Members of the Mainfreight team walk down the first fairway under dark clouds during week 2 of the Fulton Hogan Friday Ambrose Team Series at the Awapuni Links course last Friday. The six-hole ambrose competition is running for four weeks and features 24 teams of four. Ruff Riders, under fill-in captain Damian Pilitati, won week 2 with a 4-under gross for a net 16.50 - easily the best score so far. Ruff Riders' win put them equal top of the table with Awapuni Links head greenkeeper Rowan Clark's Team Turf on 36.62. The Zach Rolls-led Fore Hackers are third on 37.54. Eddie Brown Jr's The Big M were second in week 2 with 18.46 and Team Turf were third with 18.62. Photo / Chris Taewa
Waikohu members' trip to Māhia to support the beachside club’s opening day tournament proved a fruitful one.
Waikohu combinations filled the top three spots in the Canadian mixed pairs Stableford, with Kahu Tamanui and Cheryl Te Rito winning with 43 points from Andrea and Richard Reeves on 42 and Marg Tuapawa and Tipi Ruru also on 42.
Waikohu’s Audrey Tamanui-Nunn and Māhia’s Graham Shapland were fourth on 41.
Bruce Maher won the men’s Stableford with 40 points.
Māhia club president Maraea Wesche said conditions were perfect for “a fantastic day of golf” and she highlighted “the hard work of our dedicated groundskeeper Bernie Crowley”.
“The course was in top condition, boasting well-maintained fairways for those lucky and skilled enough to find them,” she said.
“Visitors and locals alike were treated to warm welcomes, great company, and plenty of laughs ... the day was filled with enjoyment, proving once again that Māhia Golf Club is about more than just the game, it’s about the experience.
“A huge thank you to everyone who participated, helped out and supported the event.”
SATURDAY - Mahia open opening day tournament, Canadian mixed pairs Stableford: K. Tamanui/C. Te Rito 43, A. Reeves/R. Reeves 42, M. Tuapawa/T. Ruru 42, G. Shapland/A. Tamanui-Nunn 41, V. Kyle/H. Campbell 37, T. Smith/S. Adam 37, R. Hiko/D. Waihaki 36.
Men’s Stableford: B. Maher 40, J. Aitchison 37, P. Trow 35, K. Solomon 35, G. Wilson 33, D, Bremner 33, W. Crowley 31.
Twos: R. Hiko/D. Waihaki, A. Reeves/R. Reeves, P. Bremner, B. Maher.
Men’s long drives: W. Reedy, D. Russell.
Women’s long drives: R. Hiko. A. Reeves.
Approaches: G. Shapland (men), P. Rutene (women), R. Hiko/D. Waihaki (Canadian mixed pairs).
The day after turning 78, local leftie legend Tene Goldsmith went out and broke his age ... easily.
The “Golden One” fittingly top qualified for the Reynolds Cup men’s handicap matchplay on Saturday with 75-9-66.
He made birdies on the first and second holes, copped a Joseph Parker right with triple bogey 7 on the third but from there mixed two birdies and three pars in his 3-over effort.
It wasn’t his first age-breaker. It won’t be his last.
Goldsmith finished four shots ahead of the field and as No.1 qualifier in the top eight will face brother Kit in the first round.
Others to make the top eight were Keith Marshall (net 70), Kurt Summersby (71), Stephen Francks (71), Cliff Poole (72), Pat Butler (72) and Calum Mackay.
Keith Marshall tasted victory twice with the number 12 on Sunday.
Marshall combined with Carl Carmody, Nigel Jones and Arvin Lawler to win the Bull Cup men’s teams' title.
They posted an aggregate stableford of 148 and two of them were relieved it was not a net competition.
Marshall was only 2-over the card playing the ninth when bunker disaster struck. As he dug his way to China, Marshall was determined to finish the hole and eventually picked his ball out of the hole for a 12.
He shrugged off that setback and ended up with 38 points, while Carmody, who started his round with a quintuple nine, had 39, Lawler 36 and Jones 35.
Marshall later won a meat pack raffle in the clubhouse – his number was 12.
Megan Allen won the women’s Stableford on Wednesday, equalling her best 18-hole score with 84-15-69, for 41 points.
WEDNESDAY - Women’s Stableford: M. Allen 41.
TUESDAY - Veterans' Stableford: G. Pellett 41, T. Loomis 40, N. Jones 39, W. Thompson 39, G. Marchbank 38, D. Niven 37.
Twos: C. Carmody, S. Higgins.
MONDAY - Women’s bisque par: T. Lewis +5.
Sue Bunt 9-hole women’s net: S. Armstrong 36.
9-hole Stableford: L. Plowman 22.
9-hole women’s Summer Eclectic winner: N. Johnson.
9-hole women’s Summer Stableford winner: V. Meade.
SUNDAY - Bull Cup men’s teams' aggregate Stableford: Carl Carmody (39pts)/Keith Marshall (38)/Arvin Lawler (36)/Nigel Jones (35) 148, 1st; Andy Hayward (40)/Tony Akroyd (36)/Mark Norman (36)/Allan White (30) 142, 2nd; Kim Gunness (39)/John Kerekere (37)/Stefan Andreassen (35)/Dave Pirimona (29) 140, 3rd.
Men’s Stableford Division 1: A. Hayward 40, C. Carmody 39, C. Christophers 37
Division 2: K. Travers 40, K. Gunness 39, K. Marshall 38
Approach: R. Gibson.
