Team Turf know the Awapuni Links course like the grey hairs on the back of their wrinkled hands. Well, most of them do. So it was perhaps no real surprise they emerged top of the fairway crop as the 2025 Fulton Hogan Ambrose Teams Series came to its conclusion last week. Three of the team work at the course - head greenkeeper Rowan Clark and, as they like to refer to themselves, "groomers" Collin Jeffrey and Brent Colbert (who played in week 1 of the four-week series before going tiki touring in the South Island). Simon Jeune, who started playing golf with Clark in the 1970s, has won many a trophy at the course over the years, including the coveted Poverty Bay Open. The fifth Turf squad member, and perhaps the star of their show, was Brad Clark - Rowan's son and over 30 years the junior to the rest - who converted his deadly boot on the football field to an equally accurate putting stroke. Team Turf finished with a combined net total of 73.91, BDO were second on 75.42 and Fore Hackers were third on 76.08. Photo / Gray Clapham
Tony Akroyd must get excited every time he stands on a par-3 tee with a 7-iron in his hand.
On Saturday, the man who has won nearly everything there is at the top end of Tairāwhiti golf, aced the 151-metre hole at the Tūranga Health Waikohu Men’s Open.
It was the third hole-in-one of Akroyd’s career, with all three coming off a 7-iron.
In Akroyd’s words, he hit a “slight draw over [the] bunker, [the ball] pitched pin-high, 3m right, spun up, took the slope and boom”.
Akroyd tasted perfection for the first time on the 17th hole at the Mount Maunganui course while representing NZ Māori at the Grant Clements tournament in 2005.
The next came on the third hole at Tolaga Bay during the Oligoi Jug men’s interclub pennants in 2022.
Saturday’s effort was yet another highlight on a list of achievements that includes Poverty Bay-East Coast representative honours over decades, along with Poverty Bay Open, East Coast Open, King of the Coast open and club championship titles.
However, Akroyd (a member of Poverty Bay) had to settle for second-best at the Waikohu open. His 72 was bettered by Pete Stewart (Electrinet Park), whose gross-winning even-par 70 was highlighted by an eagle-3 on the fifth hole.
Frank Ngatoro won the net with 80-13-67, and his Waikohu clubmate Karauria Ruru won the Stableford with 38 points.
Richard Reeves followed up his Stableford runner-up effort on Saturday with the round of his life the following day.
Reeves shot 2-over 72, for 41 points, his Stableford-winning performance including three twos — one of those an eagle on the 363-metre eighth hole.
SATURDAY - Tūranga Health Waikohu Men’s Open, gross: P. Stewart 70, Tony Akroyd 72 on c/b from J. Brown 72.
Net: F. Ngatoro 67, S. Ritchie 68, Watene Brown 69.
Stableford: K. Ruru 38; R. Reeves 37, S. Nepe 36, T. Reeves 35, M. Christophers 34, W. Reedy 34, K. Tamanui 34, G. Pari 34.
Hole-in-one: T. Akroyd.
Twos: H. Brown, J. Brown, S. Ritchie, M. Christophers, I. Logan.
SUNDAY - Stableford: R. Reeves 42, A. Reeves 33, K. Tamanui 32, L. Green 32.
Twos: R. Reeves 3.
Jackpot: R. Reeves.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Men’s handicap matchplay; SATURDAY, March 29, Waikohu Women’s Open, cup of tea 10am, tee-off 11am.
Luke Bates rocked up to the ‘Tahi on Sunday with a best score of 94 (shot over a year ago).
He left with a PB six shots better after firing 88-27-61 in a runaway victory in the division 2 men’s net — eight shots superior to Mike de Luze.
Butch McKenzie’s 80-12-68 won division 1... but arguably the most colourful round of the day came from Regan Hindmarsh — a 1-over 71-2-69 that featured an eagle-2 on the 18th, five birdies, six bogeys and a double bogey.
SUNDAY — Men’s net, division 1: B. McKenzie 68, L. Anania 68, R. Mottart 69, R. Hindmarsh 69, P. Summersby 70 on c/b.
Division 2: L. Bates 61, M. de Luze 69, S. Fookes 70, B. Tietjen 70, T. Newby 70.
Women’s net: D. Johnston 35.
Twos: R. Hindmarsh 2, R. Mottart.
Eagle on 18: R. Hindmarsh.
Jackpot: R. Hindmarsh.
FRIDAY - Meat pack 9-hole stableford, division 1: Sel Pohatu 19, L. Owen 18, M. Devery 18, A, Nimmo 18, D. Williams 18.
Division 2: B. Williams 23, T. Coutts 20, J. Tietjen 20, H. Humble 20, G. Tattersfield 20.
Megan Allen is the 2025 Hutchinson Cup champion.
Allen defeated Rosie Spence 1-up in a quality handicap matchplay final on Wednesday.
Jaye McCafferty broke 100 for the first time — 99-30-69 — in winning the women’s stableford with 41 points.
