A par was good enough for Reedy to clinch the Keiha Cup silverware — Kerekere missed a 10-foot putt that would have sent it to sudden death.
“It was a huge relief,” said a “buggered” Reedy after Kerekere's attempt went narrowly wide.
The 51-year-old's win completed a feat it is believed no one has ever accomplished.
He won the East Coast Open at Te Puia Hot Springs in April of last year, then followed it up by winning the King of the Coast at Tolaga Bay at his first go two months later.
That left the Poverty Bay Open in September, only for it to be postponed to March of this year due to Covid-19.
This week's tournament was regarded as being the 2021 Open — the 2022 edition is being held in September — so while Reedy did not win it in 2021, it was essentially a “calendar year” title treble.
He knew it was on but the former New Zealand Maori open champion's focus was more on winning his first PB Open.
“It was one of the things I wanted to get done and of course (the triple) was always there (in the back of his mind) but it wasn't overly a factor,” Reedy said.
His thinking was “if it happens, it happens”.
Reedy edged ahead with birdie on the fifth hole, only for Kerekere to reply immediately, draining a 20-foot putt on the sixth for birdie.
Kerekere, after crushing a drive down the eighth, made another birdie from close range to go 1-up and retained that advantage after matching pars on the ninth.
Two-time PB Open winner Kerekere blasted another drive down the 290-metre par-4 10th hole, his ball finishing about 25 feet from the pin.
He two-putted for birdie and the win to go 2-up but Reedy cut the deficit to one on the par-3 11th after Kerekere went left with his tee shot and was unable to up-and-down. Reedy was just short for one but put his long-range putt close and Kerekere gave it to him.
The 13th and 14th holes were described as “pivotal” by Reedy.
Having halved the 12th in pars, Reedy made Kerekere pay for errant iron shots off the tee on both holes.
He sank clutch birdie putts on both holes to go from 1-down to 1-up.
And when Kerekere leaked his drive into deep rough on the right of the 15th, Reedy looked set to go 2-up.
Kerekere chopped it out while Reedy pulled his second into the left pot and, to his dismay, found his ball in a horror lie.
“It was buried. It was so bad. It also happened to me on the second hole. I thought the world was against me.”
He managed to hack it out, two-putted and the pair walked off with bogeys and a half.
The drama continued all the way home. Kerekere blocked his approach on 16 well right, his ball ending up in a rabbit hole. He got a free drop but had an extremely difficult shot and put it well past.
The door was open again for Reedy but he was unable to up-and-down after going left with his second, and again the pair had matching bogeys.
Supporters of both players rode the rollercoaster again on 17, where Kerekere made a fine two-putt finish from 80 feet for par after an average second shot.
Reedy was a lot closer but three-putted to lose the hole and they headed to the 18th tee all-square.
Kerekere's demise came from the tee. He hooked it left into a dirty lie, then found the front bunker with his second.
Reedy was down the middle but again leaked it left although his ball came to rest near the green.
Kerekere did well from long range to get his ball to about 10 feet under the hole.
Reedy, showing composure in a pressure-cooker moment, chipped his third to gimme distance then watched as Kerekere's attempt to stay in the match missed.
Reedy felt for his opponent. Kerekere was clearly feeling the effects of his sixth consecutive round in three days and Reedy, having cramped up earlier in the match, was waning as well.
“We were both buggered,” Reedy said.
“But Pete's a tenacious player and was always going to be a tough opponent. My hat's off to Pete.”
Reedy said he felt the “triangle” — the 13th, 14th and 15th holes — were going to be the “deciding factor” in the match. And so it turned out.
In the morning semifinals, Reedy blew away Poverty Bay's Glenn Morley 8 and 7 while Kerekere beat Redwood Park member Ben Jujnovich 3 and 2.
The second 16 final had a dramatic extra-holes climax. Auckland-based district court judge Dave Sharp (Poverty Bay) looked dead and buried on the 19th against seven-time Open champion Waka Donnelly (Napier) until he sank his fifth shot from 55 metres out to make par and halve the hole. Sharp went on to win on the 21st.
Other division winners were Wade Wesche (Mahia, third 16), Mark Norman (PB, fourth 16), Rios Moleta (Patutahi, fifth 16) and Gray Clapham (PB, sixth 16).
The tournament ended in thrilling fashion with the BDO Gisborne/Emerre and Hathaway closest-to-the-pin challenge on the 18th.
Six qualifiers and one lucky-draw winner had two shots each to get their ball closest to the 18th-hole pin from 100 metres out.
Rangitikei member Russell Kane — son of the late Tom Kane, who was a long-time member of Poverty Bay — won with the 14th and last shot of the challenge.
Kane pocketed $1000.
