KEEN CONTESTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 226, 24 September 1934, Page 8

KEEN CONTESTS.

GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP.

ONE MATCH GOES TO 21 ST. MISS BARNS-GRAHAM BEATEN A most interesting morning's golf was provided at Titirangi to-day when the third round of the New Zealand women's championship was played. The title-holder, Miss Oliver Kay, was again in brilliant form and had a runaway victory, but only two of the other seven matches finished before the seventeenth hole. That in which Miss Bessie Gaisford was opposed by Miss M. MacLeod, one of the Australian team, went to the S eighteenth, and it was left for Miss 0. Stevens (North Shore) and Miss W. Barns-Graham (Gisborne) to provide the most exciting tussle of the morning. Three extra holes had to lie played to decide the issue, and Miss Stevens was the victor when she got a spectacular 3 at the twenty-first hole. Though Miss MacLeod was defeated, three of the Australian team of five still j remain in the contest. To-morrow j morning Miss Kay meets one of them, j Miss Hammond, and Miss Gaisford in the other half of the draw, meets another, Miss Lascelles. The other two games in the fourth round are between Mrs. Robinson (Australia) and Miss Stevens (North Shore), and Mrs. J. M. Wilson (Auckland) and Mrs. M. Alison ( Titirangi).

Miss Kay was again in fine form, and hardly made an error in the eleven holes which were sufficient for her to overwhelm Mrs. Maiuler, of Hamilton. She won the first six holes on end, and, though Mrs. Mander halted the procession by halving the short seventh, which she played the better to get the 3, she was outplayed over three of the next four holes, where Miss Kay obtained scratch figures, with the exception of a 5 at the tenth. The winner's figures for the eleven holes were: 4, 4, 5, 2, 5, 5, 3, 4, 4 —36; and 5, 3.

The Auckland Club player, Miss E. Culling, gave Mies J. Hammond (New South Wales) sound opposition, and it was only in the last few holes that the issue was decided against her. Miss Hammond struck trouble in the road with her second at the second hole, and lost it. She was fortunate to square the game at the sixth, where Miss Culling missed a 2ft putt. When Miss Culling found the bunker at the seventh she became 1 down. The other six of the nine holes were halved. On the homeward run Miss Hammond extricated herself well from trouble after a hooked second at the tenth, .-.nd, though the visitor chipped dead at the next, Miss Culling was equal to a good putt for another half. The Aucklander squared the match at the twelfth, and it was not until she was stymied at the fifteenth that she lost the honour. Her drive at the nexi. found trouble, and she became 2 down. Though she holed a long putt for five at the seventeenth, it was only for a half, and she lost, 2 and I.

Another keen game was that between Mrs. Robinson (New South Wales) and Miss M. Stevens, and the visitor was taken to the seventeenth. The only decisive holes in the first nine were the second, which Mrs. Robinson won in 4 to 6, and the eighth, which the North Shore player took. Miss Stevens struck trouble at the first hole coming home, but her partner did likewise at the next, and the game was square again. A wellplayed o at Titirangi put the visitor in the lead again, and had she been a little bolder at the fourteenth she would have holed a five-footer for a win in 2. Miss Stevens shared the hole in 3, but became 2 down at the next. Mrs. Robinson found the rough with a sliecd drive at the sixteenth, but played the seventeenth, a long hole, against the wind well, to win it in 5, and finished the game 2 and 1. . A Brilliant Run. Miss Lascelles started with a brilliant run against Miss Fleming with 3, 4. 4, 3, 4. She won the first three holes, having a little luck at the second, where her second struck the road, and robbed her opponent of a half in 4 at the third with a stymie. At the long fifth sho approached excellently to obtain a birdie 4 with one putt and become 4 up. The Christcliurch player then had a turn and won the sixth and eighth, but a long putt for a 4 by Miss Lascelles put the Australian 3 up again at the turn. Miss Lascelles was out in 3(i, 1 under scratch score, and Miss Fleming, who had played sound golf, 39. Miss Fleming tried gamely to reduce the deficit on the homeward run, and although sho got the orthodox figures for four holes her opponent was just as sound, and they were all halved. Miss Lascelles increased her lead to 4 up by getting the 3 at the fourteenth, and a half at the next hole gave her the match 4 and 3. Poor Start and Exciting Finish. Frequent errors were made by Miss O. Stevens and Miss Barns-Graham in the early stages of their match and a 0 at the fifth hole, the second on her card at that stage, was good enough to give Miss Stevens a win to become 1 up. Miss Barns-Graham took a 6 at the next, and was 2 down, while a 5 at the eighth put her another hole behind. Miss Stevens was out in 42 and was 3 up. Miss Barns-Graham played the first two!' holes coming home better, and won them both, but was 2 down again when her 1 opponent won the twelfth. The C.is- I borne player reduced the deficit to 1 down when she obtained the 3 at the short fourteenth and squared the game at the next hole, where Miss Stevens 1 failed to carry the gully with her drive, 1

