Zach Rolls won the last two holes of his interclub pennants semifinal match at the Electrinet Park course last weekend to get his Poverty Bay team over the line and into the final against Patutahi (1). Photo / Paul Rickard
Zach Rolls won the last two holes of his interclub pennants semifinal match at the Electrinet Park course last weekend to get his Poverty Bay team over the line and into the final against Patutahi (1). Photo / Paul Rickard
Zach Rolls didn’t make either of the Electrinet Park teams for the 2024 Oligoi Jug men’s interclub pennants . . . so he starred for Park’s city rivals instead.
Rolls won the last two holes to halve his top-four semifinal match for Poverty Bay against Te Puia Hot Springs’ Thomas Donovan and seal the Bay a place in the grand final on May 26.
Poverty Bay defeated the Springs 5-3 on the Electrinet Park course and will face round-robin winners Patutahi (1) in the 36-hole final after they eased past defending champions Park (1) 6-2 in the other semi.
Rolls finished out of the top 10 in 36-hole trials Park held for this year’s Oligoi teams.
A member of the Park and the Bay, he was enlisted by Poverty Bay captain David Situ and responded under pressure at the weekend with an 18th-hole win against Park (1)’s Ian Loffler in the seventh and final round-robin round, followed by the afternoon semifinal drama.
Rolls wasn’t the only hero of the Bay performance. Quin McPike went into the day with a perfect record of six wins from six matches in the series only to lose on the 18th to Park (1)’s Matt Henwood in Round 7. He bounced back in the semis, slotting a 30-foot putt for birdie on the last to beat Springs’ Tony Akroyd.
Earlier, captain Situ earned their first points of the semi with a 3 and 2 defeat of Wade Wesche, then watched as the drama unfolded in the group featuring Rolls and McPike.
With the match locked 2-all after Springs No 1 William Brown defeated Waka Donnelly 3 and 2, it was anyone’s.
McPike’s birdie for victory made it advantage Bay but when Rolls missed his 7-foot par putt, the door was ajar for Donovan to make it 4-all and send the tie to a one-on-one sudden-death playoff. He missed his 5-footer and a nervous Rolls slotted a 2-footer to get the Bay across the line.
Lying in wait for them in the final at Poverty Bay’s Awapuni Links course are a powerful Patutahi (1) side, who brushed aside Park (1) after edging Te Puia 5-3 in the morning to clinch the No 1 seeding.
With Eddie Brown Jnr and Shayde Skudder having already beaten Loffler and Henwood respectively and Dwayne Russell 5-up with five holes to play against Peter Stewart, the win was in the bag for Patutahi.
At 3-up, Patutahi No 1 Hukanui Brown was also in control of his clash with Dan Collier and it was decided to call it quits in both matches and share those points.
Auckland-based teenager Glenn Solomann, who travels all the way to Gisborne with father David to play for Waikohu in the Oligoi Jug men's interclub golf pennants, has won all six of his matches in the 2024 series so far.
Photo / Paul Rickard
The Pounamu Trophy third-place playoff will feature Tolaga Bay against Waikohu.
It took some heroics from Auckland-based teenager Glenn Solomann as the Te Karaka men beat Park (2) to set up a Pounamu encounter with Tolaga Bay.
Solomann made it six wins from six matches - he didn’t play in rounds 5 and 6 - in beating Park (2)’s Craig Christophers in the bottom four semis.
Father David Solomann, who comes from Gisborne and has been representing Poverty Bay-East Coast and now Tairāwhiti at interprovincial masters level for several years, also had a win, but Bailey Matoe and young Marcus Gray posted victories for Park (2) as the clash ended regular holes 4-all.
That meant a sudden-death playoff and Glenn Solomann only needed a par on the first hole - the 18th - to see off Christophers again.
Tolaga Bay were the most dominant team on the day. They beat Patutahi (2) 7-1 in the morning to fall one point short of fourth-placed Park (1) on the overall standings.
The Ūawa boys then powered into the Pounamu Trophy playoff with a 7-1 win over Patutahi (2). Their team of Neil Hansen, Bruce Yates, Tim Adamson and Richard Paroa did not lose a match all day. The only points they dropped were halves.
The wooden spoon match will be between Patutahi (2) and Park (2).
While Park (1)’s hopes of retaining the Oligoi title came to an end, they had a huge win on the 19th and with the course, which played exceptionally long and tested all players.
Russell said the feed put on afterwards was the best they had had so far in the series, while another player described it as “next level”.
Oligoi results
Round 7 - Tolaga Bay 7 Patutahi (2) 1 (Tolaga Bay names first): Bruce Yates halved with Jace Brown, Neil Hansen def Silas Brown 4 and 3; Tim Adamson def Hamish Harris 4 and 3; Richard Paora def Jon Priestley 1-up.
Waikohu 5 Electrinet Park (2) 3: Glenn Solomann def Marcus Gray 3 and 2; David Solomann def Craig Christophers 5 and 4; Mike Christophers halved with Anthony Pahina; Percy Milner lost to Bailey Matoe 7 and 6.
Park (1) 4 Poverty Bay 4: Dan Collier def Waka Donnelly 3 and 2; Peter Stewart lost to David Situ 1-down; Matt Henwood def Quin McPike 1-down; Ian Loffler lost to Zach Rolls 1-down.
Patutahi (1) 5 Te Puia Hot Springs 3: Hukanui Brown def William Brown 2 and 1; Dwayne Russell halved with Tony Akroyd; Shayde Skudder lost to Wade Wesche 4 and 3; Eddie Brown Jr def John Wyllie 5 and 4.
Standings after round-robin: Patutahi (1) 38, Poverty Bay 37, Te Puia Hot Springs 35, Park (1) 31, Tolaga Bay 30, Waikohu 24, Park (2) 18, Patutahi (2) 11.
Semifinals, top four - Patutahi (1) 6 Park (1) 2: Hukanui Brown halved with Dan Collier; Dwayne Russell halved with Peter Stewart; Shayde Skudder def Matt Henwood; Eddie Brown Jr def Ian Loffler.
Poverty Bay 5 Te Puia Hot Springs 3: Waka Donnelly lost to William Brown; David Situ def Wade Wesche; Quin McPike def Tony Akroyd; Zach Rolls halved with Thomas Donovan.
Bottom four - Tolaga Bay 7 Patutahi (2) 1: Neil Hansen halved with Jace Brown; Bruce Yates def Silas Brown; Tim Adamson def Jon Priestley; Richard Paora def Hamish Harris.
Waikohu 4 Park (2) 4 - Waikohu won in playoff: Glenn Solomann def Craig Christophers; David Solomann def Anthony Pahina; Terry Reeves lost to Bailey Matoe; Ethine Reeves lost to Marcus Gray.
Draw for finals day (at Poverty Bay, Sunday, May 26) - Oligoi Jug grand final: Poverty Bay v Patutahi (1).
Pounamu Trophy playoff for third: Electrinet Park (1) v Te Puia Hot Springs.
Playoff for fifth-sixth: Tolaga Bay v Waikohu.
Playoff for seventh-eight: Park (2) v Patutahi (2).
