THE FINAL ROUNDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 247, 18 October 1926, Page 12

THE FINAL ROUNDS.

FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES. WIND FINDS OUT WEAKNESSES. (By Telegraph.—Special to "St*.-.") WELLINGTON, Saturday. A dull, sultry day, with clouds threatening before a freshening northerly breeze changed the aspect of the golf world at Aliramar to-day in the finals of the open golf championship of New Zealand, and there were many reversals of form, and, on the other hand, a surprising improvement in quarters where it was not looked for. The only Australian to adapt himself to the windy seaside conditions was Morrison, who finished up with a respectable 79, with several bad holes in it, due to lack of direction. The professionals showed themselves the better golfers, though .by a very small margin. Wind plays a greater part at Miramar than on most links, as it is either ahead or behind at the longest and most difficult holes, or impartially across those with the narrowest fairways. In such circumstances mashie shots, become difficult, irons or full irons cut mashies according to the direction of the wind, and everything has to be learnt afresh as regards distances. Ross' Missed Chance. For a long time K. Ross (Dunedin) looked like the winner, and he would have been if he could have played steadily in the final round, as troubles caused by a persistent and characteristic hook and occasional missed putts had left him with a comfortable margin had he steadied down to anything like his previous day's form. His morning card was spoilt by a topped second at the long third, and a hooked second > at the seventh landed him in thick tussock. From the latter he got out magnificently with a mashie niblick, and a beautiful approach gave him bogey 5. Hd topped two shots at the next, got in the bunker at the next, hooked his drive at the next, and as a consequence put his second in the rough. From this series of catastrophics his recoveries

showed what a line golfer he is. A heap of rubbish cost him a stroke from a pulled shot at the fifteenth, and the round took 80. He was then two strokes ahead of the field, and started off well

in the afternoon, but at the one hole where he was deserted by the hook he sliced into a ditch" and took a penalty stroke, and at the last two holes the strain was too great, and a (! and 7 I spoilt, his chances.

All Eyes on Shaw

Siiaw, the pretty stylist who hits them far and true, showed a fine spirit in the morning round. Starting out 4, 4, 4, 3. he put his tee shot in the lupins, the next into a bunker, the next into the bunker behind the green, failed to get out of that at the first attempt, and then over-ran the hole, taking 7. Then he finished in 75 —3D out, and 36 back. In the afternoon, after Ross had crashed, and Horton had had a bad hole at the seventh after a magnificent drive (through taking too many putts), attention centred chiefly on Shaw and J. L. Black, who were partnered. Shaw went out in even fours witli a 6 in it, and played splendid stuff till the last two holes, where tho strain of the gallery, which completely hemmed in competitors and hole, proved too strong, and he took three at the seventeenth, and with three strokes to win at the eighteenth, duffed an easy mashie pitch, was wide with his next, missed the 7ft putt, and merely tied with Moss, whose four rounds varied little. Black equalled Shaw's 78, but he found form too late. A Review of the Players. A. D. S. Duncan, where most others were concerned with keeping on the fairways, found difficulty only on the greens, and with a little more luck there would have shaken up the leaders, as he played faultless golf. His mashie work, and all his wooden shots through the tournament were as good as he has ever played, though there is noticeable a slight falling oil' in length. Kapi Tareha showed such flashes of super golf that it is a pity he does not take himself and his chances a little more seriously, and overclub himself when in doubt. He was well under fours for a large part of his round in the afternoon, and but for a bad hole in the morning would have been higher up. B. A". Wright, the brilliant Timaru youngster, never found his best form, and though his long game was good, never quite got the pace of the greens like others, who found the rapidlyquickening turf deceptive. E. M. MacFarlane, with two finishing rounds of 3, was well out of the running, but his 75 tho previous day was more like his Shirley form. Dobson, the Australian, crashed in the last round with an 85. R. C. Butters, the Miramar professional, turned in the second best score for the professionals, and equalled the lowest card of the day, 75. J. Goss steadied down well in the wind, and if the amateur championship is decided on a blustery day, should have a good chance. Mcintosh, the Masterton pro., went out in the afternoon in 34, but took 42 to come back. The wind was too much for A. G. Sime, who crashed badly in the last two rounds. H. Black, the younger brother of J. L. Black, played very steadily all day, hitting a long ball, using irons well, approaching carefully, and losing strokes chiefly on the greens. LADIES' CHAMPIONSHIP. SECOND ROUND CONCLUDED. AUCKLANDERS CONFIDENT. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Saturday. The second round of the New Zealand ladies' golf championship was played this morning:— Miss M. Stevens (Otago) defeated Miss 0. Stevens (Otago) by default. Miss Hertslet (Waimate) beat Miss G. A. Shand (Avondale) 7 and 6. Mrs. Dodgshun (Otago) defeated Miss Bristed (Christchurch) 5 and 4.