and played 3 from the tee. Miss BarnsGraliam played the next hole accuratelv and took the lead with a 4. It ' three good shots to the seventeenth which was decided in Miss Stevens 1 . favour when Miss Barns-Graham hooked her second into a heavy lie oil ton of the fairway bunker. Though she played a poor tee shot at the eighteenth Mi ss . Barns-Graham was equal to the half in 4, and the game went on to the nine tccnth. Here Miss Barns-Graham narrowly missed a "3, and the game con- « tinned. Slicing her drive down tha gully. Miss Stevens appeared to have lost her chance at the twentieth, but s she recovered well, and halved the' hols ] in 5. At the twenty-first Miss Stevens outplayed her opponent, whose second and third shots were weak. The Gisa borne player took 4 to reach the green" i but her rival played a good pitch" over _ the bunkers to the preen, and left no doubt about the issue by liolimr the mitt 1 for a birdie 3. ° 1 Round of 78. Though Miss Bessie Gaisford had 1 three sixes in a round of 78 when playj ing Miss MacLeod, her tally the best she has obtained so far'durin<» the tournament. She pushed a couple of tee shots into trouble, apparently play. : ing her ball too far back on the ri«ht . foot. The first occasion was at the > second hole, where she was fortunate , to get a half in five. The first advantage came to Miss MacLeod when she won the fourth with a three. Both took six at the long fifth, and then Miss , Gaisford squared the game with an ex- [ eellent four at the next hole. Mis* Gaisford chipped dead at the short seventh to get the lead again, but an- ■ other sliced drive lost her the following hole. Miss Gaisford hit a grand tea I shot at the ninth of at least 250 yds, and capped it off with a brilliant second ■2ft from the pin, to give her a win in 3 to 5, and a lead of 1 up. Miss Gaisford was out in 3S, to her opponent's 42. Bad seconds were played by both at the fiiv.t hole coming home, Mfes MacLeod recovering best to win in 4 to 5. Taking the next hole, the Australian was 1 up, but it was only a temporary lead, a.s the New Zealandcr won the next. She also took the following two holes with a 5 and a 3 and had a useful lead of 2 up. There was 110 change in the following two holes, played iii correct fours. The visitor still had a clianco when she won the seventeenth in 5 to C, but Miss Gaisford made no doubt of a half in 4 at the last, and won a good match,® 1 up. Success of Aucklanders. 111 the other two matches two Titirangi players and two Auckland Club players met. 111 the first Mrs. Alison lived up to her reputation as a sound match player by defeating her club mate Mrs. Deighton, after having the better of the game practically throughout. In the other contest Mrs. Wilson made a great recovery in the concluding stages to defeat Mrs. Ferguson. . The following arc the results:— Miss 0. Kay (Otago) beat Mrs. F. Mander (Hamilton), 0 and 7. Miss 0. Stevens (North Shore) beat Miss W. Barns-Graham (Gisborne) at the twenty-first. Mrs. C. Robinson (New South Wales) beat Miss M. Stevens (North Shore), 2 and 1. Mrs. M. Alison (Titirangi) beat Mi-#. R. Deighton (Titirangi), 3 and 2. Mrs. J. M. Wilson (Auckland) beat Mrs. G. F. Ferguson (Auckland), 1 up. Miss C. Lascelles (New South, Wales) beat Miss V. Fleming (Christcliurch), 4 and 3. Miss B. Gaisford (Marton) beat Miss M. MacLeod (Melbourne), I up. MARLBOROUGT GOLF TITLE MARLBOROUGH TITLE. BLENHEIM, this day. In tlie semi-finals of the Marlborough golf championship, Jeffries beat Duncan, 4 and 2, and Wliyte (Wellington) beat Henderson, at the IStli.