Matt Henwood, at No 3, opened his career win account with an emphatic 5 and 4 defeat of Cameron Beel.
Two of the other three matches were tight. No 4 Tony Akroyd lost 2 and 1 to Richard Anderson, and Tauranga-based Richie Apanui, promoted from reserve, lost 2-down to Michael “Moxy” Smith.
Tairāwhiti No 1 David Solomann was beaten 6 and 4 by Ben Patston.
Auckland-based Solomann, born and raised in Gisborne and a long-time servant of Poverty Bay-East Coast and Tairāwhiti, made the best possible start to the week in their round 1 clash with Tasman.
Solomann was 3-under the card as he thumped Ben Crawford 5 and 4, winning four holes on the trot after leading 1-up after eight holes.
Boon, after losing his two opening holes, fought gamely in a 3 and 1 loss to Stephen Macca; Henwood fell 4 and 3 to Corey Taylor; No 4 Craig Palmer, making his Freyberg Masters debut, was 2-up through five holes against Simon Hollyer, but lost seven of the next eight to go down 5 and 4; and Akroyd was beaten 4 and 2 by Justin Brochocki.
Boon, who played for Hawke’s Bay at the national interprovincial in 1990 and 1991, saved the whitewash against 2025 runners-up Wellington with a 2 and 1 win over JJ Love.
Solomann lost 3 and 1 to Jonathan Cane; Henwood 6 and 4 to Elton Nicholson; Palmer 5 and 4 to Matthew Pegg; and Akroyd 4 and 3 to Dion Bennett.
Tairāwhiti faced North Harbour in Tuesday afternoon’s round 4 action and Canterbury in round 5 on Wednesday.