GOLF.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 166, 14 July 1914, Page 8

GOLF.

(By NIBL.ICK.)

FIXTURES. AUCKLAND CLCB July 11—Qualifying Round for Lady President's Tmphy. July IS—Third Round Championship. MACNOAKIEKIE CLUR. July 13—Third Hound Lady Captain's Prize Tourney. July 1(3 — Waitemata v. Mannp-akickie A and It Teams. CUAMPIOXSHir TOURNAMENTS. September '! to ii—Wanganui. September s to 11 —Manawatu. September fi to W—Napier. October 11' lo 17- New Zealand Cbainnioushlp, at Mlddleuiore.

With the sun shining so brightly on Saturday morning, golfers must have felt very happy. About 12 o'clock, however, a big. Iblnek cloud appeared on tiie Horizon, and iby 12..-I0 file m-chc was completely changed. Tlie ruin came dawn very heavily for about thrcc-quaiters of an hour, and it looked as though it had set in for the <lay. Suddenly a 'bren'k aippcared in the sky. and practically no more rain fell during the afternoon.

lAt Aliddlrmore the second round of the club's open championship was played, and resulted in some interesting matches. The big surprise of the day was Binney's victory over C-'harland. The former i las been playing very consistently of late, and all expected him to put up a good light, but S'hariund its such a brilliant player that f«w thought he would lose. Yfw coukl believe it when they hoard the result, and Binnev 'must have felt pleased with the many congratulations he received. 'Binney -won the first hole. Sharland failing to carry the ditch with his second. Binney failed on tiie putting green at the second, and iSharland, playing two 'beautiful long s-hots to tbe third and holing a four, made -the game one up in his favour. Sharland laid ißinney a stymie on the fourth, but he negotiated it safely, and won this hole in five. Tlie fifth he also Won in live. Siharland's poor putting let him down at the 6th, and Binney with a three at the short seventh, increased his lead to .1 up. Tlie eighth was halved in well-played forms, but Siharland found trouble at the long ninth, and was four down at the turn. Binney maintained this lead until the ! fifteenth, which Sharland won in six. j The match ended three rap and two to play in Binney's favour, on the sixteenth green, both players securing 'fours. Binney played consistently throughout the match, and is to be congratulated on his ■ -plendid victory.

Very few exipoetcd I.Usk to take Clark to the nineteenth. a> tine latter is Mich a good match player. Lusk. however, obtained the lead early in the game, and although at the- start his golf was indifferent, he improved at- the game proceeded. His threes at the seventh and eigbtb were and. holing a six at the ninth, made him three up at the turn, This was increa.-ed a; the eleventh by Clark 'knocking Lusk's 'ball in in endeavouring;to negiTtiate-.i.stymie. Clark won tbe twelfth with a well-played four, hut the thirteenth was Lusk's with a five. A good -four I>y Clark at the fourteenth again reduced Lusk's lead to three up. The fifteenth -was halved in fives, but Clark, chiefly Iby tlie aid of a bad approach by Lusk. secured 3 win at the short sixteenth .with a four. This made the score dormy 2. The seventeenth saw Lusk within easy putting distance in four, Clark being on the edge in three. Clark sent along a putt that was in all the -way, and 'won the hole .when thega.me looked all over. This made tlie. matfb dormy 1. Good drives

and likewise good seconds were sent aw-ay by each player. Olark played a nice third, but Lusk failed wiUi his ■mavhie, his bail landing in the gorsehedge. (lark was (beautifully on with his second at tlie nineteenth, and ouly requiring one putt, won a most exciting match, 1 up.

11. Horton and F. Fryer also 'had a close match. Horton was tbree up at the fifth, -but although be reached the sixth green in two to' Fryer's three, he required four put'ls, and Fryer 'won the hole in five. Fryer urade tlie game all square with a three at the tenth, and the score remained thus till the twelfth. Fryer ora* over the hedge (with 'his drive to the thirteenth, Horton *being content with) a medium drive. Tlie latter placed hie s-eoond in a good position just short of the gully. Fryer "had ago with his brassy, but failed to carry the gully. Horton now appeared in the best position, but he .made the fatal mistake of looking to sen where his bail was going to land, and consequently duffed it. Fryer wns well out with his third, but Horton failed and lost the hole. The ■fourteenth "was "halved in fives, but Fryer was too good at the fifteenth, holing a good four. Both played correct threes at the sixteenth, and the seventeenth being also halved, the match went to Fryer, two up and one to play. The golf in the Foote-Hickson match ■was much below championship form. : rhwurwet ooF-icK heff e.hewme .

