GOLF ROUNDUP

MATCHPLAY CHAMPS: Two of Patutahi's major trophies — the Te Kani Pere (men) and McKeague (women) handicap matchplay cups were decided recently. Reuben Mottart and Denise Johnston (pictured) were the winners. Mottart beat Chris Beattie in the Te Kani Pere final while Johnston defeated Helen Pomana in the McKeague decider. Picture supplied

The clubhouse was nearly empty.

The course was nearly in darkness.

But two intrepid Barns-Graham Cup men's pairs were still plodding the fairways as 19th-hole glasses were stacked and stragglers headed to the carpark bound for their warm homes and dinner.

The eighth quarterfinalists of the 2022 edition of the Gisborne Motors-sponsored BG Cup were decided after an epic 23-hole matchplay battle on Saturday.

Brothers Tene and Kit Goldsmith snatched the last available spot and relegated their gallant opponents Cliff Poole and Vance Richardson to the Bryan Cup consolation.

Both brothers made par on the 23rd hole (the par-5 fifth) and watched as Poole missed a do-or-die 6-foot putt.

It was the second week of drama for the older Goldie, Tene, who beat a pair on his own in the round of 32 after Kit was forced out with illness.

Saturday's marathon could have ended on 18. The clubhouse gallery watched, then reacted in vocal unison as Richardson's 2½-foot putt for par, and what would have been a 1-up victory, ran around the bottom side of the hole.

The Goldsmiths face Colin Christie and Duncan Bush in this Saturday's quarters which have a potentially significant commonality.

Every match features at least one player who has won the BG Cup.

Out of the hunt are the top seeds, along with the reigning champions.

No.1 qualifiers Rod Norman and Dave Jenkins were beaten on the 18th by 2020 champions Mike Dodgshun and Brian Clarke.

Defending champs Andy Hayward and Mark Stewart were dismissed 3 and 2 by 2017 winners Paul Mullooly and Neil Mackie — sweet revenge after the Hayward-Stewart combo knocked them out in the semifinals last year.

Next up for Clarke and Dodgshun are Bernie Rothschild and Ray Farmer, who blew away Glenn Morley and Gray Clapham 6 and 5.

“We were beaten by the eventual winners,” Clapham later said, a prediction given weight by the fact Rothschild has been a BG winner and runner-up over the years.

Mackie and Mullooly's next hurdle is a red-hot Peter Clayton and Mark Hunt, who discarded Peter Graham and Willy Mortleman 5 and 4.

Clayton went into the match on the back of a personal-best 3-under 69 off the stick on Thursday. It featured four birdies and a sole bogey, was his career-first sub-par round and won the division 1 men's stableford with 45 points.

Also into the last eight are two-time BG winner Barry Brown and 2022 Patutahi Wednesday 9-hole shootout runner-up Ross Gibson.

They beat Simon Jeune and Dave Hall 3 and 2 to set up what could be a cracker of a quarterfinal against an impressive Nick Whyte and sidekick Tim Williams.

Whyte, whose even-par 72 last Thursday was overshadowed by Clayton's performance, made birdies on the 16th, 17th and 18th holes as he and Williams beat Richard Foon and Don Wright on the 18th.

Whyte put an exclamation mark on the win with a sublime approach on the 18th — his ball ending a couple of inches from the hole.

Christie and Bush advanced 6 and 5 over James McGregor, whose partner Phil Wauchop called in sick.

■ A five-hole win streak set Kirsty Shaw on her way to victory in the Hutchinson Cup women's matchplay final yesterday.

Shaw defeated Maxine Francois 4 and 3 in the handicap matchplay final.

Francois, off 21, was giving Shaw four shots but she needed only one of them as she won the opening five holes. Francois got it back to 3-down after eight holes but Shaw won the ninth to be 4-up at the turn.

A birdie-2 from Francois on the 11th cut into the lead and the pair exchanged wins on the 12th and 14th before Shaw ended it in style with a par on the 15th.

WEDNESDAY — Hutchinson Cup women's matchplay final: K Shaw def M Francois 4 and 3.

Women's stableford: R Willock 36, C Skuse 35, D Kirkpatrick 35.

Twos: M Francois.

MONDAY — Russian Roulette women's pairs stableford: M Allan/F Allen 80.

Sunday — Men's stableford, division 1: A Hayward 37, B Morgan 36, J Van Helden 36, J Situ 36, M Norman 36.

Division 2: K Travers 37, R Johnstone 36, K White 35, B Morrissey 34, R Young 34.

Twos: M. Callaghan 2.

Approach: B Morgan.

SATURDAY — Barns-Graham and Bryan Cup men's pairs matchplay rounds, twos: N Mackie, A Kirkpatrick, J Van Helden, D Robertson, C Jeffrey, D. Jenkins.

Approach: C Jeffrey.

Thursday (June 30) — Men's stableford, division 1: P Clayton 45, N Whyte 41, M Higham 41, A Abrahams 39, N Mackie 38.

