ON THE LINKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 91, 17 April 1936, Page 14

ON THE LINKS.

FINDING THE CHAMPION.

THE PROVINCIAL RALLY.

GOOD SHOW BY THE YOUNGSTERS.

Many and varied wore the experiences of the majority in the long trail of the qualifying rounds for the provincial championship at Titirangi. An easterly wind, which in a seasonal sense befitted the occasion, caused holes such as "The Wrecker" and "Temptation" to live tip to their reputation, and harrowing tales of crashes thereat were common. The chorus of the caddies' "out of bounds" at The Wrecker was sufficient to turn one's blood cold, and Dr. Mackenzie might almost have turned in his grave at the imprecations hurled at this famous hole of his designing. The Early Casualties. Foremost amongst those to fail to qualify were B. H. Menzies, 11. B. Lusk and W. N. Abbott, of Middlemore, L. Bryant, Akarana, and R. R. McCrystal, Titirangi. McCrystal found trouble early when a long drive at the third kicked out of bounds and liis third from the tee lodged in the fairway bunker. The happening had its humorous side, as the resultant eight caused the caddie to remark: Now do try and steady up for my sake. The marvel of it is that be is still alive. Following a none too comfortable journey to the ninth, Menzies met with disaster at the Wrecker and Temptation, and under tho exacting test "was unable to recover the lost strokes. 11. B. Lusk could not cope with the greens, but there was reason for' this, as they varied greatly and were in most cases unreliable. A mixture of the ignorance of youth plus the heart of a lion was about the best potion that couM have been prescribed for one not supremely confident of his putting. Still there was adequate compensation in the fact that the course was relatively short, and in the excellence j of the fairways. Had players kept to the fairways there would have been fewer I sevens' and eights on many cards. |

Youth To The Fore. A happy feature of the qualifying tc_st was that youth was well represented. In the cases of J. H. Young, J. Galloway, J. H. Earle, H. W. Bell and Pax Smith, the ages ranged from sixteen to twenty years, so that the star of youth should soon be in the ascendaiy in local _ golf. The performances of Bell and Smith at their initial try were most encouraging, Smith's afternoon score of 73, which was best of the day, being especially mentorious. With the pressure on in the match play youth continued to acquit itself well, in that Young, Earle, Galloway, Bell and Smith all took toll of older players in the first round.

Against Young. Plumley disputed every inch of the way, but the few errors he made were costly, and Young gradually consolidated his position to have the match won a few holes from home. Thomson, the Whangarei champion, who plays under a great disability, put up a fighting round against Galloway, and it was only the latter's knowledge of the altered condition of the greens that enabled him to get through.. To commence with, George was all at sea on the greens against Bell, and at the 6ixth, where he lost his ball, was 4 down. The position had undergone a change at the fourteenth, where Bell stood only 1 up, but a faulty drive cost George the fifteenth. The end came at the seventeenth, where Bell made no mistake in holing a four. Rather shaky to start, Earle. was uneasy against Coltman, but once he got his teeth into the match could not be shaken off. He did some great work in the middle stages, and then went on to Teach the semi-finals bv rather outclassing Stedman, who had ousted Tad Morpeth on the home green.

Bartleet Goes To the Semi-final. Though generally a hole or two to the bad, Alan Browne clung to Bartleet to the seventeenth green, but that was the end. Bartleet then proceeded to defeat Bell at the nineteenth in the star turn of the afternoon, - but towards the end was a little fortunate to escape. Bells inexperience let him down, but much, was wrapped up in Bartleet's resourcefulness at the sixteenth, where lie played a courageous" second from the rough and then chipped dead to square the match. At the fourteenth, when 2 up. Bell threeputted to only get the half, and then at Temptation drove wildly far down the Whan Creek. Faced with a slippery putt at the eighteenth. Bartleet rose to the occasion to get a desperate half, and then, holed a beautiful 3 at the nineteenth. Bell displays promise, but to be really successful in the game _ must curb his slogging. Apart from Bnnsden the most polished display given was that by Jr. Smith, who, after defeating Tallis, succumbed to Brinsden at the sixteenth. Seeing that at the fourteenth, where he had a sitting 2, Brinsden was 4 under fours, and Smith was only 3 down, the quality of the latter's golf can be the better gauged. Smith revealed that he 3S competent in all departments of the game, and stood out as the coming player ot these parts. He has length to burn, and except when lie hung on too tightly nit his irons with refreshing zip. He emerged from a stiff ordeal with flying colours.

Brinsden at His Best. In the semi-finals Brinsden continued to play brilliantly, with the result that any loose shot on Bartleet's part meant the loss of the hole. Brinsden s one really loose shot occurred at the sixth hole, where a dog in frolicsome mood caused him some embarrassment. Out in 3b ana 2 up, he definitely held a grip of the game, and when he won the three succeeding holes —the last in a brilliant ,3 at the long twelfth—the game was as good as over. At this stage he was two under lours, which was evidence of the task with which Bartleet was confronted. Bartleet had an unenviable job,"but stuck to liis guns throughout.

Young Goes to the Final. In the other match Young quickly took the measure ■of Earle, but by correct and fighting golf the Maungakiekie lad squared the game at the eleventh. There was no change as a result of the "twelfth., out at "The Wrecker'"' Earle's drive fouled the protecting pine and when he topped his second it looked as though he would lose the hole., Young's iron shot to the green was a gem, but the ball just touched the edge of the small pine in the fairway and dropped into the rough. His third was not well played and he finally was stymied, to lose the hole in 6 to 5. It was a typical instance of the glorious uncertainty. One up, Earle was a little Scotch with liis tee shot to the short fourteenth, with the result that he lost in 4 to 3, and so the game was again square. Hitting much the better tee shot at "Temptation," Earle appeared to underclub for his second, and Young's inspired second into the wind gained him the win 4 Too strong with his approach at the sixteenth, Young lost the hole to Earle's safe 4, but .he made amends with a glorious second at the seventeenth, to clinch 'the hole in 4 and lead 1 up. He made no errors m positional play at the eighteenth,, and, putting his third dead, the match was over. Both lads emerged from a testing match with honours. Sufficient has been written of the final that repetition ,is unnecessary For the most part Brinsden overshadowed his vouthful rival, but as Youngs confidence returned he answered Brinsden s attack u most praiseworthy , manner. Certainly ho had much to do not to appear at a disadvantage against Brinsden s 30 tor eight of the first nine holes. It was a highly satisfactory ending to tournament that the two indisputably outstanding players should have met in the nna .