A field of 101 turned up for the opening day, surprising club president Tony Green, and scoring was warm as a crammed field dealt with sporadic drizzle over the day.
Home-course players whitewashed the men’s and Canadian mixed pairs sections.
Regan Hindmarsh had six birdies in his one-under 69-2-67, for 39 points, which won the division one men’s Stableford.
Butch McKenzie (41pts) won division two and Brian Pohatu (41) division three.
Pete Hakiwai and partner Lou Kriel won the Canadian mixed pairs Stableford on countback from Joe Blair and Helen Humble, and John Neilson and Abbie Davis. All three pairs had 41 points.
Electrinet Park member Pete Stewart produced his own version of a double-eagle. He eagled the par-five 10th hole, then repeated it when he played it as the first hole.
The Ireland Cup interclub fixture between Patutahi and Waikohu was held as part of the tournament. Patutahi won with a substantially superior average Stableford.
A busy weekend at the course started on Saturday with the Patutahi women’s open.
Home-course players Denise Johnston, Kennedy Sarich, Helen Humble and Abbie Davis enjoyed victories while Wairoa’s Maureen Pickles and Electrinet Park’s Karen Hay also made the winners' circle.
“Rest easy and swing easy” was the message from Patutahi Golf Club to Sijtze Mohlmann, who died on February 4, aged 80.
The left-handed Dutchman and retired baker played at Patutahi and Poverty Bay and had success at both.
Bay members may not know he won three senior men’s club championship crowns at Patutahi – 1992, 1993 and 1994.
Patutahi members may not know he won the Poverty Bay intermediate men’s club championship in 1994 and the prestigious Barns-Graham Cup men’s pairs with fellow leftie Roger Kelly in 1988.
Many Gisborne people will know him as the owner of the Cake Kitchen on Ormond Rd.
“Our staunch whānau, club man who had a gadget for everything,” Patutahi Golf Club said on its Facebook page.
Sunday – Patutahi open opening day, Canadian mixed pairs Stableford: P. Hakiwai/L. Kriel 41, J. Blair/H. Humble 41, J. Neilson/A. Davis 41, D. Wilson/K. Sarich 40, P. Milner/A. Tamanui-Nunn40, J. Priestley/K. McLatchie 39, C. Taewa/R. Taewa 38.
Men’s Stableford, division one: R. Hindmarsh 39, P. Molloy 38, L. Anania 38, G. Brown 38, S. Toa 37, W. Aupouri 37.
Division two: B. McKenzie 41, D. Gregory 39, S. Nepe 38, D. Williams 37, M. Owen 36, R. Pardoe 36.
Division three: B. Pohatu 41, J. Taylor 40, K. Jones 40, A. Zame 37.
Saturday - Patutahi women’s open, division one net: D. Johnston 67, S. Robertson 69.
Division one gross: K. Hay 77. T. Smith 84.
Division one Stableford: M. Pickles 35, T. Paku 35, J. Underhill 34, M. Wesche 34, B. Whyte 34.
Division two net: K. Sarich 67 on c/b from C. Te Rito.
Division two gross: A. Davis 92 on c/b from E. Westwood.
Division two Stableford: H. Humble 39, L. Haisman 39, K. Torrez 38, A. Reeves 37, S. Adam 37.
Twos: D. Johnston, K. Hay, T. Paku, C. Pipi, E. Westwood.
Friday – Meat pack nine-hole Stableford, division one: P. Varey 21, P. Johnston 21, T. Hindmarsh 20, D. Wilson 20, Sel Skudder 20 on c/b.
Division two: P. Tinnelly 22, L. Bates 21, I. Tietjen 21, G. Pollard 21, G. Roadley 21 on c/b.
Poverty Bay
The Goldsmith brothers are setting the pace in two series albeit early in the piece.
Kit Goldsmith overcame a quadruple bogey nine on the 12th hole to top the standings in the Primo Cup series-opening competition on Saturday.
Club caterer Goldsmith bounced back with a birdie on the 14th and pars on the 15th, 16th and 18th as he posted 86-18-68, which also won him the division two men’s net.
Pat Butler topped division one with 77-8-69 while Gray Clapham also had a net 69.
Goldsmith collected the maximum 10 points for the Primo Cup while Butler and Clapham each earned eight.
The series is run at major club competitions over the season with the top men’s and women’s qualifiers coming together in the final on October 17.
Meanwhile, Kit’s brother Tene is the early leader in the Sean Shivnan Pharmacy men’s shootout qualification. “Goldie” has a best three-round net total of 207 (70, 67, 70) with John Van Helden second on 208 (68, 69, 70) and Kim Gunness third on 210 (69, 69, 70).
Zach Rolls will be hoping his sensational shot in round one of the Fulton Hogan Friday Ambrose Teams Series (Fats) will end up in history being repeated.
Rolls, playing for Fore Hackers, in the six-hole ambrose competition, sank his team’s second shot from 190m out for a double eagle, or albatross, on the par-five first hole. A hybrid club was his weapon. The shot came from teammate Lindsay Hunt’s drive.
It is not the first albatross in merc golf history at Poverty Bay nor is it the first albatross on the hole. The Gisborne Herald made one on the par-five fifth in the inaugural nine-hole mercantile back in the 90s while Andrew Higham made a double eagle on the first hole several years ago – sinking a three-iron.
Rolls' shot helped his team to third overall in the Fats opener.
