Despite plenty of rain leading into the event, we were lucky to have two decent days of weather as we hosted 124 golfers for the 2023 Kaukapakapa Masters tournament.
The big news for the weekend was the debut of the new 18th green. Many fell victim to the dramatic slopes on the green throughout both days and the starters office staff certainly had an enjoyable time on Sunday watching people attempt (and generally fail) to putt from the back tier of the green all the way to the pin at the front. Despite the difficulty, the feedback was overall very positive and everyone enjoyed the new character and challenges the green has to offer.
Round one produced a tightly packed leaderboard for the Kaukapakapa Masters trophy with five players breaking net 70. However, Helensville member George Peng was the only one of those five to back up his strong first round with another under-par net round, shooting 68-70 to win not only the overall Kaukapakapa Masters trophy, but also the Kelly Cup for the best net score by a Helensville member – well done George!
Alex Tait from Paparoa got off to a hot start on Saturday carding a two-under 69 to finish the day with a four shot lead over Helensville’s Phil Wedd (73) and Royal Auckland’s Michael Clegg (73). Ultimately it was Michael who was able to hold it together on Sunday shooting 75 to beat Alex by one shot overall and claim the Division 1 men’s gross prize, and the overall gross trophy!
After a very tight first round in the women’s gross competition, three players were tied on 84: Rita Engelbrecht from Helensville, Fleur Reynolds from Muriwai, and Alayna Cox from Wellsford. 36 holes didn’t prove enough to separate Rita and Fleur as they both carded 81 on Sunday which meant to cap off an all-round enjoyable weekend of golf, we were treated to a playoff for the women’s gross prize. We are stoked to report that after a tied first hole, our very own Rita walked away with the win as she drained 15 foot putt for par on the 18th to walk away as women’s gross champion!
Finally, we’d like to extend a massive thank you to Summerset Milldale for their support of the tournament – we’re certainly looking forward to working together again for next year’s tournament!
MAJOR PRIZE WINNERS:
Kaukapakapa Masters Trophy: George Peng (Helensville)
Kelly Cup: George Peng (Helensville)
Best Gross Trophy: Michael Clegg (Royal Auckland & Grange)
Best Gross Men's Division 1: Michael Clegg (Royal Auckland & Grange) - 148
Best Gross Men's Division 2: Mark Anderson (Muriwai) - 158
Best Gross Men's Division 3: Bryan Hutson (Muriwai) - 156
Best Gross Ladies: Rita Engelbrecht (Helensville) - 165 (playoff)
Best Net Men's Division 1: Alex Tait (Paparoa) - 146
Best Net Men's Division 2: Ivan Evans (Helensville) - 141
Best Net Men's Division 3: George Peng (Helensville) - 138
Best Net Ladies: Vicky Chen (North Shore) - 151