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Electrinet Park
You can forgive Park staff, committee and club members for looking a little anxious when it starts to rain.
There’s a general feeling of “oh no, not again” when the skies open up . . . as they did yet again this week, resulting in Park once again being closed yesterday due to saturation.
It was yet another blow but the “Parkies” are a hardy crew.
Even after the weather battering and the boot being put in by recent burglaries and theft by a few criminals from the “scum of the Earth” society, there has been no throwing hands in the air or white flag-raising.
The “Parkies” get on with it out of loyalty to the club and a love of the game.
And it is that commitment and spirit — with some sympathy from the weather gods — that saw the club able to successfully run its Christmas tournament on Sunday.
“It’s the only break we’ve had all year,” club captain Tom Reynolds said.
A little precipitation raised some concern. It doesn’t take much for ponding to occur. But it was only a smattering and a large field of players from clubs as far away as Ōpōtiki got through 18 holes on a course in recovery mode in a bid to win one of the many hams up for grabs.
The round of the day came from Tolaga Bay’s Watene Reedy — 90-23-67.
Park greenkeeper Quentin Peneha and Shane Biddle signed for net 68s and Park members Heath Tupara and Jason Lloyd posted 69s.
Best of the women was Waikohu’s Andrea Reeves, who shot 109-40-69.
Tolaga Bay’s Lincoln clan were out in numbers and were led by Paige Lincoln’s net 70.
Mahia’s Maraea Wesche had 71 and Poverty Bay’s Tania Lardelli 72.
Tairāwhiti Golf president Anaru Reedy’s even-par 72 was the men’s low gross score, one ahead of Ōpōtiki’s Micky Huriwaka, whose 73 included an eagle-3 on the eighth hole.
Park member Carney Pipi’s 90 was the women’s best gross.
Special mention was made of the efforts of greenkeepers Pete Tamatea and Peneha, course convener Josh Hayes and those who continue to volunteer their assistance each time Mother Nature vents her fury.
To produce a playable course under those relentless circumstances is testament to their efforts.
Anthony Pahina produced sub-par golf to win the Gordons Pharmacy twilight stableord last Thursday.
Pahina fired 1-under 35 — eight pars and one birdie — for 23 points, with Josh Adams second on 22, one more than he got for 18 holes in Sunday’s Christmas tournament.
THURSDAY (Nov 30) — Gordons Pharmacy twilight stableford: A Pahina 23, J Adams 22.
Men’s long drive: M Christophers.
Women’s long drive: K White.
Approach: N Hansen.
Birdie board: B Matoe, N Hansen.
Monkey on the back: K Tupara.
Simulator challenge: D Price.
Poverty Bay
Summer loving had Kim Travers a blast on Saturday.
Travers does not fall into the “gorilla” category when it comes to distance — he’s more a marmoset — but he’s normally pretty straight, with a short game to match.
So when the summer months come around and you get a little more go for your driver blow, Travers is dangerous — as he proved in the opening round of the Summer Cup series on Saturday albeit on a green Awapuni Links course not offering as much extra roll as is usually the case this time of year.
Travers was easily the best of the day in the first of five rounds of the Summer Cup for which players count their best three net scores.
He shot 89-20-69 to finish five strokes ahead of the chasing pack led by Stephen Francks and Duncan Bush, both on 74.
Bill Simpson, Vance Richardson and Stefan Andreassen posted 75s — 5-handicapper Andreassen left to rue a triple-bogey six on the second hole.
Birdies on the first and second holes stood out on Glen Udall’s division 1 men’s stableford-winning card last Thursday. Udall racked up 40 points in his 79-11-68 while John Williams won division 2 with 38.
Maxine Francois fand Sally Spence flew the host flag high in the women’s section of the Gisborne East Coast Veteran Golfers’ Society’s annual open tournament last week.
Francois, who plays off a 17-handicap, won the 54-hole gross on her home Awapuni Links course with a 282 total. She had rounds of 91, 93, 98 — six shots ahead of Electrinet Park member Kino White.
Another Poverty Bay member, Sally Spence (off 26), won the overall stableford with 100 points.
Matamata’s Brenda Whitehead (off 29) won the net on 228.
The Endeavour and Discovery silverware for the men competing in the GEC Vets’ Open were decided on the Sunday preceding their sectional matchplay competition,
Dirk Bullivant (gross 82) and Poverty Bay clubmate Colin Simpson (net 72) were the Endeavour (55 to 69 years) winners while former New Zealand golfing representative and Bay of Plenty great Owen Kendall (gross 79), of Mount Maunganui, and Colin Harrison (net 70), of Omanu, were the Discovery (70yrs-plus) winners.
