Golf roundup

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Patutahi

Cheryl Te Rito completed a weekend victory double at Patutahi’s Open Opening Day tournament on Sunday.

Fresh from winning the Canadian foursomes stableford at her home Waikohu club’s opening day on Saturday, she repeated the effort — this time with a different partner.

Te Rito combined with son-in-law Chris Kaa to post an impressive 45 points to win the Canadian section.

They were three points ahead of Patutahi duo Graeme Holland and Kim Torrez, with husband and wife Chris and Jandy Beattie third on 41.

Eddie Brown Jr had a lucrative day.  He carded 1-under 69-6-64 to win the senior men’s net, and picked up the long drive and approach in his section.

Daniel Williams was the hottest player on the course. He won the junior men’s net with 81-18-63.

Gary Watson had the shot of the day — sinking his second for eagle-2 on the 320-metre 16th.

Other winners were Hukanui Brown, Hamish Harris, Dudley Reeves, Butch McKenzie, Garth Tattersfield and Mahaki Buckley.

Over 70 players took part.

The opening day was tinged with sadness following the death of former Patutahi member Ross Nichol last week.

Ross was president and club captain during his years with the club and was also part of the Poverty Bay-East Coast Golf Association administraion.

A search of the Herald’s digital archives also revealed plenty of on-course success over the years.

Ross posted a string of hot rounds — including a 49-point effort at Waikohu in 2013 —won the men’s shootout final, the King of the Country intermediate crown and helped his club to interclub pennants glory.

One of his most memorable feats came in December 2016 when he eagled the par-4 seventh hole two days in a row.

A minute’s silence was observed for Ross at Sunday’s prize-giving.

The 2024 Poverty Bay women’s interclub pennants tees off at the Patutahi women’s open on Saturday. It is the first of six rounds of net or stableford for the four-women teams. The other rounds, all held in conjunction with open tournaments, are at Te Puia Hot Springs (March 2), Wairoa (March 16), Mahia (April 20), Poverty Bay (May 1) and Electrinet Park (May 18).

SUNDAY — Patuahi Open Opening Day, Canadian foursomes stableford: C Te Rito/C Kaa 45, G Holland/K Torrez 42, C Beattie/J Beattie 41, G Brown/R Hiko 40, H Humble/J Blair 38, S Robertson/C Brown 38, T Green/H Pomana 37.

Senior men’s division, net: E Brown Jr 64.

Gross: H Brown 70.

Stableford: H Harris 38, M Christophers 37, K Spring 33, A Hindmarsh 33, T Adamson 33.

Intermediate men’s division, net: D Reeves 65.

Gross: B McKenzie 82.

Stableford: G Tattersfield 38, K Harrison-Allen 38, J Akurangi 37, A Nimmo 37.

Junior men’s division, net: D Williams 63.

Gross: G Watson 82.

Stableford: M Buckley 42, C Kirkpatrick 40, W Stevens 39.

Long drives, men: E Brown Jr, B Tietjen.

Long drives, women: S Gray, R Hiko.

Approaches, men: E Brown Jr.

Approaches, women: D Johnston.

Twos: G Watson (eagle on 11), E Brown Jr, J Brown, D Skudder.

FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: H Harris 19, Blue Toa 19, G Brown 18, M Smith 18, P Summersby 18.

Junior division: J Tietjen 25, P Jex-Blake 23, S Fookes 21, D Quinn 20, G Maude 20.

COMING UP: SATURDAY, Patutahi women’s open and first round of Poverty Bay women’s interclub pennants, 9.30am registration and morning tea, 10.30am tee-off, net, gross and stableford  (pennants is net only), inquiries or registrations to Abbie Davis abbiedavis1987@gmail.com or 020-4109-6217, or Jandy Beattie jandysolomon@icloud.com or 021-256-4517.

Waikohu

Cheryl Te Rito and Te Rata Ritchie turned up the summer heat at Waikohu’s Open Opening Day tournament on Saturday.

The Te Rito/Ritchie combo were class-of-their-own victors in the Canadian foursomes stableford with 48 points.

Marg Tuapawa and Karauria Ruru were six points behind in second.

Electrinet Park’s Dan Collier continued his sub-par form in winning the men’s gross with 1-under 69, including four birdies.

Another “Parkie”, Slade Tiopira, won the net with 79-8-71.

Patutahi ‘s Chris Kaa topped the stableford with 105-31-72, for 33 points, posting everything from a birdie to a quintuple bogey.

SATURDAY —  Waikohu Open Opening day, Canadian foursomes stableford: C Te Rito/T Ritchie 48; M Tuapawa/K Ruru 42; A Tamanui-Nunn/P Milner 40; M Wesche/T Smith 40; A Reeves/R Reeves 40; J Beattie/C Beattie 38; H Pomana/ G Brown 37;  Taine Lincoln/P Lincoln 37.

Men’s gross: D Collier 69, S Peneha 76, J Devery 76.

Men’s net: S Tipoira 71, H Harris 72, Q Peneha 75.

Men’s stableford: C Kaa 33; M Christophers 32; J Akurangi 31.

