7 — Dee The Man: The Nearest The Pin Challenge played at the end of the Open has become the “party hole”, largely due to it being located on the 18th in front of the clubhouse with plenty of 19th-hole enthusiasts well oiled by the time the Challenge is held. This year the $1000 prize went to Deevon Gray, who put his second to about 20-feet of the hole.
6 — Zach Attack: If you had told 18-year-old Zach Rolls before the Open that he would make the championship 16 semifinals, he would have modestly cast his doubts. Rolls not only broke 80 twice in qualifying to earm the 11th seeding, he won his first two matches, including the prized scalp of 2019 PB Open winner and reigning senior club champion Simon Jeune in an extra-hole thriller. The prediction has been made that one day he and fellow teen leftie Marcus Gray will meet in the final.
5 — The Hard-learned Lesson: Tim Adamson qualified bottom of the 111-strong field, thanks to a “brain-exploding” moment when he picked up his ball from tap-in distance in the first round, recording a DNF instead of what would have been sub-80 had he putted out — and it came after shooting 74 in the practice round. Tolaga Bay hard Adamson brushed that setback aside and went on to make the final of the seventh 16, losing to local John Pittar.
4 — And The Cat Came Back: Mike “Patch” Parsons of Hawke’s Bay estimates he has played in the Poverty Bay Open 28 times. It’s probably more and it’s a lot more for the likes of home-course man Neil Mackie and seven-time PB Open champ Waka Donnelly. That says a lot about this tournament and its tradition that sees so many coming back year after year.
3 — ’Til The Fat Lady Sings: Simon Jeune looked down and out on the ninth hole in his match against Zach Rolls after the ball returned to his footprints after a couple of failed bunker shots. He got out for six, then sank a 25-footer and halved the hole with a triple-bogey. Gotta love golf.
2 — “A Treasure”: That was how former PB Open winner Dave Solomann described the Awapuni Links course, and no one was arguing. William Brown, his crew of greenkeepers and volunteers produced a course that some say is in its best condition ever, highlighted by sensational greens. You would be doing well to find better in the country. Take a bow, Team Willie.
1 — The Boys From The Bay: Hats off to 2023 PB Open champion Mark Smith and runner-up Craig Van Der Nagel. Smith set the bar as the top qualifier despite not having a great deal of golf under his belt heading into this tournament while Van Der Nagel showed his class and had he managed to slot just one more of the many clutch putts he had, it could have been his name on the Keiha Cup trophy. Top blokes as well.
TUESDAY — Veterans’ stableford: L Foster 36, P McKenzie 34, L Evans 34.
Twos: P McKenzie.
SATURDAY — Emerre and Hathaway Poverty Bay Men’s Open, Keiha Cup championship 16 - Final: Mark Smith (Springfield) from Craig Van Der Nagel (Te Puke).
Consolation: Pete Stewart (Electrinet Park) from Tony Akroyd (Park).
Flight 1: Dan Collier (Park).
Flight 2: Marcel Campbell (Poverty Bay).
2nd 16 - Final (Barrington-Miller trophy): David Solomann (Whitford Park) from Ian Loffler (Park).
Consolation: Dave Jenkins (PB) from Alex Kirkpatrick (PB).
Flight 1: Zane Boyle (Park).
Flight 2: Cedric Wallis (Waikanae).
Third 16 - Final: Allan White (PB) from Stefan Andreassen (PB).
Consolation: Craig Christophers (Park) from Dirk Bullivant (PB).
Flight 1: Richard Foddy (Hastings).
Flight 2: Eddie Brown Jr (Patutahi).
Fourth 16 - Final: Carl Carmody (PB) from Darryn White (PB).
Consolation: Tony Thorpe (Tai Tapu) from Hamish Williams (PB).
Flight 1: Toby Williams (PB).
Flight 2: Mark Thomas (PB).
Fifth 16 - Final: Barry Mathews (Titirangi) from John Smith (Hawke’s Bay).
Consolation: Ross Chalmers (PB) from Murray Wooster (Titirangi).
Flight 1: Matthew Chrisp (Te Puke).
Flight 2: Bruce Talbot (PB).
Sixth 16 - Final: Joe Tuoro (Hast) from David Gray (PB).
Consolation: Stu Harbottle (PB) from Charlie David (Park).
Flight 1: Neil Bell (Waikanae).
Flight 2: Neville West (PB).
Seventh 16 - Final: John Pittar (PB) from Tim Adamson (Tolaga Bay).
Consolation: Darren Patumaka (PB) from Larry Foster (PB).
Flight 1: Mike Parsons (Hast).
Flight 2: Manav Garewal (Hast).
36-hole strokeplay qualifying, gross (Scott Plate): Mark Smith (Springfield) 145 on c/b from Dan Collier (Electrinet Park).
Net: Gerald Kemp (PB) 134, Joe Sheridan (Tolaga Bay) 135.
Bill Donnelly Memorial Trophy for top all-round junior: Zach Rolls (PB).
Twos: D Solomann 4, S Andreassen 3, H Williams 2, D Patumaka 2, C Coleman 2, T Adamson 2, D Bradsheet, D White, A White, J Brown, S Amos, M Smith, D Collier, P Young, G Clapham, R Hindmarsh, I Logan, B Wilson, D Hodge, B Reynolds, M Campbell, D Bullivant, G Udall, H Keast, S Jenkins, T Williams, A Kupa, H Brown, E Brown.
Approaches: M Campbell, D Gray, G Udall, A White, D Williams, P Young.
Wednesday scramble, gross: T Adamson 74, A Goddard 75.
Net: T Adamson 64, I Loffler 71, R Cooper 73, D Solomann 73, G Waterhouse 73, D Sharp 73.
Twos: A Goddard, I Loffler, T Adamson.
Electrinet Park
There was no trumpet-blowing, no Tiger Woods fist pump, no Champagne cork-popping after Tom Reynolds won his third intermediate men’s club championship title on Sunday.
Reynolds defeated Ian Loffler 5 and 4 in a 36-hole matchplay final in which the runner-up simply ran out of gas.
There was not a lot left in the tank to begin with — something Reynolds sympathised with after adding 2023 to his 2015 and 2021 titles.
Loffler played in the Poverty Bay Open at the Awapuni Links course from Thursday to Saturday. He qualified 24th out of the 111-strong field, which put him in the second 16.
He then battled his way past three adversaries to make the Barrington Miller Cup final.
Former Gisborne man David Solomann, who won the PB Open championship 16 in 1995 and now plays at Whitford Park in Auckland, proved a bridge too far for Loffler, who lost on the 16th.
That made it six rounds over three days, but there was no Sunday rest.
He made his way to his home Park course the next day for the intermediate final in ugly weather.
Reynolds’ assessment was blunt.
“There was nothing flash about my golf. The game was anyone’s to lose . . . 32 holes without a birdie — it was pretty horrible.”
And lonely. They and the Endeavour finalists — new member Shannon Collier and greenkeepr Pete Tamatea — were the only players on the course.
The improving Collier, playing in what is likely to be his last time in this division, won 3 and 2.
Greenkeeping staff and volunteers have been busy coring at the Park this week.
The Gordon’s Pharmacy weekly twilight competition starts next Thursday and will once again feature a lucrative 9-hole shootout final at the end of summer.
PATUTAHI
The Patutahi open closing day and Ruka Tupara Memorial scheduled for this Sunday has been postponed to Sunday, October 22. Tee-off 11am. Canadian mixed foursomes and men’s sections.