A fundraising tournament at Awapuni Links at the end of the month is set to be music to Tairāwhiti Golf’s ears.
The R&V Classic, presented by Grip & Rip, is being held on December 28 and all funds raised will be donated to Tairāwhiti Golf.
Organisers have acknowledged the rough year many clubs in the district have had and are keen to give something back.
The format is ambrose in teams of four and is restricted to 36 entries.
Enter at www.gripnrip.co.nz
Sunday — Men’s stableford: B Brown 40, G Marchbank 40, C Carmody 39, N Whyte 38, D Patumaka 37, B Anderson 36.
SATURDAY — Summer Cup, round 1, approach: S. Andreassen.
Twos: J. McGregor.
Thursday (Nov 30) — Men’s stableford, division 1: G Udall 40, I Murphy 39, G Morley 37.
Division 2: J Williams 38, H Johanson 37, P Graham 36, B Read 36.
Twos: G Udall, T Goldsmith.
Approach: T Goldsmith.
WEDNESDAY (Nov 29) — Gisborne East Coast Veteran Golfers’ Society open tournament, Open Challenge Cup men’s first 8, overall winner: Tene Goldsmith from George Brown.
Consolation: Alister Jennings from Bob Perkins.
Flight 1: Owen Kendall from David Verran.
Flight 2: David Williams.
Captain Cook Cup second 8, overall winner: Colin Harrison from Carl Carmody.
Consolation: Graham Sligo from Brian Jopson.
Flight 1: Dirk Bullivant from Clive Dean.
Flight 2: Chris Robinson.
McMillan Cup third 8, overall winner: Nigel Jones from Colin Christie.
Consolation: Peter Johnston from Colin Simpson.
Flight 1: Cliff Poole from Roger Menzies.
Flight 2: Brian Morrissey.
Waikanae Plate fourth 8, overall winner: Tony Rutledge from Garry Pellett.
Consolation: Ron Young from Larry Foster.
Flight 1: John Aitchison from Dave Mettrick.
Flight 2: Neville Jenkins.
McMurray Plate fifth 8, overall winner: Cecil Brown from Michael Strickett.
Consolation: Garth Tattersfield from Keith Daniels.
Flight 1: Phil Daley.
Flight 2: Ian Dobie.
Sixth 8, overall winner: Dallas Atkins from David Maloy.
Consolation: Dave Te Maro from Rob Fletcher.
Flight 1: Peter Harrison from Peter Spurway.
Flight 2: Brian Read.
Endeavour Trophy (55 to 69yrs), gross: Dirk Bullivant 82 from Dave Verran 83.
NetL Colin Simpson 72 from Carl Carmody 78.
Discovery Cup (70yrs and over), gross: Owen Kendall 79 from Vance Richardson 81.
Net: Colin Harrison 70, Cliff Poole 75, Peter Johnston 76.
Women’s 54-hole gross: Maxine Francois 282 (91, 93, 98).
Net: Brenda Whitehead 228 (76, 76, 76); Karen Taylor 232 (79, 78, 75); Kino White 237 (80, 77, 80).
Stableford: Sally Spence 100 (35, 31, 34); Raewyn Glover 96 (33, 32, 31); Teresa Lewis 94 (32, 27, 35).
Twos: T Lewis, D Bullivant, O Kendall, C Carmody, M Strickett, B Willetts, G Pellett, D Williams, C Poole.
The Taste One/First Light Frozen/Christmas Hams tournament is on SUNDAY. Assemble at 9am for a 9.30am shotgun start. The draw is —
No.1 tee, 9.30am: Draw 4; Draw 4.
No.2: H Tupara/K Tupara/M Bond/D Price; S Andreassen/Wade Wesche/R Young/D Bush.
No.3: L Bates/J Sheridan/T Adamson/R Fergus; C Taewa/J Phillips/G Hawea/R Clark.
No.4: B Colbert/C Jeffrey/S Jeune/P Hakiwai; R Chalmers/R Gibson/G McKinnon/B Brown.
No.5: V Fraser/S Spence/M Shanks/M Colebourne; M Garewal/A Webb/J Holmes/A Putnam.
No.6: K Travers/T Goldsmith/K Goldsmith/N Jones; O Thompson/K Shaw/J Muir; L Holmberg.
No.7: C Nelson/B Whyte/M Francois/M Allan; M Lane/C Kora/Sarndra Tiopira/S Johnstone.
No.8: H Keast/M Campbell/R Witters/T Akroyd; B Simpson/S Francks/M Stewart/P Goodwin.