SATURDAY - Reynolds Cup men’s handicap matchplay qualifying (net):
Twos: J. Situ, T. Goldsmith, M. Henwood, S. Francks.
Approach: J. Situ.
THURSDAY (Feb 20) - Men’s Stableford, division 1: C. Poole 37, S. Andreassen 36, J. Rowe 35, I. Murphy 35.
Division 2: J. Aitchison 37, G. Clapham 37, C. Morton 36, K. Goldsmith 36, R. Owen 36.
Approach: J. Rowe.
WEDNESDAY (Feb 19) - Twilight Stableford, overall winner: S. Ratima 21.
Women’s Stableford: S. Gray 18.
Overall gross: W. Donnelly 34.
Men, front 9: B. Tietjen 21, A. Blakeman 19, W. Aupouri 19, B. Marshall 19, B. Talbot 18.
Men, back 9: G. Hannah 21, J. Partington 21, P. Reid 20, L. Beattie 20, J. Chambers 20.
Mopey Devery eked out a one-shot win in round 2 of the Jo Hale Memorial series on Sunday.
The former East Coast and Poverty Bay rugby representative shot 84-18-66, one ahead of Henry Rasmussen, James Forrester and Iritana Ngarimu.
Te Puia hosts the second round of the Tairāwhiti women’s pennants this Saturday as part of its women’s open tournament.
Pātūtahi go into round 2 as the early pacesetters.
SUNDAY - Jo Hale Memorial net series, round 2, men: M. Devery 84-18-66, H. Rasmussen 84-17-67, J Forrester 82-15-67, R. Walker 87-19-68.
Women: I. Ngarimu 94-27-67, H. McClutchie 88-19-69.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, Te Puia Hot Springs women’s open plus round 2 of Tairāwhiti women’s interclub pennants.
The four-week countdown is on to seal a spot in the men’s 19-hole shootout final.
Lucian Nickerson is sitting pretty at the top of the qualifying board with a best-three-nets total of 260, with Chris Kaa (263) second and Pete “Chopper” Summersby (264) third.
Mike de Luze is precariously placed in 19th on 273 while the likes of Lyal Anania (272) and Cecil Brown (270) are uncomfortably close to the precipice.
Rocky Pardoe moved up the standings with his division 1 men’s net win on Sunday. He easily broke 80 for the first time this year - 77-13-64.
Antonio Zame was in similar touch, winning the division 2 net with 84-20-64 and dropping to his lowest handicap index, 22.8.
Helen Humble’s 104-37-67 won the women’s net.
Tom Brodie jr made an eagle 2 on the second hole.
SUNDAY - Women’s net: H. Humble 67, H. Pomana 68.
Men’s net, division 1: R. Pardoe 64, P. Molloy 66, B. Cameron 67, B. McKenzie 68, A. Hindmarsh 68.
Division 2: A. Zame 64, W. Brown 65, D. Williams 65, J. Blair 66, P. Johnston 66 on c/b.
Twos: T. Brodie (eagle on 2), D. Russell, P. Summersby, M. Broad.
Jackpot: M. Broad, P. Summersby.
FRIDAY - Meat pack 9-hole Stableford, division 1: P. Molloy 21, M. Smith 21, G. Brown 20, D. Russell 19, M. Broad 19.
Division 2: G. Maude 21, G. Holland 20, S. Fookes 19, D. Skudder 19, C. Harris 18 on c/b.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, March 22, Patutahi men’s open, including Bryan Johnson Memorial Cup, field limited to 100 players, morning tea followed by 11am tee-off, contact George Brown 0273709869 or horiboy1@xtra.co.nz
Tama Brown dominated the Sunday Stableford in only his second round of the year.
Brown shot 84-19-65, for 41 points, highlighted by a birdie-3 on the 18th.
SUNDAY - Men’s Stableford: Tama Brown 41, Tom Smith 37, Uma Chambers 33
Women: Ella Wynyard 31, Penny Rutene 30, Andrea Reeves 29.
Twos: Ella Wynyard
COMING UP: SUNDAY, free day; SATURDAY, March 8, Turanga Health Waikohu men’s open, cuppa tea 10am, tee-off 11am.
A Liverpool-inspired Steve Phillips is gunning for the top seed’s scalp as the Men’s Handicap Cup matchplay competition continues.
Phillips will have done it the hard way if he ends up winning the intermediate division.
Buoyed by his beloved Liverpool’s seemingly unstoppable run at the top of the English Premier League, Phillips started his Handicap Cup campaign in a play-in round – 12 of the 20 players qualified for the round of 16; the other eight face an extra round to sort out the other four spots.
Phillips' 4 and 3 victory over Damian Pilitati set up a round of 16 clash with the No 1 seed Dave Rameka.
James Witika booked himself a spot in the intermediate quarter-finals after beating Riki Reedy.
Phil Nepia defeated Riki’s father Anaru in the only round of 16 senior match played.
THURSDAY (Feb 20) - Twilight Stableford: M. Emery 22, K. Tamatea 22.
Long drive: S. Tiopira.
Approach: J. Pardoe.
Birdie Board: Beau Toa.
Monkey on the back: D. Pilitati.
Tolaga Bay’s open opening day tournament is on Sunday.
Men’s and mixed pairs sections. 8am and 12 noon tee-offs. Inquiries to Taine Lincoln.
Symposium told sport and recreation 'fell down the pecking order' after cyclone struck.