Team Turf, aka Last of the Summer Winers, lead the standings after their motley crew including, of course, superintendent Rowan Clark, his greenkeeping henchmen Collin Jeffrey and Brent Colbert, and ring-in Simon “Juan” Jeune had five birdies en route to a net 18.
Tee-Rex, appropriately named as they range in age from over-the-hill prehistoric, are second on 18.12, followed by Fore Hackers on 18.25.
Twenty-five teams are competing in the four-week Fats, which continues on Friday.
It was the Good, the Brad without the Ugly in Sunday’s Stableford competition.
Brad Morgan continued his recovery from injury after being knocked off his bike while heading home from golf last year with 78-12-66, for 42 points. His division one men’s winning round featured an eagle on the first and a birdie-two on the second.
Carnie Nelson won the women’s Summer Eclectic Cup while Birgitt Whyte won the Roger Maisey Summer Stableford trophy.
Wednesday – LGU silver division: J. Utting 90-17-73.
Bronze I: D. Kirkpatrick 99-22-77.
Bronze II: T. Lewis 100-28-72.
Summer Eclectic Cup: C. Nelson.
Roger Maisey Summer Stableford Cup: B. Whyte.
Tuesday – Veterans’ Stableford: A. Putnam 39, K. Gunness 38, G. Pellett 36, L. Owen 36.
Twos: A. Putnam.
Sunday – Men’s Stableford, division one: B. Morgan 42, J. Van Helden 39, A. Meban 38.
Division two: M. Lewin 38, K. Marshall 38, L. Hewson 38, R. Norman 35, L. Pollitt 35.
Twos: B. Morgan, A. Hayward, M. Norman.
Approach: A. Meban.
Saturday - Men’s net, division one: P. Butler 69, R. Foon 70, T. Goldsmith 70, J. Situ 71.
Division two: K. Goldsmith 68, G. Clapham 69. K. Gunness 70.
Twos: C. Dean, V. Richardson.
Approach: V. Richardson.
THURSDAY (February 13) - Men’s Stableford, division one: J. Bryden 37, J. Van Helden 36, W. Mortleman 36, I. Murphy 35.
Division two: J. Nepia 40, D. Bush 37, M. Gemmell 36, M. Dodgshun 35.
Twos: A. Abrahams, G. Clapham, S. Andreassen, D. Bush, G. Morley.
Approach: N. Mackie.
Electrinet Park
It’s Handicap Cup time for the Park men and 20 of them will be vying for glory in the biggest division – intermediate.
Dave Rameka is the top seed in the intermediate section – the 17th to 20th seeds facing an extra round of match play.
Bailey Matoe is the No 1 seed in the 16-man senior section and faces a tricky first-round opponent in one of the Park golfers of the summer – Matt Henwood.
Seven players are vying for the junior honours, with top seed Heath Tupara getting a free pass into the semifinals.
Thursday (February 13) – Gordon’s Pharmacy Twilight Stableford: A. Pahina 21, J. Adams 21.
Long drive: J. Adams.
Approach: S. Pahina.
Birdie board: M. Henwood.
Monkey on the back: W. Muir.
Te Puia Hot Springs
James Forrester is the pacesetter after round one of the Jo Hale Memorial net series.
Forrester fired 79-16-63 on Sunday, two strokes ahead of Bill Clark with Iritana Ngarimu a stroke back.
The Jo Hale Memorial runs over four rounds, with players counting their best three scores.
Sunday – Jo Hale Memorial net, round one: J. Forrester 79-16-63, B. Clark 78-13-65, I. Ngarimu 93-27-66.
Coming up: Sunday, round two of the Jo Hale Memorial series.
Tolaga Bay
Tolaga Bay’s opening day tournament is on Sunday, March 2.
Men’s and mixed pairs sections. 8am and 12-noon tee-offs.
Inquiries to Taine Lincoln.
Mahia
Coming up: Saturday, February 22, Mahia opening day, 11am tee-off, Canadian mixed foursomes and men’s sections, 18-hole Stableford, entry includes meal and twos, eftpos available, maximum handicap 36 for men 40.4 for women, contact Maraea 027 229 2342.
Women’s pennants
It was the hosts with the most in the opening round of the Tairāwhiti women’s interclub pennants on Saturday.
The pennants were held in conjunction with the Patuahi women’s open, and the Tahi wāhine proved too good on home fairways.
The four-strong team of Denise Johnston, Kennedy Sarich, Shelley Robertson and Sheree Gray totalled 282 for the aggregate net format – 13 strokes clear of second-placed Wairoa.
Johnston and Sarich led the way. Johnston carded 79-12-67 and Sarich 87-20-67. Robertson returned net 69 and Gray 79.
Maureen Pickles' 88-16-72 was the best of the Wairoa team with June Underhill and Taina Paku returning 73s.
Poverty Bay were third on 300 – Birgitt Whyte’s 86-13-73 was their best.
Andrea Reeves' 94-20-74 anchored Wairoa’s fourth-equal tally of 302.
Electrinet Park also ended the day on 302 – Park legend Karen Hay their anchor with 77-5-72, including three birdies.
Mahia were fifth on 311, their two low nets coming from Maraea Wesche (90-17-73) and Elaine Westwood (92-19-73).
Te Puia Hot Springs finished at the foot of the table on 329. Iritana Ngarimu’s 102-29-73 topped their efforts.
