Poverty Bay Golf Club member Dmitrey Carruthers was seriously considering selling his clubs following recent struggles. Now he is "chasing the dragon" after achieving golfing perfection on Saturday. The 23-year-old, of Kiwi and Russian descent, holed out with a 7-iron on the 112-metre sixth hole at the Awapuni Links. "It was a beautiful shot. It was pure luck I managed to pure it ... the ball landed 300 millimetres past the pin and spun back in," said Carruthers, although he initially didn't believe it when told by playing partner Rez Nepia - the pair having only met for the first time when Nepia joined him on the second hole. Carruthers reacted by throwing his club to the ground and "sprinting down to verify I wasn't being lied to". He described the feeling as exhilarating. "But I don't know if I'm ever going to feel this way again." The 30-handicapper, who is the general manager at Gisborne Engineering, went on to shoot 49 for the nine, then proceeded to the clubhouse happy to carry out the traditional hole-in-one shout. Photo / Skylah Pohatu
Poverty Bay Golf Club member Dmitrey Carruthers was seriously considering selling his clubs following recent struggles. Now he is "chasing the dragon" after achieving golfing perfection on Saturday. The 23-year-old, of Kiwi and Russian descent, holed out with a 7-iron on the 112-metre sixth hole at the Awapuni Links. "It was a beautiful shot. It was pure luck I managed to pure it ... the ball landed 300 millimetres past the pin and spun back in," said Carruthers, although he initially didn't believe it when told by playing partner Rez Nepia - the pair having only met for the first time when Nepia joined him on the second hole. Carruthers reacted by throwing his club to the ground and "sprinting down to verify I wasn't being lied to". He described the feeling as exhilarating. "But I don't know if I'm ever going to feel this way again." The 30-handicapper, who is the general manager at Gisborne Engineering, went on to shoot 49 for the nine, then proceeded to the clubhouse happy to carry out the traditional hole-in-one shout. Photo / Skylah Pohatu
Electrinet Park
Chiefs won. Warriors won. Reynolds won.
A weekend victory treble had Brad Reynolds' beer tasting particularly sweet in the Park clubhouse on Sunday.
Reynolds followed his beloved Chiefs’ Super Rugby Pacific and New Zealand Warriors' NRL triumphs with an emphatic win in the senior division of the Men’s Handicap Cup matchplay finals.
From the moment he birdied the first hole in his clash with Mike Christophers, Reynolds was in control. Giving his opponent three shots, he went out in even-par 36 to be 3-up after nine holes, lost the 10th, but bounced back to win the 12th and 14th for a 5 and 4 victory.
The intermediate final was a different story. Tom Reynolds and Luke Hayes, off the same handicaps, traded blows throughout – a par to Reynolds on the 18th getting him home 1-up.
“It was a toughie,” he said.
Lindsay Hunt outgunned Mason Emery 2 and 1 in the junior final.
Two long-standing members will go from friends to foes to decide the Women’s Handicap Cup champion.
Karen Hay and Sue Maisey, who on Sunday topped the Nancy McCormick women’s 36-hole foursomes net, are the 2025 Handicap Cup finalists.
In the semifinals, Maisey beat Tai Aramakutu while Hay defeated Carney Pipi.
Players vying for a spot in the final of the Thursday twilight nine-hole shootout final have just one more chance.
Heading into Thursday’s final nine-hole Stableford of the 2024-2025 Gordon’s Pharmacy weekly competition, youngster Kymani Tamatea was well out in front on a total of 209 points for his best five scores in the 2024 qualifying period and five scores after 2025.
Next-best was Anthony Pahina on 192, while there were several players in the “danger zone”. Steve Phillips was sitting in 10th on 182, with Dan Collier and Dave Rameka just a point behind and Ian Loffler on 180.
The shootout final, which will see the overall winner collect $1000, is on April 3.
The 19th-hole beer tasted sweet for Brad Reynolds after winning the senior title in the Men's Handicap Cup matchplay finals at Electrinet Park.
Patutahi
“Ūawa hard” was the cry at the Patutahi Men’s Open on Saturday after a Tolaga Bay player took home the premier honour.
Watene Reedy returned the best overall net of the day – 82-17-65 – and with it earned the Bryan Johnson Memorial Cup.
In what must be a rarity, Reedy took the No 1 slot on countback from another Watene – Watene Brown – who shot 80-15-65, which earned him the intermediate net honours.
An in-form Rongo Pomana made it a double celebration for Tolaga Bay by winning the senior division Stableford with 39 points.
Jace Brown posted the low round of the day, an even-par 70 that featured five birdies. He was one stroke clear of Dwayne Russell and Hukanui Brown.
Other rounds of winning note came from Dean Pohatu (senior net with 73-6-67); Chris Parker (intermediate gross,78); Tony Sharp (intermediate Stableford, 40 points); Kobe Jones (junior gross, 89); Kahu Tamanui and (junior net, 93-27-66).
Kino White and Carolyn Carpendale flew the Electrinet Park flag high at the Taste One First Light Frozen 27-hole women’s Canadian foursomes open tournament last Wednesday.
The White-Carpendale combo won the 27-hole net and Saunders Salver with a 110 total. They were one stroke ahead of Poverty Bay duo Anne Witters and Vonnie Fletcher, with another Park pair, Jean Foot and Karen Hay, third on 112.
Judy Ngarimu and Marg Williams were the Colebourne Salver nine-hole net winners on 33, one ahead of Rose Pettigrew and Leigh Fletcher.
The twilight Stableford shootout final was being played on Wednesday (as the Gisborne Herald was going to print).
A player’s best three scores over the summer twilight made up their aggregate score with the top 10 qualifying for the final and the chance to pocket $750 as the last gunfighter standing.
Nine men made the hole-by-hole elimination final, along with the sole women’s hope, Kath McLatchie.
The No 1 qualifier was Patutahi’s Daniel Williams on 66 (21/24/21), followed by clubmate McLatchie on 65 (23/23/19), John Partington 65 (21/21/23), Kim Travers 65 (22/22/21), Glen Hannah 64 (21/22/21), Murray Jones 63 (20/23/20), Peter Stewart 63 (20/23/20), Shannon Ratima 62 (21/20/21), Dave Quinn 61 (21/19/21) and Keith Marshall 61 (19/22/20).
TUESDAY – Gisborne East Coast veterans' Stableford: K. Ellison 37, P. Goodwin 35, G. Pellett 33, T. Goldsmith 33, C. Dean 32.
Two: K. Goldsmith.
SUNDAY –Men’s Stableford, division 1: C. Taewa 37, P. Anderson 36, C. Simpson 35, C. Carmody 34.
Division 2: R. Young 38, N. Jones 36, A. McIntosh 36.
WEDNESDAY (March 19) – Taste One First Light Frozen women’s Canadian foursomes, 27-hole net (Saunders Salver): K. White/C. Carpendale 110 from A. Witters/V. Fletcher 111, J. Foot/K. Hay 112, M. Allan/R. Willock 113, C. Nelson/G. Young 115, J. Utting/C. Skuse 115, J. McCafferty/J. Muir 116, T. Lewis/J.Steele 119, M. Shanks/S. Eriksen 119.
9-hole net (Colebourne Salver): J. Ngarimu/M. Williams 33 from R. Pettigrew/L. Fletcher 34, L. Plowman/R. Dymock 34, C. Mackie/S. Armstrong 36, J. Newman/V. Meade 36.
Approaches: K. White (division 1), M. Vette (division 2).
