Tini headed for academy

GISBORNE will lose one of its most promising young golfers next year when 12-year-old Ilminster Intermediate School student Te Raumati (Tini) Hawea leaves for Rotorua Boys’ High School.
“Rotorua have a very good golf academy and one of Tini’s role models, Willie Brown, is already there,” said Tini’s mother, Paku.
The Year 8 student gave a glimpse of what Rotorua can expect when he had the best net in the under-13 division of the Steve Williams New Zealand Mixed Age Group Classic at Inglewood on the weekend.
Tini shot a 78 gross for a net 68 on day one at Stratford Golf Club and after day two was rained out he fired a gross 84 for a net 74 at Inglewood to take the title.
For his efforts the youngster collected a trophy, camera, Steve Williams Classic T-shirt, two caps signed by the former Tiger Woods caddie, a photo of himself with Williams . . . and some words of Williams wisdom.
“He spoke to a group of us and told us that something as simple as using the same ball through a tournament was important and that we should also look at course management, picking the right club so that each shot went where it was supposed to go,” said Tini, who watched his first game of golf as a four-year-old.
“He (Williams) said it might not sound like much but we needed to focus on the small things before worryiing about the bigger things.
“He told us that if possible we should even play with the same ball at practice. He was really friendly and when I told him I was playing off a 12 handicap he said that was pretty amazing and encouraged me to keep at it.”
Not that this youngster intends to stop any time soon.
“I want to play golf and make lots of money,” said Tini with a huge grin.
Paku said that when Tini was four or five he went to watch his cousin Peter Kerekere play golf in a tournament and was blown away.
“Peter was his first inspiration. When Tini saved enough money to buy a set of clubs he bought a set of Peter’s old irons and these are the same irons he plays with today.
“Peter’s dad John told Tini’s dad (Greg) that he should get Tini into the sport,” Paku said.
“His first unofficial coach was Kevin Philip at Patutahi, then John Kerekere said he should get along to Arthur Bacon’s coaching clinics at Poverty Bay.
“He did, and Arthur has been the most significant coach and influence on Tini, who has been doing quite well ever since.”
“Doing quite well” is something of an understatement.
Since his first competition last year, Tini has won a team gold (with schoolmates Taine Lincoln, Jakob Teneti and Pukerau Paenga) at the Bay of Plenty-Poverty Bay intermediate tournament in Te Puke, and silver with the same trio at the NZCT Aims National Sporting Championships. Tini was a member of the Poverty Bay-Eastland team in the u16 division of the Cambridge Junior Interprovincial Golf Tournament — Tini was the youngest winner of a 16 in FMG Poverty Bay Open tournament history, which included two qualifying rounds plus 72 holes over three days.
This year Tini Hawea won best boys’ individual gross and team gold at the BoP-PB champs in Te Puke, played for the Tairawhiti Maori Golf Team at the national Maori u19 tournament, represented Ilminster at the Aims Championships and came fourth in the teams’ section and fifth-equal overall in the individual boys’ gross. He played at No. 7 for the Eastland team at the Cambridge u16/19 Junior Interprovincial Golf Tournament.
Tini was runner-up in the third 16 at the King of the Coast in Tolaga Bay, qualified for the third 16 of the FMG Poverty Bay Open and won the second flight.
The youngster also made the Poverty Bay Booth Shield team traditionally for players around 19 years old.
“He’s been fortunate to have had a lot of good people like Arthur (Bacon) helping him with his golf,” Paku said.
“Tini has also received support from the Lincoln whanau from Tolaga Bay Golf Club; Dave Keown, Kevin Philip, Cliffe Poole, Hohi Westrupp and Tama Brown, who are all part of the coaching and management team of the Eastland/PB under-16/19 team; the Tairawhiti Maori Golf Association; the Booth Shield Committee; the Gisborne Eagles Golfing Society; and Peter and Ian Ferris at Ilminster Intermediate School.
“George Brown from the Tairawhiti Maori Golf Association is another who deserves credit.
“George organises funding, and not just for Tini but for all the young golfers from our region, to compete at national Maori tournaments.
Ilminster Intermediate had funded all of the golf competitions in which Tini and his team-mates had represented the school.
The Gisborne Eagles Golfing Society also provided Tini with financial assistance towards a golf camp that he and one of his friends, Taine Lincoln, attended at the Rotorua Boys’ High School Golf Academy last year.
“It was following this golf camp that Tini decided he wanted be in the golf academy at this school,” Paku said.
“Tini also received an ‘excellence in golf’ award and a principal’s award at Ilminster Intermediate, and a scholarship from Rotorua Boy’s High, all of which he treasures.
“But I would have to say the biggest influence on him is his dad.
“Greg and Tini are out every day practising and playing golf when Greg is not working.”
Tini doesn’t have a favourite golfer. He likes a lot of them and wants to take the best traits from the good ones and learn from them all.
With an attitude like that this lad could go far.