Smith beat Van Der Nagel in the PB Open championship 16 matchplay final and both men played significant roles in the second placing for BoP at the Masters — beaten by Auckland on individual matches won after both sides ended the week on seven points apiece.
Van Der Nagel was among the tournament’s standouts. He won seven of his eight matches at No.3 — one of only four players to achieve that over the week.
That sole loss — to Poverty Bay-East Coast’s David Solomann — ultimately cost him the player-of-the-tournament accolade, which went to Auckland’s Matthew Cormack. But the tournament underlined Van Der Nagel’s matchplay skill which he will need on what can be a tricky Springs course.
There is a lot more to this tournament, though, than the golf for Van Der Nagel.
He decided to enter after having such an enjoyable time at the PB Open.
He loved “the vibe of the guys” and the East Coast Open provided “a chance to do something different”.
“It’s also a time to take the family some place they have never been before.”
His unfamiliarity with the course will be a hurdle. Local knowledge is at least one more club in the bag. He thinks he played it when he was “very young” but can’t remember the layout. There’s also the matter of a quality field led by the No.1 player in Tairāwhiti — William Brown.
Poverty Bay senior club champion Brown, who plays for Te Puia in the Oligoi Jug men’s interclub pennants, will be champing at the bit for top-level matchplay after not being able to defend the PB Open title due to injury.
But while he’s the No.1 seed, recent history is not in his favour. Brown has only won the East Coast Open once and that was 13 years ago at the age of 17 when he beat Poverty Bay’s Neil Mackie in
the final.
That’s unlikely to play on his mind. He’s been around too long and played successfully up to national interprovincial level since he was a teen. Plus he’s a great golfer. His policy will be one match at a time and no foe will be taken lightly.
While a few players — including defending champion Anaru Reedy — have pulled out, the field still has quality.
Among those taking part are smooth-swinging Ōpōtiki golfer and 2019 runner-up Micky Huriwaka, two-time EC Open champ Tony Akroyd (2002, 2009) and his Tairāwhiti Masters teammate Pete Stewart, and Poverty Bay Heartland rugby team member Shayde Skudder, who will be flying the flag for Pātūtahi in the absence of Dwayne Russell and Hukanui Brown.
The most notable name missing from the field is four-time winner and Springs local lad Andrew Higham, who is continuing his long recovery from injuries suffered in a car crash in Māhia this year.
No doubt the “TP Strong 4 Andy” atmosphere will pervade the tournament.
The East Coast Open has not been held since 2021. It was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid and again last year, and the 2023 edition was postponed to this weekend following the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle.
It is a much-loved event and a permanent fixture on the golfing calendar for a lot of the outside players. Te Puia Springs, on a fine day, is one of the country’s most picturesque courses. And the Coast hospitality remains second to none.
