CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 232, 1 October 1925, Page 14

CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF.

THE k AMATEUR TITLE. LAST FOUR IN. EXCITING FINALS LOOKED FOR. <By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") CHRISTCHURCH; this day. The golfers at the New Zealand championship meeting went much, more cheerfully about their games yesterday. The sunshine came as a welcome relief to the previous day's bleakness. A wind was still blowing from the northeast, but its force was not so intense, and tho bright sunshine took, the. cold sting out of the air. The main event was the third round of the amateur championship, eight players being left in the competition. A bogey handicap and a professional stroke handicap were also played. The results in the principal event were:—

A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) beat E. A. Scott (Timaru), 8 up and 7. A. E. Conway (Wellington) beat J. H. Drake (Wellington), 2 up and 1. • K. Rosa (Dunedin) beat J. L. Black (Hutt), 6 up and 5.

T. H. Horton (Masterton) beat A. E Sime (Westport), 4 up and 3. An Unpleasant Incident.

During the Sime-Horton ginie an unfortunate incident happened that caused much discussion among the spectators and some very outspoken comment. Sime, in to "Land's \ End," found a bunker .on the left. jw^fter he had taken his stance, and gwas making hi 3 address he accidentally •Auched the sand "on the floor of the It is questionable if he knew £ne had done so, for he appeared to be |||oking at the flag ,as he made Ms 'pjhfortunate "waggle." Nothing was ffaid.at the time. He played two Shots Sgfterwards, and Horton did the same, as Sime was about to play his fourth*, Mr. R. C.;. Kirk,, president of the #?w Zealand Golf Council, approached Mam and told him he had lost the hole. itSlme -picked up- his ball. The question then arose as to what standing Mr. Kirk jliad in the control of the game in progress. No umpire had been appointed «fey t]le committee, and the question was .asked—Does a position on the Golf Council embrace the duties of an umpire? Very emphatic opinions were expressed concerning the action of the president, and it would allay a great deal of the dissatisfaction.if an authoritative statement was made as to the powers conferred on the president that enabled him to take such very decided afition. In the instance under review there is not the slightest doubt that the effect on Sime was very disturbing. ..That his game suffered as a result was 'evident when he topped his drive immediately afterwards into the rough a few yards in front of the tee.

...*-• Close Call For Horton. Horton and Sime played an even congest, little separating them at any stage of the game. Wiith a hole each and one halved, they were all square at the third. .Horton won the next, and a half followed. Sime took the next, and a half followed. Sime took the next, and they were all square. They finished all square £t the .turn. On the homeward journey 'they alternated from 1 up to all square. Horton won the fourteenth, and tiie next three!were halved." The eighteenth in 4 gave Horton a lead of 2 on the eighteen holes.

The afternoon round of the match attracted a very large gallery. The players halved the nineteenth in 3, Sime won "The Pagoda" in 5, Horton being very short in his approach putt. .Both •drove well from the tee for the twentyfirst, Sime getting into the rough, and he pulled his iron Shot to the left of the green. Horton was on with his second.-and within eight feet with his approach putt. Both holed in four, and Horton stood 1 up. Sime was well on the fairway with his drive for the twenty-second, Horton pulling into the rough; both were on- the green with their seconds, but wide with the first putt and they halved in fours. Horton hooked ins drive for the twenty-third, and his brassie second was topped; Sime played ft beauty with his spoon for. his second, tight,on to the green, but putted short, »nd holed out with his fourth, Horton 'tfiting three on to the green—all square. $J#io played the tweHty-foilrth poorly. the advantage in position, being yrsl on the green .with his second, while 'his- opponent ran through. Siine missed Id putt of three fdet, and Horton, who had overrun the jin by twelve feet, holed Out with his next, winning the hole and standing 1 up. At the twenty-fifth Horton was well on tho green with his first, and Sime was pin high, but in the rough on the' edge; Horton lay lead with his second, and Si™»c, Using a medium, overran the hole missed his putt, Horton holing out in three—Horton 2 vp r ... While playirig for the twenty-sixth tire incident fefefred to elsewhere, resulting in the disqualification of Sime for the hole, took place, and Horton was 3 Up. Sime was obviously upset at what had happened, and he topped his next drive badly, finding the rough a few yards in front of the tee; they were both On tho green with their thirds. Horton lay dead with -iris-approach putt, biitSima overran and lost his next. Horton holed out, and was then 4 up. Horton found tho .ditch on the way to the thirtieth) leaving Sime with an advantage that won hiti» tbe hole, reducing Ms lead-to 3. Playing for the twenty-ninth, Sime topped hie drive, but both were on the green with their thirds. Horton was | sliort with his approach putt, and the hole was halved—Horton 3 up. Horton hotiked his drive on the way to the thirtieth, but he retrieved with a tfidgnificcnt iron shot that lay two feet from the pin. Sime was on the green, with lilh second,- but was thirty' feet away, ami lie marie a great attempt to hole jptti bis llrst putt, lying two feet from the'bole. Horton missed liis short putt,' rusting just on the lip of the hole, and ayins a stynue for his opponent. Sime I t0 'ound pushed ©«**&£? hole ' mi *™S WnT 4 up. 5m *_? both oS the. green Sit 1 oSJI r i t; - Sim ° ° VCrran ™ llis Bff I9B&R distance *™ will, hie third b ?ts-1 8 - ton ,. holcd out MM, Hhna $$_$$$■ (l( 1.16 Kl'OOn, and HortotTKl 18 left ft ffiFSMll I.Utt with hU third, wlm o ß l° 8 dWomnt m used hie third to m*m J feb§ UinUer, leaving him a S CI U nlltt. ItdVlon holed out in four", Htl tllfl umtcU; 4 up and 3 f ° Ur ' a,,d j

