GOLF ROUNDUP

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

It will go down in Gisborne Park history as Groundhog Day.

Six hours after teeing off in their round 2 senior men's club championship match, Pete “Legend” Stewart and Rod Moore finally shook hands.

They had just played the 18th hole eight consecutive times to decide what Moore aptly described as “a pretty epic” encounter.

Stewart emerged the victor and as both men had earlier predicted, it took a birdie-3 to decide it.

The pair collectively clocked up over 5 kilometres of walking distance on the 315-metre 18th alone.

Having fought back from losing the opening two holes to be 2-up after nine holes, Stewart found himself 1-down playing the 18th.

Par proved good enough to send it to sudden-death — Moore missing a 6-footer that would have ended it.

Rather than heading to the first tee and playing conventional extra holes, sudden-death is decided solely on the 18th hole.

The pair traded pars over five consecutive playings of the 18th and halved the sixth time in bogeys.

It was going to take either something special or exhaustion to end the duel.

Stewart delivered something special — a birdie-3 on what was their 25th hole of the day.

Moore reckoned it was a putt of around 10-foot; Stewart put it at 20.

Whatever it was, it brought to a climactic end a memorable battle which both warriors will remember forever, and their bodies were soon reminding them.

“There was no golf on Sunday . . . too sore,” Stewart said.

“I haven't been so exhausted on the golf course ever as that day,” Moore said.

Each man also had high praise for the other.

“It was a great match with an awesome guy,” Stewart said. “Neither of us were willing to give up.”

“We kept saying that birdie was what it was going go take,” said Moore. “Top man, Legend . . . a well-deserved win.”

Stewart next faces the winner of the Anaru Reedy-Zane Boyle quarterfinal.

Daniel Collier also moved into the last four with a 2 and 1 victory over Sel Peneha. He will play the winner of the quarterfinal clash between defending champion Tony Akroyd and Deevon Gray.

WEDNESDAY — GRC Rosebowl women's stableford, second round: J Muir 36.

Drawn two: K Hay.

SUNDAY — Men's stableford: M Emery 30.

Men's club championships, senior division, round 1: Zane Boyle def Rob Taylor, Sel Peneha def Jason Devery, Deevon Gray def Silas Brown.

Byes: Anaru Reedy, Rod Moore, Pete Stewart, Dan Collier, Tony Akroyd.

Round 2: Stewart de Moore, Collier def Peneha.

Intermediate, round 1: Anthony Pahina def Danny Boyle, Zach Rolls def Duane Mauheni, Shannon Toa def Josh Hayes, Matt Henwood def Mike Christophers, Te Ariki Pomana def Craig Christophers, James Witika def Glen McKinnon, Sefo Fonoti def Steve Long, John Collier Jr def Ray Walford.

Junior, round 1: Ian Loffler def Ray Grace, Steve Phillips def Mason Emery, Damian Pilitati def Shaun Pahina, Darrel Gregory def Dave Harrison, Tony Leggett def D Rameka, G Williams def Luke Hayes, Paul Wellard def Shaun Nepe, Chris Fox def Steve Rolls.

Endeavour, round 2: Carl Carmody def Warren Muir, Ray Akroyd def Josh Taylor, Charlie Uili def Dave Te Maro, Blue Toa def Mat Downie.

SATURDAY — Men's net: C Christophers 70.

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There was blood on the fairways as a Saturday of carnage left plenty of golfers nursing wounded pride in men's club championship qualifying.

Only two players broke 80 on a heavy championship course, with an 18-shot difference between the first and 16th qualifiers in the senior division.

Defending senior men's champion William Brown top qualified with even-par 72, followed by Dean Twigley (76) and 75-year-old Tene Goldsmith (81).

The qualifying round was also round 3 of the Dodgshun Cup, with round 4 played on Sunday.

Brown added a Sunday 75 to his tally to easily retain the Dodghun Cup division 1 gross crown, despite not playing in round 2.

