Tough day for Bay

“A TOUGH day at the office” . . . it was a fitting cliché from Poverty Bay-East Coast manager Dave Keown as the home side took a battering on day two of the Toro national interprovincial in Gisborne yesterday.
William Brown collected PBEC’s only individual point as they were outgunned 4-1 by Taranaki yesterday morning and outclassed 5-0 by Auckland on a north-westerly battered afternoon on the Poverty Bay course.
Brown, at No. 2 against Taranaki, showed plenty of mental toughness down the home stretch to beat Tim White 1-up and provide the only highlight for a PBEC side facing the prospect of finishing 15th and last on their home patch.
With two section games to go — they have a bye tomorrow morning — PBEC are bottom of section one with no team points and four individual wins. They faced Manawatu-Wanganui this morning and giant-killing Northland tomorrow afternoon.
Wins over either would fall into the major upset category going on form so far. Northland yesterday morning added defending champions Wellington to their Auckland scalp on Monday although were whitewashed by Canterbury yesterday afternoon.
Man-Wang, unbeaten from two ties on day one, gave Wellington a workout yesterday afternoon before going down 3½-1 ½.
To have any chance against either, PBEC will need to significantly lift their game and overcome a problem that has dogged them for many years — combining as a team.
Brown and No. 3 Andrew Higham were the only players to measure up against Taranaki.
Brown led White 2-up after nine holes (they started on the 10th hole) but by the 14th-hole scoreboard it was all square. The teenager sank a clutch six-foot putt for a half on the 16th then made a 15-footer on the 17th for birdie to go 1-up. He found the rough off the 18th tee but showed a mature head under pressure to hit a solid approach on to the green, and two putt for the win.
Higham probably deserved a share of the spoils in a tight clash with Zach Lewis. The Poverty Bay senior club champion had the chance to snatch a half on the last but a well-struck five-iron second shot went through the green and he was unable to up and down.
PBEC No. 1 Simon Jenkins played what he described as “average” golf against Brad Hayward and was cleaned up 6 and 5, No. 3 Steve Donnelly lost 3 and 2 to Thomas Hill and No. 5 Dion Milner went down 4 and 3 to veteran Murray Martin.
It was one-way traffic in the afternoon as Auckland unleashed their frustration after their 3-2 morning loss to Canterbury.
Leading the blitz was New Zealand amateur strokeplay champion Ryan Fox, whose 1-down loss to Canterbury No. 1 Keelan Kilpatrick had been the deciding match.
Still seething from the defeat, the son of All Black great Grant Fox turned on a ruthless display of power and precision which turned his match against Brown into a matter of where Fox won, not if.
In a repeat of the previous afternoon, Fox made eagle-three on the 12th — they started on 10 — smiting a five-iron second shot over the grove of tall trees protecting the green to 25-feet from the pin, then draining the putt. His drive off the 350m 16th ended in line with the green and another mighty blow off the 367m fourth tee (their 13th hole) finished about 35m from the green . . . where the match ended.
Brown had moved up to No. 1 after Jenkins chose to stand down for the afternoon. Sheridan Rangihuna came in for his second match of the tournament at No. 5 and lost 5 and 4 to Nick Voke, No. 4 Milner was hammered 6 and 5 by Jonathan Ratcliffe, No. 3 Higham went down 4 and 3 to Sam An and a couple of late birdies by No. 2 Donnelly helped him survive to the 17th against Fraser Wilkin.