THE OPEN TITLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 250, 21 October 1926, Page 13

THE OPEN TITLE.

Review of the play.

STYLES OF THE LEADERS.

Beaten, but not disgraced—very far of n. st des cribes the performance or,! * mateurs in the attempt to retain in* ™* m P ,on ship honours. The showing °L \ Eoss is especially creditable, tod though he fell away somewhat in ftrff^ 8 StageS ' Such is not to X* ZnT m K From all angles I think it can be cited as one of the most meritoriSed e^ mptS ° f recent y ears > «>d it needed but one ounce of luck to have been uccessful. Taking two eighties aPPear Weak after h * Si tl °& en l ng i" ounds - but tr y a °d Sly define? "v '? merit is the more Df JnZ ael l ned - Perhaps some measure over ?hTI r D - be l eVelled at hiß forty it Ia ! t 11 mn f h °Jes. wWch cost him torty.five, following as. it. did a beaut™ &Uy compUed.thirty-five on the out--

ward half; but there is no doubt that his failure was occasioned purely through excessive caution. The doctor has a characteristic hook with his wooden shots, and reports show that by the irony of fate practically his only sliced tee shot in the final round found a drain which cost him a penalty, and, worse still, deprived him of a tie for the championship. It has to be borne in mind that Ross was not placed, as was Ewen Macfarlane, when he annexed the open title at Shirley last year. The latter had the advantage of playing on a course with which he is probably more familiar than any -other amateur in New Zealand is with his home course, and there is not the slightest doubt that this was the deciding factor in his success. Ross was not so advantageously placed, and his effort must always rank as amongst the greatest in amateur history.

Moss and Shaw, the professionals who tied for the championship with 307, one stroke better than Dr. Ross, gave very even displays throughout. Their scores on the opening day were identical, both being 76 in the morning and 78 in the afternoon rounds. Cn Saturday, Shaw, by a sterling 75 gained a two stroke advantage over Moss, only to lose it through literally pitching it away in the . final stages of the concluding- round. The great opportunity, and the knowledge of what was necessary, proved too much, and he committed faults that, though common, should not have asserted themselves when in a position such as he held. It is evident that in hitting his approach at the final hole he had a hurried look at where the ball should have finished, instead of intently and intelligently viewing it in the position it occupiedShaw is a rare combination, being a big hitter and one able to turn on a very brilliant run. There is little doubt that his game is consolidating, his scoring in this championship and in the last professional tournament being much more consistent than formerly.

Of Moss it can be said that his scoring is characteristic. His game is dominated by a brainy application, and he is one of the few having the capacity to assess a mistake at its true worth, and not be driven to further error in attempting the impossible in an effort to effect a recovery. Shaw is described by the critics as a stylist, but for sheer evenness he cannot be classed .with the northern champion. The game between the two on Thursday morning should be worth going a long way to witness, and it is hoped that both are in the position to do themselves full justice.

In fourth position on the list is T. H. Horton, present amateur champion, and unquestionably one of the finest golfers the Dominion has had. In his methods he has much in common with the professionals, his iron shots in particular being dispatched with true professional touch. He is one of the few amateurs who really lets the club-head do the work, the clip of his shots being very noticeable. - He has been well up in the Open event on many occasions, and may yet get his name posted with the select few. After being in a very dangerous position in the final round, he had a i couple of .bad holea which even then placed him only three strokes in arrear i of the leaders.

Once again Arthur Duncan looms up, being one stroke behind Horton after putting in four cards all under the SO mark. Duncan is the only amateur to win the Open Championship on more than one occasion, which he did in the face of very stiff opposition. Driving three balls out of bounds at the eighth at Wanganui in 1923 cost him the title, and to-day we find that this well-tried veteran —for such he must rank—failed by a small margin purely because his putting was awTy. A disastrous opening spoiled the > chances of Mcintosh, a young Scottish professional, who came to the Dominion a season or two ago. He required no leas than 83 in the first round when the leaders gained seven strokes, which advantage they held to the finish, their scores being 307 to Mcintosh's 314. He' lost a great opportunity at Shirley last year through a well-hit, low-flighted ball striking and becoming embedded in the top of a bunker at "B. B. Wood's Fancy." The opinion seemed general that with the relnodelling of the hole the bunker should not have remained, a view Mcln- j tosh would no doul* heartly endorse. He : s, however, a little inclined to throw his j lubs about when in adversity, a fault] to be observed curiously enough, in several Scotch professionals we have seen, but one likely to lead to unending rouble in a game having the perplexities of golf.

Kapi Tareha, who meritoriously finished '2 strokes .better than Mcintosh, is too well known to call for much by way of description. Kapi had some brilliant spasms, and but for his round of 81 gave a grand exhibition of the game. I well remember him observing at the finish of the Open at Wanganui that putting was the thing that'counted, and that he would practise it incessantly. As at one stage of the present championship he holed five successive threes, there may bo some reason to believe that he fulfilled his intention.

Butters, the Miranjar professional, played well, but marred proceedings with an 81 in the second round, which gave him too much leeway to make up. He suffers considerable disability through war injury, as does G. B. Forrest, a fine player who did not show up in this championship. J. Goss, an ex-amateur title holder played really well, 80 being his highest score. To finish within six strokes of the leaders is a very fine performance, and he is one of those who might again easily make his presence felt in the amateur fixture. However, the Open of 1926 has proved a great tussle, made the more interesting by the tenacity of the four leaders, and whether Moss or Shaw finally emerges victorious on Thursday next the honour will have been worthily won.