Players count their best three of four rounds. Brown totalled 221 (74, 72, 75) to win by four shots from Simon Jeune (77, 75, 73).

Jeune's 73 was an impressive bounceback from his Saturday 84, which featured a nine on the par-5 12th as he qualified 10th.

It set up a first-round match with Glenn Morley (83) — a match most would have predicted was more likely to have happened later in the piece.

Peter Kerekere was another surprise struggler. The +3-handicapper's 83 was his worst score since September 2019.

He faces the Battle of the Petes in round 1 — Pete Anderson, who also carded 83.

It was a bittersweet weekend for Richard Foon, who won the division 2 gross title of the Dodgshun Cup but failed to qualify in the intermediate club champs.

Foon staggered to 97 on Saturday (qualifying day), then improved by 14 shots on Sunday for a three-round Dodgshun total of 248 (80, 85, 83).

He was four shots ahead of Neil Mackie (82, 85, 85).

The intermediate top qualifier was Darryn White (82) from Mackie (85) and Bruce Talbot (85).

Ray Morgan's 93 earned him the junior division No.1 seeding from Kim Travers (95) and Duncan Bush (96) on countback.

Bush comfortably won the division 3 gross of the Dodgshun Cup with 272 (89, 87, 96). Travers was second on 278 (89, 95, 94).

There was a bit of 19th-hole sorrow-drowning on Saturday, among those Bill Simpson, who had a 12 on the par-4 fourth, and Kit Goldsmith, who made 13 on the 13th.

Lucky for some; not for golfers.

WEDNESDAY — Women's stableford: L Fletcher 41, V Fletcher 38.

Monday — Women's 6x6x6 (net-plus-putts-minus stableford): M Francois 22, V Fletcher 23.

SUNDAY — Men's stableford, division 1: S Jeune 38, R Foon 37, R Gibson 36, G Morley 35.

Division 2: L Hewson 41, C Simpson 36, M Thomas 36, N Jones 34, H Williams 34.

Twos: G Morley, V Richardson.

Approach: P Humphreys.

SATURDAY — Men's club championship qualifying, third round of Dodgshun Cup, twos: S Francks, M Jefferson, P Anderson.

Approach: M Jefferson.

Thursday (Aug 11) — Men's stableford, division 1: M Higham 37, G Morley 36.

Division 2: D Bush 38, P Humphreys 36, M Smith 36, G Clapham 35, C Christie 35.

Twos: Reid Fletcher.

Approach: C Christie.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, September 4, Eagles Golfing Society of Gisborne Charity Golf Tournament in support of Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, two-tee start, 9am to 10.45am, men's and women's sections, gross, net, stableford, also team of four combined stableford (make up your own team) for the Bob Grierson Memorial Trophy, contact Poverty Bay Golf Club (8674402) or Peter Hakiwai (0274771133) to book tee time.

The first of the 2022 club champions was decided on Sunday.

Doreen Goldsmith defeated Makita Puke to win the junior women's title.

The intermediate division is down to the last two. Georgina Roberts beat Pauline Summersby and will play Hazel Miratana in the final.

Daryl Goldsmith had the round of the day — 80-18-62, for 40 points — to win the men's stableford and also beat Henry Rasmussen in their Makarika Cup match.

SUNDAY — Women's stableford: H Miratana 32, I Ngarimu 31, D Goldsmith 29.

Men's stableford: D Goldsmith 40, H Rasmussen 37, P Ngarimu 34, K Waitoa 34.

Junior women's club championship final: D Goldsmith def M Puke.

Intermediate women's club championship semifinal: G Roberts def P Summersby.

Club championships got under way on Sunday and match winners were Percy Milner, Te Rata Ritchie, Spud Te Rito and Margy Tuapawa.

Sonny Ritchie won the men's stableford with 35 points while Val Grace also had 35 in topping the women.

SUNDAY — Men's stableford: S Ritchie 35, T Ritchie 34, K Tamanui 34, P Milner 33, T Smith 33.

