GOLF THRILLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 243, 14 October 1933, Page 17

GOLF THRILLS.

tourney nears end.

J. H. YOUNG'S GALLANT TIGHT A. J. SHAW PROFESSIONAL CHAMPION. Fully 1000 spectators watched the closing stages of the New Zealand golf tournament at Titirangi yesterday afternoon. When the morning's play revealed that A. J. Shaw's third successive victory in the professional championship was practically assured and B. V. Wright had au unassailable advantage over Iv. Roes, the crowd focused its attention oil the second round of the contest- between H. Black and J. H. Young. They were rewarded with a memorable struggle, the issue of which was uncertain until the thirty-sixth hole had been played. The match revealed the courage and fighting qualities of each player. Black's golf at the meeting has, if anything, been somewhat scratchy, but never was he greater than in adversity. Many times in the morning round he was called on for a supreme effort, and though occasionally his lack of true form took its toll, he rose to the occasion. He showed himself yesterday in every respect a worthy titleholder of the past. Whether he is to repeat his amateur win at Pabnerston North in 1030 is a matter for to-day to .looidp.

Rare Tenacity. Young, too, showed a rare tenacity. Tiie way in which this lad outdrove and stack tt' a player of Black's reputation was magnificent. Taken right through, Black was the sounder of the pair round the ' preens, Young's besetting sin being liis failure .to be up to the hole with his putts. When he did liit. them, he was always dangerous.

in the morning round the edge of the luck was with Black. Several of his seconds escaped bunkers by the narrowest of margins. His opportunism was, however, thrown into relief by the manner in which he turned every "life' 'to advantage. For the youth it must be said that he handled the position like a veteran, it being only at the critical fifteenth hole in the afternoon, where he lifted his head ja an endeavour to achieve the impossible with an approach shot, .that his inexperience peeped through. At this stage the watch stood all square. Black had just i-craped across the gully with his tee shot and played a safe iron second to within some 50 yards of the green. Young's ball, oil the other hand, lay about 20 yards from the pin, though in a rather indifferent lie. _ Black approached brilliantly to ■within three feet of the pin, and with the )>rospective win changed to a difficult task, Young fell into error, taking his eye off the ball when approaching. / : Young returned to the attack with a beautifully-judged second to the difficultlyplaced seventeenth green, but the effort was in vain, for Black played a running No. 3 iron shot to lie a yard from the pin. He holed the three against Young's par 4to become dormy 2. Black's one error of judgment was revealed at the seventeenth, or thirty-fifth, where he unwisely endeavoured to play past a small pine tree. The shot was the more unwise, as Young's second found the fairway bunker and a safe five would have given Black the match. As it was, the bail hit the tree and rebounded, and the Miramar player then fell into further errors by topping his third, but he escaped a fairway bunker miraculously. Finally, he reached the green in 4, but a clever getout by Young gave the lad the win' in 5. Excited Gallery. The gallery was in a state of great excitement as the players teed up for the eighteenth. Here again, Black experienced fried fortune in that, following his second

ffiot his ball balanced momentarily on one of the terraces of the green and then rolled back toward the hole. Had it remained stationary, he would have been confronted with no light task to get the half in 4. Young made a valiant attempt to hole a downhill putt from the edge of the green for a 3 and keep the game alive, but failed by a matter of inches. He appeared to have stymied his opponent and Black took no risk, putting shrewdly wide of his opponent's ball, and lay dead for his 4. It was 36 holes full of thrills, and a match marked by splendid doggedness and perseverance on the part of each player. Long Driving Contest. 'A. E. Guy maintained-his reputation as a long hitter by winning the long driving competition with a shot nearly two yards over 300 yards, or a yard further than that which won him the competition at Heretaunga last year. Longest Drive. —A. !R. Guy (Palmerston North). 301 yds 2ft, 1; B. 3VI. Silk (Wangamii), 300 yds, 2. Best Aggregate.—Silk, 2!)3yds Ift and 300vds-593vds Ift, 1; Guy, 301 yds 2ft and 280yds-581yds 2ft, 2. Professional Foursomes. Delightful golf was seen in the play-off of the tie in the professional foursomes, all four players putting splendidly. The only mistake in an otherwise unblemished round by Blair, who was partnered by Moss, was the fact that he missed a short one at the fourteenth. On the greens, Bell was superb, and Blair and Clements distinguished themselves at the sixteenth and seventeenth respectively, where they holed shots of 30ft and 60ft. Bell and Clements did 36 each way for 72, while Blair and Sloss were just one stroke worse each way, their total being 74.

Shaw's Record. On five occasions Shaw lias won the New Zealand professional championship. He first won the event in 1928, in which year, and also the following year in which he was victorious, he was attached to the Napier Golf Club. Glendowie's professional, F. Rutter, broke Shaw's run of wins, but in 1931, 1932, and again this year, he has won the title as an unattached professional. Amateur Stroke Matches. J. F. Murray returned the best card yesterday in the amateur stroke handicap, 74—5—69. The next best cards were: — D. A. Burt, 82—10—72; R. B. Carr, 78—6— 72; E. W. Friedlander, 90—16 —74; L. J. Williamson, 81—6—75; H. F. Buckldy, —4—76; A. M. Goulding, 81 —-5—76; E. T. Harold, 90—14—76; V. C. Keys, 90— 14—76. The play-off in the tie in the first amateur stroke handicap, held on Thursday. between W. Martin and D. B. ''tratmore, was won by Martin, 98 —18— 80. Amateur Championship. (Semi-finals, 36 holes.) H. A. Black (Miraniar) beat J. H. xoung (Tilivangi), 1 up. B. V. Wright (Otago) beat K. Ross (Otago), 10 and 9. AKARANA LADIES' CLUB. Results of championship finals at the Akarana Ladies' GoIE Club :— Senior.— Mrs. P. Pretton beat Mrs. L. Caughcy. Junior.—Miss 13. Aitken beat Miss A. Seay. C Grade.—Mrs. W. Snieeton beat Mrs. Jfobinson. match to be played on i.. Seni ° rs -—Preston v. Mrs. Cox, c» , O'Callatrha'i v. Mrs. Haltord, Mrs. want y. Mrs. Taylor. Miss P. Peet v. >;™- Philip, Mrs. P.ayley v. Mrs. Dovey, •irs. McGrepror v. Miss T. .Tones, nt;- n i ors -—Mrs. Kinjisland v. Miss ITodge, miss> Dalton v. Mrs. Masefield, Mrs. Bishop to„'?*, Turnbull, Mrs. Bier v. Mrs. Gratrs - Ashley v. Mrs. Brook Smith, * v rs - Cammick v. Mrs. Crosher. Mrs. Storry R - , Bailey, Mrs. Robinson v. Mrs. "Wwnfihm, Mrs. Wells v. Mrs. Sehischka, w', s , Lund°n v. Miss Mitchell, Miss M. Mro <s? Z' Mrs - College, Miss Bailey v. ilro t> eor !?e. Miss Colson v. Mrs. Ward, WaiVi • 00 ' c Smith v. Miss Hayes, Miss I. | V \r*H S r7' Slrs - Martin, Miss Kerr Taylor • airs. Cook, Mrs. Parker v. Mrs. Smcelon. !