Duncan's Game Steady. A large gallery followed the game between A. D. S. Duncan and E. A. I Scott in the morning round. The first hole was halved and-Scott won "The Pagoda" in 5. He outdrove Duncan on the way to the third, and was on the green with his second, his opponent taking 3; Duncan missed his putt, and Scott holed out in 4, making him 2 up. Playing to "The Narrows," Scott was bunkered with his second, but got on to the green with Ms third, a not difficult putt was missed, afld.Dtincan holed out in 4. At "Wilson's," JDundan was on the i green in 2, but Scott, hooked his drive into the rough and took 3 to get on to the green; Duncan took the hole in 4, all square. In going to the sixth, Scott pulled his drive again, but got out of the bunker very skilfully and was on the green in 2; Duncan had also found a bunker and takiiig 2 to get out, and running .through the green, gave Scott the hole', Scott 1 up. Scott pulled into the i-ough on going to "Mugeridges"; as a result Duncan's second was only four feet away, and his opponent's was 15 feet; Duncan holed in 3, and the game was all square. Duncan drove poorly to "Land's End," and Scott easily outdistanced him;; Duncan's third found a bunker and Scott won the hole in 4, making him 1 up. Duncan took the next and they were all square at the turn. From then on for the remaining nine holes of the morning round Duncan dominated the position. He won the 10th, llth and 12th in fours, making him 3 up. He lost the 13th, halved the next in 4, won the next two in fours, halved "Old" Nick," arid took the 18th with a stylish 4. He was 5 up on the lound. In the afternoon he continued his triumphant way, winning the 19th and 21st, and losing the 20th, making him 6 up. The 22nd was halved in fours, and he won the neit in four, Duncan 7 up. Scott took "Brigg's" in 4, but Duncan took the 25th and the 27th in 3 and 5, and the hole between was halved. Duncan was then 8 up at the turn. He won the next in 3,. and took the ~ame 9 up and 7. Scott pulled his drives t)adly, and this got.him too often into the roughs with a difficult lie. Duncan was straight, his approaching and putting being just what is expected of such a capable player. From the Same Club. . Conway and Drake halved the first in 4, tho second in 0 and the third in 6. Conway, won the fourth in 4 and the next was halved. At the eighth he was 4 up, but Drake won the ninth in 5, and at the turn Cdnway was 3 up. Coming in, the first three holes were halved, and Conway's lead was reduced to two, when Drake won "The Crossways." Conway won the next and the two following were halved. Again Drake brought his opponent's lead to two by winning "Old Nick" in 3, but Cohwtiy persisted in his lead of 3 by taking the 18th in 3 with a bogey 5. ' In the afternoon round the nineteenth and twentieth were halved, Conway won the twenty-first, Drake the twentysecond and the twenty-third was halved. Drake again took a turn and temporarily reduced his opponent's persistent lead from three to two, but Conway fancied that three so he promptly won tho twenty-fifth. The six follo-tfrihg holes were halved, still leaving Conway his three lead. Drake broke the spell by winning the thirty-second and thirty-third, reducing the lead to one. The next hole was halved and Conway won "Old Nick" in three and finished 2 ■ up and 1.

Ross Retains Form. Black made a presentable showing against Ross in the morning round, but his play during the afternoon was very indifferent and suffered comparison with that of the Otago man. Ros a won the first two in the morning, the third was halved and Ross added another to his! lead at the fourth, making him three i up. The fifth was 'halved, and Black won the aext, Ross two up. The seventh was halved, and-then each took one, Ross being two iip at the turn. Ross then took three holes in sdccessioh, increasing his lead tb five, but Black replied with three and brought the lead down again to two. The sixteenth was halved and Rdsri. won ''Old Nick" in three. Black .Won the eighteenth in four, and was two: down oh the round. In the afternobn Ross took two holes on beginning. The next was halved, and by winning the twenty-second in four Ross was five up. He lost the next, and Black had a chance to halve the twenty-second, but he putted badly and Ross was again five up. He was on the green at "Muggeridges" with his first; Black found a bunker and Ross : holed in three, and Was six up. The next went to Black, and Ross won the twenty-seventh, making him six up at the turn. They halved the first four holes on the return, and Ross finished 0 up and 5. Professional Handicap. The best cards to-day were- T H Horton, 77; A. D. S. Duncan, 78; A G Sime, 80. »■«,«.. _. The result of professional stroke 1 handicap was:— J. Gallaway, 14G; C. Clements, 149; J McCormick, 152; T. Gallaway, 153- a" W. Macrae, 153. *' ' *** The semi-finals of the professional championship will be played to-morrow Mcintosh playing Moss and Blair playine Shaw. These players did not competl in the handicap event to-day.

. I— OTAHUHU LADIES' CLUB.

A medal handicap match for a trophy presented by Dr. Gladys Rowley will be' played on the Otahuhu links on Saturday Post entries. - The junior handicap played last Saturday over 12 holes was won by Mrs. Elliott. i