The pair traded pars on the first extra hole, but Kale, who had been seven shots behind the lead at the start of the day, sank a birdie putt from the back of the green on the second hole to retain the BoP crown and collect his first North Island strokeplay title.
Solomann and his father have been making regular trips from Auckland to Gisborne to compete for Waikohu in the Tairāwhiti pennants.
Former Gisborne Boys’ High student Solomann senior is a regular in the Tairāwhiti masters team.
Howick College student Glenn has been an Auckland junior representative for a few years, is captain of the Auckland team competing at the upcoming Junior Interprovincial, and last month made his Auckland senior interprovincial debut against Wellington in Taupō, winning both his singles matches at No 5.
Both Solomanns will be competing at the Emerre and Hathaway Poverty Bay Men’s Open on the Awapuni Links course from Thursday to Saturday. David won it in 1995.
“Would be cool if he [Glenn] won 30 years later, but there’s a few old fellas that want to win it again as well,” he said.
One of those “old fellas” is Waka Donnelly, fresh off winning the senior men’s club championship at Awapuni Links and, yet again, looking to earn his eighth PB Open crown and equal the record of the late Frank Gordon, who won it eight times between 1952 and 1969.
Donnelly’s first was in 1989, and the now 55-year-old is hungry to break a 15-year drought that has followed his last Open title.
Achieving that may be a case of getting past reigning champion Mark Smith. The Springfield (Rotorua) club member is returning and hunting a third consecutive Keiha Cup - a feat only Gordon has achieved.
Smith is one of eight players in the field who have won the Open, which was first played in 1931 (N.W. Parker the champion).
The man he beat in the final last year, former Poverty Bay head greenkeeper William Brown (under the Waikohu flag), is flying back from Queenstown, where he works at the Jack’s Point course, in a bid to win his fourth Open.
Anaru Reedy, winner of the 2021 Open (played early 2022 because of Covid), has been busy in his NZ Golf role as Tairāwhiti participation and club support coordinator, but will almost certainly be a threat.
Glenn Solomann and Marcus Gray, who won the second 16 last year, front the youth challenge.
Left-hander Gray lost the senior club championship final on the 36th hole to Donnelly, but is on an upward trajectory that has most predicting his name will one day be on the Open trophy. Why not this year?
Electrinet Park’s Dan Collier leads the locals looking to taste Open glory for the first time.
Smith, on recent history, is clearly the man to beat, although there are a few other visitors who could make an indelible mark.
The field of 112, from Tai Tapu in the South Island to Kaitaia in the North Island, faces 36 holes of strokeplay qualifying on Thursday, followed by matchplay in seven divisions of 16.
The tournament features the Craigs Investment Partners $20,000 Hole-in-One Challenge in the first round of qualifying and the BDO/Emerre and Hathaway $1000 Nearest to Pin Competition held after the completion of all finals on Saturday afternoon.