(Hickson" found trouible with his second at the first hcle, and! also failed Xi get his drive away at the second, hut halved the hole, Fonto approach in g- weakly. Hickson pulled) his tee .shot into the pot bunker at the third, but recovered well, l-'oote failed" to carry the bunker from his sliced drive, and this enabled Hio-kiiKJn to make the game all square, llicksou won the 4th. sth and 7th, thereby obtaining the good lead of 3 up. Foote, however, won the SVhh, 10th and llth. ißat.ii got their drives well away at the 11th, but, to Foote's surprise, he found that his bail .hwid' rim down the hank to tlie right. Hickson failed to carry the gully with his secor.vl, and Foote. playing well out. eventually won with 0. liiekcon" again took the lead with a nice 4 at the 12th. but Foote retaliated by holing a long putt on 13th. Hicke-on was lucky in halving the next, as -Foote missed' a short put: for a win. Th.- loth was Foote's lucky hole. He failed with 'both 'his first and second shots, but. playing a nice brassy -en to the green, and' again holing a long putt, lock the lead- once more. 'Foote's putt for a 3 at the 16th failed to drop in, and Hickson again halved. 'Both were well away to t.lie 17th. (but each failed to reach the green in two. Hickson got the better approach, and Foote, 'being again short with .his putt. Hickson had a chance of winning the hole, but had the bad. luck to strike his opponent's hall, which was just off the line. Foote won the match, Hickson failing to hole his second putt.

Tlie golf in the match between Hanna and MacCorniick was- also below tire recent form shown by these pluytTS. MacCnrmick was 1 up at the turn," and he in-cretwenl this with a correct 3 at the 10th. In r-ipite of pulling his second into the ditch at the llt.h. Hanna halved the hole in 5. LVlaeC'ormk-k, however, again increased his lead' by -winn-ing the 12th in 4. Both players found the gully going to the 13tb, hut Harma again recovered' well, and- -won t'r.-s hole. With the aid of good seconds, both secured 4 at the I4th. The loth was halved in weak fi's. 'but ended the match 3 up and 2 to play with a 3 at the Kith. »

Oolbertk aVwayv? held Grace, eventually ,-winning, 5 and 3.

The Maungakiekie cour6e was, considering the .wretched' weather, in much better order. The fairways luid-been rolled during the week, and' the improvement wtas much appreciated. Considering tlie Tough state of sonve of the putting greens, caused' by -the continuous wet weather, the low svoring was remtrkah'ly good. R. Oeorge was again in good form, and his 7S net places- him in a very good' position*—ts-ix rtrokrs ahead of <"'.' Morris. Of course, some of the other cmr.rutors might ce:ne to light with an exceptionally good- card, but I rather fancy that fteorge will prove the winner of t'lve Ciardiier Cup for tlie seai eon J 944.

On Saturday next the return mutch. Waitemata v." M uingakiekie. will be played. The A teams will play at WaitcmatJ and the B's at, Maungakiekie. On (lie las,-, occasion tlre.-e trains met the Store club w .is eltefea.ted. A deal of interest i(- being taken in th;* meet-iiig, and a re.tllv good content sliould take pla<-c.

The Miiungakukic ladies are at present, playing oIT tlieir tourney fur the lady captain's (Miss Crowtber) prize. The following are the results to datv: — First round: Miss Bayly beat M>s Metcalfe: Miss Macklow brat. .Mirs N. MaoCormick: Mr*. Owen .beat Mi=s Young; ■Mi*.? Morton' beat Mis» Hnsleit: M:s» Macfarlane beat Mi» M. MacCormiek; Miss Gutteridge boat Miss Cnoke; M"k-s K. Mac'Connick beat Miss K:d:noi-: Mrs. Lynch beat Mi.-s, B. Young; Mins Morris beat Mrs. Hardy: Miss Scott beat Mies |D. Cooke; Mn .Ball beat .Miss Yonge; jMrfi. Ridings beat Mies M. Xieol; Miss Burgess 'beat "Mil?.? Moginie; -Miss Steele beat Mi.-'- Gordon. 'Second round: Mi«* Macklow beat 'Mrs. Owen: .Mies Macfar-la-ne- beat Mies Morton; Miss M-aeCor-mick won by default from M : ss (iut.teridge; Mrs. Ball' won by default from Mi;\s Scott. Tw.i pair= in the first round were disqualified: for not complying with the local niks by not returning their cards.

The Auckland Club cointmittee have for cc.mo time bpen eousiderrag the question of altering the bogey for the course. Ther have now decided' to increase the bogey for the Pth aneli ISth. ma-king it fi in each All admit that the 9th should certainly 'be a li bogy, but there are some, especially the long drivers, who maintain that the home hole should remain as at present. Th : s hole at present is unbunkered, aud if the committee are considering where the bunkers should be placed, might I repeat a sug-gr.-tion 1 heard' last wvek. which wan to put a eraj'S-bunker about 330 yards from the tee? Th*. I consider, would undoubtedly make the bole much harder.

A very good plan that the committee might consider when endeavouring to tind out tbe proper place fcr a bunker to be placed would be to fix hurdles filled with tea-tree on the suggested spoto. These could be .moved as required, and nuke themc«lvM far more notieea,hle than rmall pegs.

The ladies at .Mid.llemere are very p'-oase.l with the improvement made at the "th. It is now almost impossible to lose one\* ball if it io topped.