YESTERDAY'S PLAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 230, 28 September 1929, Page 11

YESTERDAY'S PLAY.

SHAW'S SPLENDID FORM. MOSS ALSO ON HIS GAME. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WANGANUI, Friday. A bitterly cold southerly gale, accompanied by drenching rain and occasional "lists of sleet, swept the Belmont links to-day, and the competitors in the open championship were objects of pity and admiration. Generally speaking the course stood up to things splendidly, and on only one green did the water fail to run away quickly. Considering these adverse conditions, the standard of play was high, and though Shaw has a lead of four strokes, the championship still bears a very open appearance, and there is going to*be some very keen competition for the thirty-two places in the amateur division. The outstanding feature of the day was the great play of the Napier professional. A. J. Shaw, who returned two magnificent cards of 70 and 75. hi the morning he was out in -10 and home in 30, and the outward journey might easily have been two or three less. In the afternoon he started by putting his second in a bunker, and then taking three putts, but this was the only mistake that he made going out, his card reading <>, 4, 4. 4, ,'!.4, ,4, 4, 4. The four at the .sixth, right into the teeth of the gale, was a magnificent effort, Conivs home he started with a two at the tenth, and a five at the long eleventh, hut missed a putt at the twelfth, and played a 'weak second at the 13th. These, however, were his only mistakes, and he reeled off the remaining holes in 5, 4. 4, 5, 4 to finish with a 75. T. H. Horton was playing in his usual polished style, and his morning round of 70 was a fine consistent effort. He played equally well in the afternoon, and his card of 7ft would have been at least four strokes better if he could have laid his chips dead to the pin. E. J. Moss was playing his usual fine consistent game through the green, and his morning round of 77 was an exceptionally fine effort for a player of his inches Under the trying conditions. His short work was rather weak at times, and ho dropped several strokes round the green. His morning card read: Out, 5, 4, 4, 5, 4, 0, 4, 4, 4—40; in, 3, 5, 3, 5, 4, 3, 5, 5, 4. A model of consistency, the only bad hole was the sixth. How ever, he is not likely to crash, and will probably prove Shaw's most formidable opponent to-morrow. r Douglas was playing a magnificent game with his wooden clubs, but his

irons and putter were not working too well. At times he turned on some really brilliant stuff. For instance lie started to come in this morning with. 3, C, 2, 4,. 4, 4, but then finished with three ordinary fives for a 37. His afternoon round was somewhat similar, his finest effort being three at the Encampment, 435 yards right into the teeth of the gale. His second came to rest only a yard from the hole. These glimpses of his old form are distinctly encouraging, and it would cause no surprise if he were to be very close up at the end of to-morrow. J. D. Macintosh returned a 79 in the morning, and went out in the afternoon in 38. He started well coming in, and at the fourteenth had a chance of a fine round, but he put a ball out of bounds and took six. Another six at the sixteenth spoiled his chance. The veteran A. D. S. Duncan played ' really well considering that the eondi- ! tions 'were anything but in his favour. : He was playing his wooden clubs very t well, and his chips were just as accurate i as "of yore, but his iron play and his ' putting were at fault at times. I Both the Clements brothers were playing steadily, C. Clements' 77 in the , morning being a particularly fine effort. 1 Sloan Morpeth is suffering from the after effects of a cold, and was unable to produce his true form. Nevertheless f he played weir in the morning for an ■ eighty, his card reading: Out, 5,5, 4, 4, 4, J 5, 5, 4, 6—42; in, 3, 5, 2, 5, 5, 4, 4, 6, 4— ) 38—80.. He was unfortunate at the 9th, . where the club flew out of his hand and 3 he putted weakly at the 17th. In the 1 afternoon he was never going well, and - as he himself said, "I do not quite know i yet how I got an eighty-three." How--3 ever he will probably go better to-mor-

Young Dale, from Eltham, played very sound golf for a 77 in the morning, but was just missing his short stuff in the afternoon, and could only return an eighty-four. The sensation of the day's play was the fine showing of the Wanganui youngster Brian Silk, who returned two splendid rounds of 81 and 80. Though the weather does not look too promising it will probably be an improvement on that experienced to-day. It certainly cannot be much worse.