The championship race at the 2026 Emerre and Hathaway Poverty Bay Men’s Open has been whittled down to eight after a dramatic opening round of matchplay at Awapuni Links in Gisborne.
Three of Friday morning’s eight championship matches required extra holes, setting the tone for a demanding day at the 95-year-old tournament.
Top qualifier Ben Jujnovich was pushed all the way by 16th qualifier Dwayne Russell before the Redwood Park golfer finally secured victory on the 19th hole.
Local Dan Collier also advanced after a dramatic battle with three-time champion William Brown.
Both made birdie at the 18th to extend the match, but Brown found trouble with his approach at the first extra hole, eventually taking an unplayable penalty that opened the door for Collier.
The longest contest belonged to Mount Maunganui’s Josh Wilson and Matt Henwood.
Henwood produced a remarkable fightback by winning the final four holes to force sudden death, before Wilson finally ended the match with a birdie at the 23rd.
Defending champion Glenn Solomann remains firmly in the hunt for back-to-back titles after defeating two-time winner Peter Kerekere on the 16th.
There will not, however, be two Solomanns in the quarter-finals. Glenn’s father David, the 1995 champion, was beaten 2 and 1 by promising Poverty Bay teenager Marcus Gray.
Two-time champion Mark Smith continued his push for a third Keiha Cup with a 3 and 1 victory over 2020 champion Anaru Reedy.
It was also a successful morning for the Smith family, with sons Carter and Corbin winning matches in other divisions.
Seven-time champion Waka Donnelly kept alive his bid to equal Frank Gordon’s record of eight Poverty Bay Open titles, beating 2007 winner Tony Akroyd 2 and 1.
Local Marcel Campbell completed the championship quarter-final line-up after defeating Hastings golfer Scott Bernie on the 18th.
Away from the championship bracket, there was also a potential piece of tournament history involving 11-year-old Sascha Apanui, the youngest player in the 112-strong field.
Apanui played Friday afternoon alongside golfers aged 14, 14 and 19, giving the four a combined age of just 58 — an average of 14.5. The group is believed to be the youngest four-ball in the history of the Poverty Bay Men’s Open.
The Ōmokoroa youngster has strong East Coast connections through his father Richard Apanui, who has represented Tairāwhiti at the Freyberg Masters.
With defending champions, former winners and emerging local talent all still alive, the battle for the Keiha Cup is now down to its final eight.
