History-making King of the Coast win to William Brown at Tolaga Bay
Having admitted to being 'a bit rough' on the Saturday in beating Kawerau's T.K. Whata 5 and 4 in round one and Auckland-based Waikohu member David Solomann on the first extra hole in the afternoon quarter-finals, after 'Solly' had birdied the 18th, Brown flicked the switch on Sunday.
He needed to. His semifinal opponent was Marcus Lloyd, a quality left-hander and New Zealand Māori Golf stalwart from Bay of Plenty's Springfield course.
Brown saw off Lloyd 2 and 1 in what turned into a history-repeating day in several ways.
Last year, Brown also beat Lloyd in the semis – on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff – and just like 2024, it set up an all-Brown final against good mate Hukanui Brown.
Patutahi's Brown – the KotC champion in 2019 – saw off Poverty Bay's Tony Akroyd (sinking a 10m birdie putt on the second extra hole) and Mahia's Wade Wesche to advance to a semifinal against Ōpōtiki's Micky Huriwaka, who in round one played his 15-year-old son Elijah in a tournament for the first time ... and won on the 17th.
Huriwaka was 2-up with two holes to play, only for Brown to birdie the 17th and par the 18th to take it to extra holes, eventually winning on the 20th after Huriwaka three-putted.
William Brown turned up the heat in the final of the King of the Coast, winning seven holes in a row to beat Hukanui Brown on the 12th hole. Photo / Paul Rickard
Heading into the final, William Brown was well aware he was a victory away from exclusivity.
He won the first two holes against his fellow Tairāwhiti representative, then Hukanui got one back, but that hint of a comeback was obliterated from the sixth hole on.
William Brown won seven holes on the trot, four of those with birdies, in a Mike Tyson-like blitz that not only underlined his sovereignty over the KotC, but stamped an exclamation point on it.
'The second day was a whole lot different,' he said, estimating he was 5-under over the two rounds.
Brown has great respect for golfing history and was elated to have made his own. He plans to add to it too, although the Poverty Bay Open in September could be his only chance for the rest of 2025.
A greenkeeper at the Jack's Point course (he plays pennants golf for Cromwell), Brown is set to move into an irrigation technician role.
With that is the opportunity to go to the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
Unfortunately, that is the same week as the men's national Interprovincial, which Brown has competed at for Poverty Bay-East Coast and now Tairāwhiti for 16 consecutive years.
This year would have seen him join an elite club of players to have clocked up 100 national Interprovincial matches.
Brown is confirmed for the P.B. Open, but is unlikely to make the East Coast Open at Te Puia Hot Springs in November due to work.
In other results from the KotC, Regan Hindmarsh (Patutahi) won the Cook Handicap second 16; B.J. Sidney (Tolaga Bay) the Ūawa Handicap third 16; and Max Ratana (Kawerau) the Hauiti Handicap fourth 16.
The tournament was played in perfect weather on a course that received high praise from everyone, including the champion.
Brown said it was 'the best I've seen it in my time'.
Meanwhile, two of the players in the tournament will be shifting their focus to Heartland rugby.
Huriwaka and Sidney were this week named in the Ngāti Porou East Coast squad for the Heartland Championship, which starts on August 16.
The NPEC squad also features loan player Sheridan Rangihuna, who played national interprovincial golf for Poverty Bay-East Coast in 2011.
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