GOLF TOURNEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 233, 29 September 1923, Page 12

GOLF TOURNEY.

THE PROFESSIONAL TITLE.

FINE PLAY BY MOSS. SEMI-FINAL OF THE AMATEUR. (By Telegraph.—Special to ''Star.") WAXGANL'I, Friday. The golf tournament was continued to-day in brilliant weather. In the professiiinul championship Moss heat Brocks, 4 Up aud 51 to play. In the amateur semi-linals Duncan beat riaundera, 7 up and r> to play, and Goss beat Black, 5 up and :5 to play. The first round between Black and Goss waß evenly contested, and finished 1 up in favour of Tilack. (ioss won the liret hole with 4: Black was in the midway bunker with his drive and short with his second and approach. The j second hole was halved in bogey 5. Ciose | won the third hole with 4. lilack had | topped his second and missed a long ]>utt to halve. Mack won the short fourth with 3, and the fifth was halved in 5, Goss missing a short putt to will. The sixth hole was halved in a perfect 4 and the seventh in 5, Goss taking three putts. Black won the eighth with 4; Gx>ss hooked out of bounds and duffed his fourth. The ninth was won by Black in 3—Black 1 up. The tenth was halved in an indifferent i>, the short eleventh was halved in :i, and the twelfth was halved in IS. (ioss was on the f?reen with his second, but was stymied. Black won the thirteenth with 4 -Black '2 up. The fourteenth wan halved in 4 and the fifteenth in 4. Goes won the sixteenth when Black was bunkered at the green, and he squared the match at the seventeenth with :i by negotiating a stymie with his first putt. Black won the I eighteenth with 4, Goss failing with his I second. Black went round in 78 and I (Joss in SO.

In the afternoon round Goss rose to the top of his form and played with grrnt confidence. Over the fifteen holes played he averaged 4. Black began to miss short putts at the fifth, and lost hole after hole in like manner. Goss won the first hole in 4 and Black the second in 4, but he did not win another hole until the fourteenth. Goss was dormie 5, and in playing for a half mode a weak approach putt. Duiicnn was never troubled by Saunders. Tic went out in .39 to Saundcrs' 45, and was 4 up. He iinished the round in'rfi to Saunders' S4. and was 6 up. In the second round Saunders steadied, tut the game ended: Duncan 7 up and 6 to play. Professional Championship Final.

The professional chamiponship was undoubtedly the piece de resistance of the day. The result of the first eighteen holes was that the game stood in favour of Moss 3 up. The card for this round read: — Brooks: Out, 5 4 .T i •"> 3 4 0 4—lo. In, ft 3 f> 4 3 5 5 5 4—3.. Moss: Out, 4 5 5 3 r> 4 4 4 4r-38. In, f> 3 4 4 3 5 5 3 4—3ti. This is not a true indication of the high standard at which the game was played. Most of the holes were halved in par. Moss made only one mistake early in the game— *l-it being a careless" putt on tb" fifth. The cards for the round played in the afternoon read: —

Brooks: Out. 4 5 6 4 5 5 4. In, (i :i 5 4 4 5 .".. Moss: Out. 5 5 C 3 5 4 5 3. lii. 5 3 4 5 5 0 4. Starting oil aftrr lunch, Brooks had a gift with the first. Both got a perfect drive, but Moss had to play his second with a niblick on account of his bad lie, an exceptional thing on the fairway at Belmont. Ho played a. chip for his third on to the green and took two putts. Brooks was on with his second, and also took two putts. At the fourth Brooks' tee shot landed in the bunker on the left side of the green, while Moss played | a peach to within a foot of the hole, and finished seven feet past. Brooks failed to get his second out, and rau over with his third into the bunker opposite and picked up. At the next Moss got an ordinary sort of drive, which looked an easy one to hetter. Brooks appeared to force his drive, which had a long, high carry with a wicked hook, which was sure'to land trouble. Moss did not play his second because the ball of his opponent could not he found, and just as the five-minute limit was Hearing Brooks conceded the hole, and they both left for the next tee. A few seconds later the ball was found, and although it had no bearing on the game after Brooks' action, the rule applying to this condition got a faiT twisting about, very few being in possession of the correct knowledge, especially as they would not expect to need it while viewing golf of, this class. The sixth was won by Brooks as a result, of careless putting, and the seventh went to Moss for the same reason. The eighth was interesting. After Moss laid his second dead on the far edge of the green, Brooks' third ran up and finished three feet ofF the pin. Moss had to play a long putt down the slope, and it was a gamble as to whether it would stop. He overran twelve feet, and with his fourth lipped the hole. Brooks' fourth went down. The ninth went to Moss. Brooks failed

badly on the green, leaving his opponent 4 up to start the homeward journey. After the tenth, which Moss won, his lead had l>een increased by one, and with Brookes showing no sign of returning to his form of the morning, interest began to flag. The gallery expected a short afternoon's entertainment. This, however, was not realised. The eleventh was halved in three, the twelfth -went to Moss, making him dnrmie t> by Brooke playing three poor shots in succession. The thirteenth went to Brooks, as did the fourteenth and fifteenth, Moss seeming to treat his putts rather lightly. As Moss was still dormie, hopes were that Brooks would win the next and allow the big gallery to see more fine long play by Moss." This, however, did not eventuate. Moss winning with a perfect four to Brooks" five, and ending the game in his favour by 4 up and 2 to play. Hoj received many congratulations, and was complimented on his fine effort "vhilp filtering from a severe disability. The winner of die professional chnmnionphin has \\ fine record, n fact which seems t,. have been lopt sieht of, A man who could extend Douglas and keep Kirkwood in hand must always be heard of in high-class match play.

Four-ball Match. The result of the Four-hall Match HanHicßp is ns fnllows: IT. P. Williams (9) and J. Bowe (121. 9 up. ) : -T. Duncan (3) and M. Duncan. 7 up, 2; l>. Turner (2) and Orei? (4). 5 up, ."!; r aptain Pnmr«v I2\ and J. PptleV (2), 4 up, 4; J. Stanford (0) and C* Boss (13), 3 up, 5.