One of New Zealand golf’s longest-running regional tournaments is back, with a full field of 112 players contesting the 2026 Emerre and Hathaway Poverty Bay Men’s Open at Awapuni Links in Gisborne.
Ninety-five years after N.W. Parker won the inaugural title, the tournament continues to attract players from across the North Island for three demanding days of strokeplay and matchplay.
Thursday’s opening day features 36 holes of strokeplay qualifying, with every shot counting towards places in seven divisions of 16 players. Four rounds of matchplay follow across Friday and Saturday.
At the sharp end, the championship 16 will compete for the Keiha Cup.
Defending champion Glenn Solomann returns after an emotional victory in 2025, when the Whitford Park teenager claimed the title 30 years after his father David won at Awapuni.
Solomann arrives in strong form after winning the Whitford senior men’s club championship and producing solid results while representing Auckland.
He will face a field packed with experience.
Springfield’s Mark Smith is chasing a third Poverty Bay Open crown, while Peter Kerekere is also seeking a third title a decade after his second.
Seven-time champion Waka Donnelly has another opportunity to equal the record of eight victories held by the late Frank Gordon, whose titles came between 1952 and 1969.
Former champions William Brown, Pete Anderson, David Solomann and Tony Akroyd are also among those capable of mounting another challenge.
There is plenty of local interest too, with Matt Henwood, Dan Collier, Craig Palmer, Hayden Keast and teenager Marcus Gray among the Poverty Bay players hoping to keep the Keiha Cup close to home.
Solomann also has strong Gisborne connections through his family and his involvement with Waikohu’s pennants side.
The Awapuni Links course is expected to provide its usual stern examination, with slick greens, wind and potentially wet conditions adding to the challenge.
With 36 holes required just to reach the matchplay stage, there will be little margin for error before the race for one of Poverty Bay golf’s most historic trophies begins in earnest.
