Putting Tour 2024's June Events
Event 7 - Deco Drive, Par 2
Event 7 of the NZ Putting Tour was held at the Par2 complex in Napier. Saturday’s event was played on the Deco Drive course in beautiful winter sunshine. With the 3 NZ reps from the recent WAGT tour in Czech Republic in the field it promised to be an interesting tournament. 11 players made up the Pro division (4 rounds) 3 in the Amateur (2 rounds) and 1 player in the youth section (2 rounds).
The Amateur division turned into a battle between Napier husband and wife duo Angus and Nikki Shaw. After round 1, Nikki held a 3-stroke lead over her hubby with Gemma Goatley from Tauranga back in 3rd. Nikki and Angus battled it out for a pair of 42s each leaving Nikki with her 3 shot lead intact and claiming another Amateur title. Gemma came in 3rd with a credible performance seeing it was only her 2nd tournament.
The Youth section was taken out by young Phoebe Goatley, who was also playing in only her 2nd tournament. It was good hearing her ‘yelps’ of delight when she aced a hole (and there were several). Well done Phoebe.
In the Pro division there was interest in how our 3 NZ reps (Matt Ansley, Cam Couper and James McCarthy) would go. But it was another Goatley that took the first round lead. James Goatley has become a force to be reckoned with and a 35 saw him take the lead into the 2nd round. Matt and Darren Prole were only 1 stroke behind.
James increased his lead to 3 after round 2 following a 36 which was matched by Cam and James McCarthy. A solid 38 from Matt kept him in 2nd place.
Round 3 saw Darren Prole and John Ansley score 35 but for the latter it was too late after carding a disastrous 48 in the 2nd round and effectively out of a podium finish. Goatley’s lead was cut to 2 after Matt (36) and Darren (35) moved closer to him.
Round 4 saw a lot of movement, but it was too late. A final round of 35 saw James Goatley take out Event 7 with a 4-shot win (143) over Matt (147) with Darren, Cam and James McCarthy all finishing on 150.
James Goatley and John Ansley took out the most aces (9) of the day.
A great day was had by all (well…nearly all) and was finished with an awesome meal hosted by Angus and Nikki.
- JA
Event 8 - Pro Am, Par 2
Event 8 of the NZ Putting Tour was held once again at the Par2 complex in Napier. Sunday’s event was played on the Pacific Pro Am course in beautiful winter sunshine. The Pacific Pro Am course is unlike most courses in New Zealand and the style of the course is more like a Putt Putt course. For many players this proved a new and unique challenge.
All players from Saturday’s successful event returned and we welcomed first-time player Jonnie Moffett who was potentially the best-dressed minigolfer New Zealand has seen. 12 players made up the Pro division (4 rounds), 3 in the Amateur (2 rounds), and 1 player in the youth section (2 rounds).
The Amateur division once again turned into a battle between Angus and Nikki Shaw. After round 1, Nikki took a strong a 10-stroke lead over Angus with Gemma Goatley from Tauranga back in 3rd. Angus made up two shots in round 2 with a 42 to Nikki’s 44 but that was not enough to stop Nikki claiming another Amateur title. Gemma came in 3rd with another credible performance.
The Youth section was taken out by young Phoebe Goatley. More aces on day 2 meant more ‘yelps’ of delight when she aced a hole (and there were several). An incredible last 9 holes of just 20 strokes was very, very impressive. Well done Phoebe.
In the Pro division, John Ansley was the surprise leader after round 1 with a fantastic score of 34. Cameron Couper second on 36, and Darren Prole on 37 in third led the rest of the field.
Round 2 saw many changes with Ansley (43) and Couper (41) dropping down the leaderboard. Saturday’s winner James Goatley (39, 36) and James McCarthy (38, 37) were tied for the lead after 36 holes. The contest was extremely tight with only 3 shots separating the top 7 players.
Round 3 saw Goatley show his class and record the lowest round for the day with a scintillating 33!! Most players continued their consistent play and scores but Goatley held a four shot advantage over McCarthy in second place.
Round 4 saw drama and nerves!! Scores in round 4 were slightly higher as fatigue and pressure became more obvious. McCarthy finished in third place with a final round of 38 and missed a playoff by two strokes. Goatley had the chance to win the event on the 72nd hole but just missed the putt which meant it was time for a sudden death playoff with Cameron Couper. Both players looked slightly nervous with the big crowd watching and both admitted they did not putt their best in the playoff. Both players had their chances to win but on the 4th hole of sudden death, Goatley took the victory with a calm putt for 2.
New player Jonnie Moffett showed plenty of promise and putting talent and we hope he can play in future events.
Two wins on the weekend for James Goatley proved he is a top player and one to watch at future events and especially the 2024 New Zealand Open in November.
Cameron Couper took out the most aces (16) of the day.
Top three overall scores for the weekend were James Goatley (143, 147 = 290), Cameron Couper
(150, 147 = 297), and James McCarthy (150, 149 = 299).
- MA
Special thanks to the Par2 staff who were great to work with and also took a lot of interest in the tournament as well as dealing with the many public groups playing on the course.