No.9: T Green/A Nimmo/M Smith/B Tietjen; T Brodie jr/C Harris/D Humphrey/W Stevens.
No.10: K Torrez/M King/C Holland/A Davis; A Kirkpatrick/D Kirkpatrick/M Gemmell/A Gemmell.
No.11: K Summersby/P Summersby/E Wilson/K Burrows; C Beattie/J Beattie/J Brown/G Brown.
No.12: K Marshall/Affiliate/J Pardoe/B Rogers; S Phillips/J Witika/D Harrison/D Craven.
No.13: C Pipi/M Wesche/L Brown/A Lincoln; D Foster/R Ladd/D White/T Reeves.
No.14: C Cairns/S Cairns/J Ibbetson/O Aldridge; K Spring/SladeTiopira/J Lloyd/Q Peneha.
No.15: M Callaghan/R Morley/L Hewson/G Morley; Draw 2/S Lardelli/T Lardelli.
No.16: C Simpson/A Simpson/W Kahaki/D Bullivant; P Stewart/L Hayes/J Hayes/Z Boyle.
No.17: K Houkamau/J Willoughby/D Patumaka/J Leaf; R Moleta/S Pohatu/E Brown jr/S Peneha.
No.18: K Reeve/T Reeve/J Situ/M Karalus; I Loffler/M Henwood/M Christophers/C Christophers.
Waikohu
Tama Brown and Val Grace earned maximum reward from Sunday’s 9-hole stableford.
Brown won the men’s section on countback with 23 points while Grace’s 22 headed the women.
Both players also had twos.
SUNDAY — 9-hole stableford men: T Brown 23, T Ritchie 23, P Milner 21, T Smith 18.
Women: V Grace 22, M Tuapawa 20, E Wynyard 16.
Twos: V Grace, T Brown, P Milner.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, club competition.
Patutahi
A quintruple-9 on the 16th hole dazed but didn’t floor Michael Broad in Sunday’s club competition.
Broad won the junior men’s net with 92-24-68 — his front nine of 42 anchoring the victory.
Chris Parker won the senior division with 82-14-68.
Dave Tarry ran hot in Friday’s meat pack 9-hole stableford, winning the junior division with 23 points courtesy of 45 off a 15-handicap including a birdie-2 on the 15th.
SUNDAY — Men’s net, senior division: C Parker 68, J Neilson 69, T Brodie 71.
Junior division: M Broad 68, B McKenzie 69, S Pittar 75.
FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: M Smith 21, J Neilson 20, G Brown 18, T Brodie 18, T Sharp 18.
Junior division: D Tarry 23, J Tietjen 22, D Dodgshun 22, T Coutts 20, I Tietjen 18.
Tolaga Bay
Dan Maitai pipped Zak Horomia on countback to win the stableford on Sunday.
Maitai carded 84-15-69 while Horomia’s 107-38-69 was highlighted by a lone par-3 on the 15th.
SUNDAY — Stableford: D Maitai 35, Z Horomia 35, T Higgs 34, M Watts 33, J Hale 33.
Approach: M Watts.
Te Puia Hot Springs
A birdie on the par-5 15th hole proved the difference as Iritana Ngarimu shot her best round in nine months on Sunday.
Ngarimu carded 94-29-65, for 39 points, to win the women’s stableford by a point from Pauline Summersby.
Ngarimu’s husband Pete made it a victorious day for the couple in winning the men’s stableford with 84-20-64, for 38, on countback from Bill Clark.
SUNDAY — Women’s stableford: I Ngarimu 94-29-65, 39; P Summersby 91-25-65, 38.
Men’s stableford: P Ngarimu 84-20-64, 38; B Clark 80-16-64, 38.
Twos: R Walker.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, Cook Couriers Te Puia Hot Springs Christmas tournament, men’s and women’s sections, gross, net and stableford, rolling start from 9am to 11am, contact Hiria McClutchie 021-026-90628; SUNDAY, club trophy day.
Māhia
As the weather gods have continued to conspire against Māhia in 2023, the club is trying to put that behind it and focus on 2024.
That in mind, it is hoping for plenty of support for its annual New Year tournament to be held on Wednesday, January 3.
With plenty of holidaymakers in the township over that period, the course should be buzzing.
Tee-off times are 7.45am and 11.45 am and the format is stableford in men’s, women’s and non-golfers’ sections.
Entry includes a meal and twos and the chance to win something from a $2500 prize table.
• Inquiries to Maraea on 027-229-2342.
Golf Roundup compiled and edited by Chris Taewa. If you have a story, tournament to promote or results you wish to have printed, contact
The Gisborne Herald at 869-0633 or email sports@gisborneherald.co.nz
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