OVERSEAS SPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 148, 25 June 1935, Page 7

OVERSEAS SPORT.

GOLF TITLE. First Qualifying Round of British Open. MACDONALD SMITH'S RECORD. ■(United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 24. In the British open golf championship Macdonald Smith (U.S.A.) leads in the first qualifying round with 06, beating the Gullaiii: course record. Saynor was next with 68. Other Gullane scores include:— Lacey, Alliss, Mahon, 70. Padgliam, Cke, Brews, Kenyon, Hartley, Davies, J. J. Busson, R. Whitcombe, 71. Ball (U.S.A.), 72. Hodson, Holland, Denny, Easterbrook, Ezar (U.S.A.), 73. J. H. Busson, 74. At the Muirfield course Burton leads with a round of 70. Next best cards there:— Lees, Cotton, 71. Kirkwood, 72. Compson, 73. E. A. Whitcombe, McLean, Boomer, King, 74. Dailey, 75. Nolan, Gadd, Jarman, 76. Mitchell, Piekard (U.S.A.), 77. Little (U.S.A.), 78. 1 Herd, 80. E. R. Whitcombe, Garnett, 82. Half the field played at Gullane and the remainder at Muirfield. The courses will be reversed to-morrow, after which the first hundred, and all tieing for the hundredth place, will participate in the competition proper, which begins at Muirfield on June 26. The Gullane course measures 6600 yards, and bogey is 74; while the Muirfield figures are 6800 and 78. The American Macdonald Smith, who has "knocked at the door" of the British open championship for the past decade, had a most brilliant first qualifying round. His 66 is 10 under the scratch score of the course. His driving and approaching were so accurate that only once was he faced with a long putt. He had only two fives, liis card including one two, six threes, and the rest fours. Occasionally he found the rough, but recovered superbly. Alliss' 70 was convincing, as he attained it despite several visits to the rough. Lawson Little (the British and American amateur champion) drove a terrific distance. Nevertheless he had to work hard to keep below 80. He runs sorfle risk of not qualifying Burton, who lias leaped from obscurity to fame in a single season and who is a purely self-made Lancashire golfer, began as caddie and now is one of the longest and most accurate hitters in first-class golf. He had the best score of the actual championship course. Cotton gave an impressive display, and was only one stroke behind Burton, along with Lees, the Yorkshire champion.