Golf Roundup

Water, water everywhere . . . Colin Simpson walks around water in the dip near the end of the 15th hole at Poverty Bay golf course on Sunday. The Bay, like every other course in the region, was closed on Saturday due to the state of emergency and rain, but with its sand-based soil allowing for quicker drainage, it reopened on Sunday. The Bay remained the only course playable this week. Pictures by Chris Taewa

POVERTY BAY

BARNS-Graham Cup favourites are about as clear as the mud covering golf courses throughout the district after another rain-pummelling over the weekend.

It’s take 2 in the Gisborne Motors BG Cup men’s pairs this weekend  after the first round of matchplay was washed away last Saturday.

And for many it will be a matchplay double, bar any more meteorological mayhem.

Pairs have been given the option of playing their first-round matches on or before Saturday, and second-round matches are on Sunday.

The beauty of the BG is that your best method of picking a winner is a coin toss.

The fact that Lee Pollitt and Keith “Jack” Daniels could qualify second underlines its unpredictability which has applied to most years of the 72-year-old competition.

Polly and Jack face fellow Sunday Schoolers Glenn Morley and Ron Young in the first round, and you wouldn’t be betting your Mahia bach on the second seeds advancing.

Morley is among those lower handicapped players who welcome a challenging course.

He’ll be dishing out shots with lolly scramble abandon on Saturday, so the tougher the better.

Brent Colbert and Collin Jeffrey also fall into that category. Colbert, off an 8-handicap, won the stableford on Sunday on a course where you could hear your ball splash-land. His 35 points was equivalent to 40-plus in normal circumstances.

Colbert and 5-handicapper Jeffrey are up against John Williams and Clive Dean. Williams is going to need to take full advantage of the 23 shots he will be receiving or Jeffrey’s 19th-hole Waikato will be tasting extra sweet.

Seeding doesn’t usually mean a great deal although there have been exceptions like Barry Brown and son Michael, who went on to win as No.1 qualifiers in 2004.

Barry is slumming it these days with Ross Gibson but if Gibbo’s beloved “Scottie” putter heats up, two-time BG winner Brown could put another notch into his scalp belt — that of Vance Richardson and Cliff Poole.

The 2023 top seed curse is hovering over Phil Allan and Chris Shaw, who face a potentially tumultous ride against Carl Carmody and Dean Robertson.

Play well, gentlemen.

Pen Wanklyn and Birgitt Whyte  won the OPSM women’s foursomes last Wednesday.

The pair combined for a net 118 to win the 27-hole title by two shots from Faye Allen and Megan Allen, and Mary Allan and Miggles Shanks.

Di Sherratt and Rosie Spence won the 18-hole net while Lesley Daniels and Judy Ngarimu were best of the 9-holers.

SUNDAY — Men’s stableford, division z1: B Colbert 35, G Morley 34, A Battistella 32.

Division 2: C Hensley 34, R Chalmers 32, M Karalus 32.

Twos: A White, B Colbert, N Jones.

Approach: B Colbert.

WEDNESDAY (June 21) — OPSM women’s foursomes, 27-hole net: P Wanklyn/B Whyte 118; F Allen/M Allen 121; M Allan/Miggles Shanks 121.

18-hole net: D Sherratt/R Spence 87 on c/b from  M Francois/J Williams.

9-hole net: L Daniels/J Ngarimu 38; S Armstrong/V Harnett 43; L Plowman/R Dymock 43; S McLaughlin/N Johnson 44 .

Best third shot: L Holmberg/G Young (0-21); F Pell/V Bell (22+).

Best second shot:  M Allan/M Shanks (0-21); F Allen/M Allen (22+).

9-holers’ best third shot: S McLaughlin/N Johnson (0-21); R Dymock/L Plowman (22+).

WEDNESDAY (June 14) — Audrey Kelly Salver women’s gross: G Young 95.

Net, 0-18.4: G Young 77.

18.5-33.4: Sally Spence 72.

33.5-40.4: F Pell 84.

9-holers’ net: S McLaughlin 34.

The first round of matchplay in the Gisborne Motors Barns-Graham Cup men’s pairs is on SATURDAY.  Round 2 is on SUNDAY. The draw for SATURDAY is — No.1 tee, 10.45am: P Allan/C Shaw v D Robertson/C Carmody. 10.53: K Summersby/S Boyd v T Sherratt/M Gemmell. 11.01: K Marshall/N Jones v Snake Chalmers/G Hawea. 11.09: N West/R Foon v S Andreassen/B Anderson. 11.17: V Richardson/C Poole v B Brown/R Gibson. 11.25: M Parkes/D Pirimona v S Harbottle/A Abrahams. 11.33: J Van Helden/R Owen v M Hunt/P Clayton. 11.41: J Williams/C Dean v B Colbert/C Jeffrey. 11.49: P Wauchop/J McGregor v L Foster/C Bauld. 11.57: P Goodwin/C Hensley v D Cook/D Grant.

No.10 tee, 10.45am: A Hayward/M Stewart v K Goldsmith/T Goldsmith. 10.53: C Taewa/L Hewson v P Graham/W Mortleman. 11.01: D Griffin/G Brown v C Christie/D Bush. 11.09: B Talbot/A Battistella v H Williams/P Butler. 11.17: F Ball/P Hakiwai v R Fletcher/G Kemp. 11.25: W Brown/R Clark v Z Rolls/M Gray. 11.33: D Gray/C Christophers v S Berezowski/S Francks. 11.41: G Morley/R Young v K Daniels/L Pollitt. 11.49: B Allen/M Allen v M Callagham/M Jefferson. 11.57: M Smith/B Read v P Mullooly/N Mackie.

MAHIA

The Noeline Ellison-sponsored Mahia Ladies 18-hole foursomes is on Saturday, July 22.

Format is stableford, with each player to count at least six drives.

A cup of tea at 9.30am will be followed by tee-off at 10.30am.

Entry fee includes a meal and twos.

Players are encouraged to dress up in anything bright or bold.

Inquiries to Renee 027-371-8682 or Maraea 027-229-2342.

WAIKOHU

It is business as usual for Waikohu this Sunday.

The men’s handicap singles is at the semifinals stage, with Terry Reeves up against Tama Brown and Richard Reeves to take on Larry Green.

The club championship draw will also be done over the weekend.