Miss Snodgrass (Rotorua) beat Miss White-Parsons (Christchurch.) 1 up. Mrs. R. Grace (Wanganui) defeated Miss Lowry (Napier) 1 up. Miss Gwitha Shand (Christchurch) beat Miss N. Glendining (Otago) 1 up at the nineteenth. Mrs. H. C. Collinson (Manawatu) beat Mrs. Pottinger (Invercargill) 1 up. Miss 0. Kay (St. Clair) beat Miss Theoman (Otago) 4 up and 3 to play. Mrs. Kerr (Timaru) beat Mrs. Pumphrey (Christchurch) 4 and 2. Mrs. Kingscote (Christchurch) beat Miss E. Parsons (Amberley) 1 up. Miss M. Payton (Auckland) beat Mrs. Cook (Otago)" 4 and 3. Miss Acheson (Nelson) beat Miss Pilcher (Invercargill) 5 and 3. Miss Chrvstall (Christchurch) beat Mrs. McCarthy (Otago) 1 up. Miss Culling (Auckland) defeated Mrs. Hall-Jones (invercargill) 4 and 2. Miss Cooper (Auckland) beat Miss B. Cottcrill (Christchurch) 1 tip at the twentieth. Miss Watson (Manawatu) beat Miss J Jervis (Lower Hutt) 1 up. PLAY DESGRIBED. FINE ROUND BY MISS PAYTON. (By Telegraph.—Special to ■"Star.") DUNEDIN, Saturday. In the second round Mies Hertslet (Waimate) played good golf against Miss G. A. Shand (Avondale). Miss Hertslet laid Miss Shand a stymie on the first hole, and won the next three in bogey. Miss Shand put the ball out of bounds at the fifth hole, and the sixth was halved, the seventh, too, being halved in bogey. The eighth was won by Miss Hertslet in bogey, and at the ninth Alias Shand found the rough and lost a ball, giving the hole up. The tenth was won by Miss Hertslet in three. She won the eleventh in bogey, and finished un the twelfth with a 4 —7 up and 6 to play. Miss Payton (Auckland) played splendid golf against Mrs. Cook (Otago). The first hole went to the latter in bogey 5. Miss Payton took the second in bogey 4 to 5, the third in bogey, and fourth in 3. The fifth was halved. Miss Payton carried the ridge in bogey 4. Mrs. Cook took the seventh in 4 (under bogey). The eighth was halved, and the ninth went to Miss Payton in 4, leaving her 3 up at the turn. Miss Payton took The Mount in 3. The eleventh was halved in bogey, and the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth were all halved in bogey, leaving Miss Payton 4 up and 3 to play. Miss Payton went out in 42, and did six holes in in 20. In the match between Miss Snodgrass (Rotorua) and Miss White-Parsons (Christchurch) a very close game resulted throughout. Miss White-Parsons was 2 up at the turn, and Miss Snodgrass squared at the eleventh hole. Miss White-Parsons won the twelfth and Miss Snodgrass the thirteenth and fourteenth, making her 1 up. The last four holes were halved in bogey, leaving Miss Snodgrass the winner, 1 up. Miss Snodgrass went out in 48 and came home in 42, Miss White-Par6ons score being 91. Miss Culling and Miss Cooper, also both of Auckland, are playing very consistently, and the Northerners hope to be close up in the final. Mrs. Dodgehun, the present champion, is showing good form.