huntly. The pair played at the same course while working in Abu Dhabi. Picture supplied

If good things come in threes, Pat Hokianga can't wait to complete his hat-trick.

Hokianga followed up victory in Patutahi Golf Club's men's summer shootout final on March 27 with his career-first hole-in-one on April 1.

Hokianga sank his 8-iron-struck tee shot on the 128-metre 15th hole during the weekly meat pack 9-hole stableford played a day earlier than usual due to the Easter break.

“It took one bounce and in,” he said. “Not that any of us saw it. I was in a group of six and we all thought the ball went over the back.”

Among the group was club president Tony Green, who, after no sight of the ball through the green, looked in the hole.

“He asked me what ‘make and model' I was playing . . . then it was high-fives all-round.”

Hokianga was thrilled but not overawed.

The 9-handicapper proceeded to birdie the next hole on his way to a 1-over 36 for 22 points, then carried out the Kiwi hole-in-one tradition of shouting the bar.

Hokianga was the talk of the clubhouse for the second time in less than a week.

The previous Saturday, he topped a 19-man field in the final of the summer shootout.

Hokianga and senior club champion Hukanui Brown were the last men standing on the 18th tee after a hole-by-hole elimination of the other 17 contenders.

“I thought I was a goner,” Hokianga said.

It came down to a chip-off for the crown and despite admitting “my knees were shaking”, Hokianga held his nerve to outgun his 1-3-handicapped opponent.

A product of Manutuke, Hokianga got into golf proper during his extensive military career.

Now working for health and safety company Vertical Horizonz, he spent about five years in Abu Dhabi which included a stint as club captain at the Al Ghazal Golf.

He returned to Gisborne a couple of years ago and joined Patutahi.

The ace is the highlight of his golfing exploits to date but he's hungry to add more successes to the list . . . the club championships are in his sights.