Four golfers will go a step closer to Reynolds Cup glory on Saturday.
The semifinals of the men’s handicap matchplay tournament pit Keith Marshall against Pat Butler, and Cliff Poole against Tene Goldsmith.
Marshall goes in on the back of a division 1 stableford-winning 39 points on Sunday, while Poole can take inspiration from grandson-in-law-to-be Tyler Hodge’s brilliant victory in the NZ PGA Championship at Hastings’ Bridge Pa course.
Willie Mortleman produced the round of the day in the men’s stableford last Thursday - 73-5-68, for 40 points - but the talk on the 19th was long-time member Neil Mackie’s hole-in-one on the 147-metre second hole. Full story to follow.
WEDNESDAY— Women’s Stableford: J. McCafferty 41; D. Kirkpatrick 38.
Sue Bunt 9-holers’ net No 3: J. Newman 34, N. Johnson 34.9-holers’ Stableford: J. French 20
Twos: A. Witters.
TUESDAY — Veterans’ Stableford: B. Read 39, J. Holmes 38, L. Foster 37, D. Niven 35, K. Gunness 35.
MONDAY — Women’s Stableford: T. Lewis 37, M. Lane 31, A. Witters 31.
SUNDAY — Men’s Stableford, division 1: K. Marshall 39, A. Lawler 38, D. Patumaka 36.
Division 2: P. Rickard 33, L. Pollitt 32, P. Grogan 31, K. Travers 29.
Twos: D. Pirimona.
Approach: R. Chalmers.
SATURDAY — Men’s Stableford, division 1: G. Morley 36, S. Andreassen 36, J. Kerekere 35.
Division 2: A. McIntosh 38, K. Gunness 38, B. Read 36, W. Thompson 36.
Twos: S. Francks.
Approach: S. Francks.
THURSDAY (March 6) — Men’s Stableford, division 1: W. Mortleman 40, G. Morley 37, P. Butler 37.
Division 2: P. Humphreys 35, J. Williams 31, K. Goldsmith 29, B. Read 28.
Twos: W. Mortleman.
Hole-in-one on 2nd: N. Mackie.
Approach: W. Mortleman.
East Coast legend Peter Rouse was no doubt smiling from above as a father and son completed a Tolaga Bay 1-2 on Sunday at the tournament that honours him.
Murray Yates won the men’s division of the Peter Rouse Memorial with a net 64 while father Bruce was second on 65. Roland Waru’s 66 made it a Tolaga Bay trifecta.
Yates joined a list of men to receive a tankard that Rouse was presented for winning the King of the Coast in 1999 — one of many victories he had over several decades at the annual matchplay tournament hosted by Tolaga Bay.
Home-course player Robyn Ngatai won the Rouse Memorial women’s net and silver tray that goes with it. Her 74 was one stroke ahead of 2024 winner Iritana Ngarimu, with another Springs player, Hiria McClutchie, third on 76.
Rouse died in a quad bike accident in 2012 at the age of 74. He remains a powerful spiritual presence at Te Puia Hot Springs and many of his successes are acknowledged on the clubhouse walls.
SUNDAY - Peter Rouse Memorial, men’s net: M. Yates 64, B. Yates 65, R. Waru 66, I. Logan 67, D. Goldsmith 67, M. Murphy 68, D. Cook 69, B. Clark 69, M. Higham 69.
Women’s net: R. Ngatai 74, I. Ngarimu 75, H. McClutchie 76, A. Cook 78, M. Vette 80.
Approach: B. Yates.
Twos: D Cook, B Yates.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Jo Hale Memorial round 3.
It’s down to the last four in the Men’s Handicap Cup competition.
Big wins were features of the senior quarterfinals over the weekend.
Bailey Matoe put away Phil Nepia on the 14th to set up a semi against Mike Christophers, who blew away Sel Peneha.
Pete Stewart saw off Craig Christophers 2 and 1 and will play the winner of Brad Reynolds versus Zane Boyle — the latter going “Full Send” with his driver in defeating recently crowned men’s over-50s long driving champion John Collier Jr in a catch-up quarterfinal last week.
Tom Reynolds brushed aside James Witika in their intermediate quarterfinal and next faces Mike Bond, who knocked out Duane Mauheni.
Steve Rolls pipped Steve Phillips on the 19th last Thursday and will next play Luke Hayes, who also took an extra hole to dispose of Darrel Gregory.
In the junior division, Tony Leggett, ejected Alex Nanai, Mason Emery beat Mat Greeks, and Lindsay Hunt defeated Matt Downie. Heath Tupara, as top qualifier, advanced directly to the last four.
THURSDAY (March 6) — Gordon’s Pharmacy twilight Stableford: F. Ngatoro 21, K. Tamatea 18.
Long drive: L. Hayes.
Approach: D. Collier.
Birdie board: M. Henwood.
Monkey on the back: K. Sarich.
The Barry Memorial Croquet Club revival continues with playing numbers the highest ever.