Power and Finesse
Gisborne Herald Report
5 October 2009
By Chris Taewa

GRIP AND RIP: Steve Donnelly smashes a drive off the first tee during the semifinals of the FMG Poverty Bay Open at the Poverty Bay course on Saturday. Auckland-based former Gisborne man Donnelly’s immense distance had the gallery awestruck as he went on to beat Tauranga’s Kieran Muir 5 and 4 in the matchplay final. Picture by Paul Rickard

THE generosity of a golfer Steve Donnelly met only once and doesn’t know the name of played a vital role in the former Gisborne man’s FMG Poverty Bay Open victory on Saturday.

Donnelly blew away Tauranga’s Kieran Muir 5 and 4 in the Keiha Challenge Golf Cup championship-16 matchplay final on a pristine Poverty Bay course.

He turned on a display of frightening power and exquisite touch to which Muir, playing at the Open for the first time, had no answer.

Donnelly also won the title in 2004.

Now living in Auckland, the 24-year-old avionics technician in the New Zealand Air Force had an appreciative gallery awestruck by his distance off the tee.

His choice of weapon was a Titleist 907D1 driver which was gifted to him by a “random” stranger.

Donnelly and a friend were joined for some holes by a couple of men they had never met before. One of the men offered him the use of his driver and Donnelly proceeded to smash his ball down the fairway.

“He said to me, ‘do you like it?’ then he gave it to me.”

A poor performance last year — he failed to make the top 16 — inspired him to come back in the best possible way. He got some lessons, worked on his game and it all came together on the third and final day.

Donnelly, a member at Muriwai, disposed of Poverty Bay head greenkeeper Hamish Douglas in the semifinals. A one-under 35 had him 5-up after nine holes and it was all over on the 14th — Douglas doing particularly well considering he had a course to prepare on top of playing.

Meanwhile, top qualifier Muir ruined the chance of a Donnelly-Donnelly final with a fine 1-up defeat of defending champion and six-time Open winner Waka Donnelly — Steve’s uncle.

Muir was 1-down with three holes to go but birdied to win 16 and played a superb second shot from out of the rough on the 18th. He slotted the resulting six-foot birdie putt for the win.

The sixth round in three days proved one too many for the 21-year-old architect. After making double-bogey on the third hole of the final, he was never in it.

Donnelly, who appeared to have swapped his driver for a bazooka, birdied the fifth to go 3-up and added birdies on the seventh and eighth.

The seventh was the hole of the match. Muir hooked into the left trees, duffed his second, then played a brilliant low hook to five-feet from the pin.

Donnelly, way down the middle, responded by popping a delicate pitch to gimme-distance for the win then stood on the par-four eighth tee and murdered his drive 300-plus metres to within spitting distance of the green.

Muir fought gamely to win the ninth, lost the 10th then won the 11th. He sealed his own fate when he cut his drive out of bounds off the 12th tee to go 5-down again.

The Bay of Plenty representative and member of Omokoroa, did not go home empty-handed. He collected the Scott Plate as top qualifier with rounds of 71 and 74, and confirmed he would “definitely” be back next year.

Donnelly returned to Auckland to continue his university studies for a diploma of electro-technology.

In other section finals, Neil Hansen hammered Tolaga Bay clubmate Dion Milner 8 and 7 to win the Barrington Miller Cup second 16.

John Scott beat Allan White 1-up in an all-Poverty Bay third-16 final.

Nehe Dewes (Te Puia Springs) beat Tim Mackie (Waipukurau) 1-up in the fourth 16.

Max Browning (Titirangi) beat Peter Cameron (Gisborne Park) 4 and 3 in the fifth 16.

Andy Orton (Hastings) came back from a 13 on the 12th hole during qualifying to beat Roy Skuse (PB) in the sixth 16.

Brian Hall (PB) celebrated his 63rd birthday by beating Hamish Williams (PB) in the seventh 16.

Once again the Bay course was in superb order and the visiting players were full of praise for greens among the best in the country.

“If you can’t putt on these greens, you can’t putt,” someone said.