William Brown started the defence of his title with the first of a sibling double on Saturday morning - a 5 and 4 win over Hukanui’s older brother Ed junior.
A tricky quarterfinal against gritty Opotiki player Micky Huirwaka - whose son Elijah was also in the top 16 - followed. Brown would get a couple up only for Huriwaka to reel him in. Brown got to 2-up with two to play and a par on the 18th saw off 2023 semifinalist Huriwaka.
It set up a semifinal duel with former Bay of Plenty representative Marcus Lloyd, a member of Murupara but playing most of his golf at Rotorua’s Springfield course.
The left-handed Lloyd proved Brown’s most formidable challenge. The pair could not be separated after 18 holes, forcing sudden-death, and Brown slotted what he described as “a tin-arse” birdie putt from off the green on the par-5 first. He admitted he was only try to cosy it up to the hole as par would have been enough for the win.
Hukanui Brown said he “played well” up to the final.
Electrinet Park member and Tairāwhiti Masters representative Pete “Legend” Stewart was his first victim - 6 and 5 - followed by a 4 and 3 defeat of Poverty Bay’s Tony Akroyd, the 2001 KotC champion.
Hukanui faced 2023 runner-up and fellow Tairāwhiti rep Dan Collier, of Electrinet Park, in his semifinal, and won it 3 and 2.
He got off to the perfect start in the final, winning the opening hole, but in his own words “ran out of gas” as William, in his words, “put the gas on”.
William was 2-up playing 17 and drained his birdie putt for the win, Hukanui removing his hat and the pair embracing.
They are “distant” cousins although William said they were “more like brothers”.
Solid golf in the final got him across the line, he said.
“I did enough.”
He described his golf over the weekend as a mixture of “average” and “awesome” - a combination that can obviously work when it comes to matchplay.
The Tolaga Bay course was in perhaps surprisingly good nick - considering the recent rain events - helped by stunning weather.
One player said it was like “playing in Florida” to the point where he ended up getting sunburnt.
The Brown finalists now shift their attention to club championships.
William is defending the senior title at Poverty Bay while Hukanui is going for six in a row at the ‘Tahi.
Tairawhiti masters teeing it up at Awapuni Links
Tairāwhiti men’s masters team are in interprovincial matchplay action this weekend.
The eight-man team host their Hawke’s Bay and Wellington counterparts at Poverty Bay’s Awapuni Links course.
Tairāwhiti player/selector Anaru Reedy said the triangular fixture would give “a good gauge” of form as players look towards the Freyberg Masters national interprovincial being hosted by Invercargill Golf Club in November.
The teams have been split in half for the draw - meaning a side plays each of the other teams on both days.
The Tairāwhiti team are David Solomann, Eddie Brown Jr, Waka Donnelly, Anaru Reedy, Pete Stewart, Neil Hansen, Bruce Yates, Pete Anderson and Jace Brown. Anderson and Hansen will play only one round each.
