Pressure on for Palm Grove Golf

The Palm Grove Golf Tournament at Rarotonga Golf Club always draws a lot of interest, thanks to the generosity of Betsy Eisler of Palm Grove and this year more than lives up to its level of interest.

With the third and final round of the Palm Gove Golf Tournament to be played today, the leaders in some divisions will no doubt feel the pressure.

In most cases, how they handle that pressure will determine the final outcome.

In the senior men’s, intermediate men’s, junior B men’s, and vets’ divisions there are only 2 or 3 strokes between 1st and 2nd after last week’s round.

Several players mounted a strong challenge last week to improve their position and, perhaps, to demoralise the opposition.

These included Tere Taio in the intermediate men’s division who shot a 74 off the stick and Kurt Hikaka with a gross of 76.

Both of these players could easily find themselves in a higher grade if they can keep up this standard of play.

In the senior men’s division, so far, nobody has broken par and only one player, Haimona Browne, has parred the course.

Are they all being more cautious than usual or are they planning to come in with a ‘withering run?’

Just to add some more pressure for the final round, the top four players in each division have been seeded.

They will all know how the opposition is doing up close and personal.

The leaders after two rounds are: senior men – Ned Howard (144), Haimona Browne (146), senior ladies – Kurai Foster (162), Alice Pilkinton (166), intermediate men – Tere Taio (153), Junior Ngatokorua (156), intermediate ladies – Ake Unuka (168), Jackie Urlich (175),

junior A men – Kurt Hikaka (164), Darrel Brown (170), junior ladies – Memory Akama (183), Moeroa Turua (189), junior B men – Vae Unuka (170), Myles Taio (173), vets – Riiti Mamanu (162), Archie Moana (164).

So, this Saturday, with some of those close scores, as they say ‘the war’s on’.

Good luck to all participants and don’t forget to be there after the game to pick up your prizes or applaud the winners – you’ll also be eligible for the lucky draw prize if you are there.

It’s a pretty full field on Saturday so please make every effort to be at the tee on time, or preferably before time.