Women's stableford: V Grace 35, E Wynyard 35, P Rutene 30.

Club championship matches, men: P Milner def K Ruru, T Ritchie def L Green, S Te Rito def I Ruru.

Women: M Tuapawa def P Rutene.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, club championships.

Graham Shapland and Bruce Maher and Elaine Westwood and Paipan Denigan collected the silverware in the President's four-ball best-ball matchplay finals on Sunday.

Shapland and Maher not only beat Gid Pitman and Wayne Wesche in the men's final, they were also first and second in the stableford.

Westwood and Denigan had a humdinger battle with Lee Steel and Lil Morgan, the match going all the way to the 18th.

David Waihaki and Bernie Crowley won their first-round intermediate men's club championship matches while William Albert had a first-up win in the junior division.

SUNDAY — President's four-ball best-ball matchplay finals, men: G Shapland/B Maher def C Pitman/Wayne Wesche.

Women: E Westwood/P Denigan def L Steel/L Morgan.

Harwood women's par: L Steel +1, V Kyle -2, E Westwood -2, P Denigan -2.

Men's stableford: G Shapland 41, B Maher 39, Wayne Wesche 39, P Te Hau 35, W Albert 35, Wade Wesche 35, D Waihaki 35, J Te Amo 34.

Men's club championships, intermediate division, round 1: D Waihaki def R Smith, B Crowley def R Bremner.

Junior: W Albert def A Steel.

COMING UP: FRIDAY, 9-hole competition, 2pm start, non-members welcome; SUNDAY, LGU, club championships.

Rising junior Te Ngakau Welsh improved 24 shots in the space of week and slashed his handicap in the process in winning Sunday's stableford.

Welsh shot 98-46-52, for 49 points — a week after a 122 off the maximum 54.

His new handicap index is 30.7.

SUNDAY — Stableford: T Welsh 49, M Yates 38, Tere Lincoln 37.

Approach: D Milner.

Twos: B Yates 2, D Milner.

COMING UP: SUNDAY, committee meeting, 10am.

Hukanui Brown needed all 18 holes to claim the first semifinal berth in the senior men's club championships on Sunday.

Brown beat Shayde Skudder 1-up in a quarterfinal match while older brother Eddie Brown Jr and Terry Reeves had contrasting first-round successes.

Eddie eased past Jon Priestley 5 and 4 while Reeves eliminated Dean Pohatu on the 18th.

Intermediate top qualifier Tom Hindmarsh, who had a first-round bye, was joined in the quarterfinals by Adam Brodie, Pat Molloy, Hamish Harris, Tom Brodie (Adam's father), Pat Hokianga, Ash Hindmarsh and Sam Marsh

Top seed Reuben Mottart was among the first-round winners in the junior division.

SUNDAY — Men's stableford, senior division: E Brown Jr 37, J Priestley 36, H Brown 34, S Skudder 34.

Junior division: T Brodie 39, A Brodie 37, S Watson 35, C Taylor 34.

Women's stableford: D Johnston.

Jackpot: J Priestley.

Twos: J Priestley.

Men's club championship results, senior division, round 1: Ed Brown Jr def John Priestley, Terry Reeves def Dean Pohatu.

Round 2: Hukanui Brown def Shayde Skudder.

Intermediate, round 1: Adam Brodie def Rocky Pardoe, Pat Molloy def George Brown, Hamish Harris def Butch McKenzie, Tom Brodie def Mana Pohatu, Pat Hokianga def Shane Watson, Ash Hindmarsh def Pete Johnston, Sam Marsh def John Neilson.

Bye: Tom Hindmarsh.

Junior, round 1: Reuben Mottart def Sonny Maynard, Tony Sharp def Joe Blair, Jamie Brodie def Graham Holland, Charlie Taylor def Lindsay Jamieson, Mason Smith def Andy Nimmo, Selwyn Pohatu def Brian Pohatu.