Division 2: H Williams 41, C Christie 39, W Thompson 37, R Veall 36, S Willock 35.

Twos: P Clayton, J Pittar, G Morley, P.Graham.

Approach: J Pittar.

THEIR team name summed up the performance as Ian Loffler and Steve Webb booked a spot in the final of the Te Kanawa Cup men's pairs on Sunday.

Teachers Loffler and Webb named themselves “Good, Bad & Ugly” for this year's Te K, and Loffler reckoned there was a bit of each of those in their 2 and 1 semifinal win over John Collier Jr and Waiti Tamatea.

Collier and Tamatea led 2-up at the turn but Webb — who Loffler described as “Mr Consistent” — led their comeback.

Loffler delivered the killer blow on the 17th although he was the first to admit it was a fortuitous one — a thinly-hit chip shot which set his ball racing across the green, only for it to clatter into the pin and stop next to the hole for a gimme par.

Loffler said once again they combined well when it was needed and he also paid tribute to the opposition.

Their opponents for Sunday's final are yet to be decided. Top seeds Chris Fox and Matt Downie are to play father and son Shannon and Beau Toa in the other semi the day before the final.

The Te K final tees off at 12.15pm and there are two other subsidiary trophy deciders.

Darrel Gregory and Tom Reynolds are in the 10.15am Turanganui Cup final where they will play the winner of the semi between father and son Anthony and Shaun Pahina and Sel Peneha and Dave Te Maro.

The Fletcher Cup final at 11.15 pits Rod Moore and Duane Mauheni against Dan Collier and Ray Walford.

■ Park is hosting the final round of the women's interclub pennants on Saturday. It will be held in conjunction with the Village Butchery Meat Treat women's open tournament. Heading into the pennants decider, Wairoa lead the standings on 28 points with Mahia on 27, Te Puia Springs 25, Patutahi 21, Poverty Bay 15 and Park 10.

■ Jude would have been proud.

The Park women's team returned from Poverty Bay last week with the Judy O'Rourke Memorial Trophy in their grasp . . . just.

The annual aggregate stableford challenge pits Park against Poverty Bay in a friendly rivalry where fun and banter are the common denominators.

It was originally set up by Liz Ballard (Poverty Bay) and Jude — both stalwart members of their respective clubs. Liz dedicated the trophy to Jude as a symbol of friendships past and present, with the view that it would continue long into the future.

The 2022 challenge went to the wire, Park winning by just one stableford point — 178 to 177.

NINES of 37, 37. Three bogeys. six pars on the front nine; three bogeys, six pars on the back nine. Mark Watts was the personification of consistency in winning the stableford on Sunday with 74-10-64 for 40 points.

sunday — Stableford: M Watts 40, P Tuapawa 39, P Stevenson 39, D Milner 38.

Twos: B Yates.

COMING UP: SATURDAY, working bee, 8.30am.

IT wasn't quite the round of the previous weekend but Ian Logan did enough to make it consecutive men's stableford wins on Sunday. Logan followed up his low round of the year (78) with 80-16-64, for 38 points, to win by one from Raana Walker.

Hazel Miratana was a dominant force in the women's stableford. Her winning haul of 35 points was six ahead of runner-up Iritana Ngarimu.

SUNDAY — Women's stableford: H Miratana 35, I Ngarimu 29, H McClutchie 28.

Men's stableford: I Logan 80-16-64, 38; R Walker 86-21-65, 37; P Harrison 90-24-66, 36; K Waitoa 34, J Forrester 33, P Ngarimu 30.

Twos: I Logan, M Higham.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, Busby Cup men's pairs.

BUTCH McKenzie, Mason Smith and Jandy Winiata drank from victory chalices on Sunday. McKenzie won the senior men's stableford with 37 points, Smith the junior men's section with 35 and Winiata the women's division with 29.

SUNDAY — Men's stableford, senior division: B McKenzie 37, C Parker 36, T Green 33, S Pohatu 33.

Junior division: M Smith 35, P Summersby 32, B Tietjen 31.

Women's stableford: J Winiata 29.

FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: H Harris 20, T Brodie3 19, J Brown 18, T Hindmarsh 17, R Pardoe 17.

Junior division: I Tietjen 18, G Holland 17, S Brodie 16, M Broad 15, L Jamieson 15.

TUESDAY (June 28) — Women's stableford: R Maloy.

WADE Wesche was in fine form on Sunday, winning the stableford with 42 points.

SUNDAY — Carter Cup men's handicap matchplay, round 2: G Pitman def B Cutler, A Steel def G Hornblow, Wade Wesche def P Leef.

Stableford: Wade Wesche 42, G Shapland 41, A Dennigan 39, I Parker 36, P Bremner 35.

Waikohu

LARRY Green racked up 40 points to win the course backwards stableford on Sunday.

SUNDAY — Course backwards stableford: L Green 40, K Ruru 38, I Ruru 34, V Grace 33, E Wynyard 30.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, greens in regulation club competition.