Twos: J Beattie/C Beattie, R Hiko/K Tamanui, M Wesche/T Smith, M Henwood.

Long  drives: D Collier (men), Kennedy (women).

Approaches: C Beattie (men), R Hiko (women).

COMING UP: SUNDAY, men’s pairs, women’s LGU, stableford and putting.

Poverty Bay

Scores in the seventies have been few and far between for Mark Jefferson in 2024 . . . until Saturday that is.

Jefferson rediscovered the form that had him down as low as a 1-handicap in April of last year.

His 1-over 73-7-66 off the championship tees featured nines of 35, 38 and a two on the sixth hole.

It also won the Division 1 men’s stableford while Kurt Summersby’s 87-17-70, for 38, won Division 2.

Mark Norman ended a lean period with his first sub-70 score of the year —79-12-67, for 41 points — to win the Division 1 men’s stableford on Sunday.

Triple bogeys on the opening two holes were shrugged off by Garth Marchbank. He bounced back with a birdie on the third and went on to shoot 83-15-68, for 40 points, to win Division 2 on Sunday.

It was his best round in 366 days.

Last Thursday’s competition winners were William Brown (70-+1-71, for 37 points) and Gray Clapham (91-18-73, for 38), despite an 11 on the par-5 12th.

The Poverty Bay women started their year yesterday with some warm scoring.

Birgitt Whyte won the 18-hole stableford with 86-17-69, for 41 points, on countback from Marg Lane’s 98-29-69.

WEDNESDAY — Women’s 18-hole stableford: B Whyte 41, M Lane 41.

9-holers: R Pettigrew 22.

SUNDAY — Men’s stableford, Division 1: M Norman 41, P Anderson 37, B Colbert 34, W Mortleman 34.

Division 2: G Marchbank 40, D Hall 40, L Pollitt 40, C Hensley 39.

Twos: W Mortleman.

Approach: G Morley.

SATURDAY — Men’s stableford, Division 1: M Jefferson 42, J Van Helden 39, K Marshall 38, S Andreassen 36.

Division 2: K Summersby 38, D Wright 37, K Gunness 36.

Twos: A Kirkpatrick, B Anderson, M Jefferson, K Gunness .

Approach: D Wright.

THURSDAY (Feb 8) — Men’s stabeford, Division 1: W Brown 37, D.Wilson 36, G Udall 35, C Dean 35.

Division 2: G Clapham 38, C Poole 37, P Graham 35, J Rowe 35, H Johanson 35, M Higham 35

Twos: D Wilson.

Approach: W Mortleman.

tolaga bay

Dan Maitai was five points inferior to his  previous weekend’s winning efforts but it still proved superior in Sunday’s stableford.

Maitai won with 82-15-67, for 42 points on countback from Mark Watts and Rongo Pomana.

SUNDAY — Stableford: D Maitai 37, M Watts 37, R Pomana 37, J Hale 36.

Twos: R Castle.

Approach: B Yates.

Electrinet Park

Janet Muir won the Gordon’s Pharmacy 9-hole stableford last Thursday with 22 points, one ahead of Bailey Matoe.

THURSDAY (Feb 8) — Gordon’s Pharmacy 9-hole stableford: J Muir 22, B Matoe 21.

Men’s long drive: J Adams.

Women’s long drive: K White.

Approach: A Pahina.

Birdie board: K White.

Monkey on the back: P Dagg.

Te Puia Hot Springs

Hiria McClutchie warmed up for the start of the Poverty Bay women’s interclub pennants series at Patutahi with a win on Sunday.

Handicap golf (36 points) was good enough for her while James Forrester won the men’s stableford with 37 points.

SUNDAY — Women’s stableford: H McClutchie 36, I Ngarimu 27.

Men’s stableford: J Forrester 37, K Waitoa 36.

Twos: D Cook.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, Jo Hale Memorial, Round 1.

Māhia

Māhia is holding a mixed foursomes and men’s stableford competition on Saturday, February 24.

Entry fee includes a meal.

Tee-off is 11am after a cup of tea from 10am.

Inquiries to Maraea 027-229-2342.

Tahunga

Tahunga’s 50th anniversary is on Saturday, April 27.

A light lunch at 11am will be followed by a nine-hole pairs competition at midday.

The anniversary will also feature a closest to the pin competition from 3.30pm on Tahunga’s famous bridge hole.

A barbecue and prizegiving will follow at 6pm.

Those interested in attending can RSVP on Tahunga’s Facebook page or email tahungagolfclub@gmail.com

Spaces are still available for the inaugural Fulton Hogan Mercantile Golf Friday Ambrose Team Series  starting at the Awapuni Links course next week.

The four-week series is an ambrose team-of-four net competition played over six holes.

It is open to golfers and non-golfers.

The series (5.45pm shotgun start) tees off on February 23 and continues on March 1, 8 and 22.

Entry can be made through the Awapuni Links: Home of the Poverty Bay Golf Club Facebook page.

Inquiries to men’s club captain John Van Helden 022-399-6462 .