MOSS 146.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 233, 1 October 1937, Page 8

MOSS 146.

N.Z. OPEN GOLF.

THE SECOND ROUND.

DOUGLAS RETURNS CARD 71.

GUY SECOND WITH 148.

(By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") HAMILTON*, this dav.

Improved conditions were experienced at St. Andrews links to-day. when the second round of the New Zealand open golf championship and the qualifying rounds for the professional and amateur titles were played.

After to-davs play only the leading 70 will continue to-morrow, and the fields for the professional and amateur championships (3*2 In each) will <b e decided.

Despite the steady rain of yesterdav arnl last evening, the course with its porous sub-soil had dried out considerably, while the strong wind of yesterday had also dropped.

With less than a quarter of the players in, the leaders at the end of the second round were Guy 148, Hornabrook 150, Murray and Ewen 151, and Dou<*la< 153. '

With a number of leading players drawn early this morning's play was full of interest. The "highlight" was Douglas' 71. This is not the first time that he has featured in the open with a spectacular round since his victory in 1921. That success at Miraniar was his fourth in the open championships. Age is against Douglas in a long 72-hole strugg'e, but three years ago he staged another "come-back." only to lose the title in the play-off with Moss.

Hornabrook completed the course before Douglas, in 73, and the amateur champion was still being congratulated when Douglas posted his 71, two strokes better than anything hitherto, and a round likely to defy the challenges of the rest of the field to-day and during the final two rounds to-morrow. Amateur Champion Excels. Starting off at the head of the field, Hornabrook set a cracking pace with 73, and it was well merited. In his 38 out, a stroke better than yesterday, there was one blemish, and that was more by bad fortune than bad play. He found a hidden sand pot in the fairway with his second shot to the second green, a six resulting. Over the next nine he went one better than bogey, obtaining a birdie three at the twelfth (363 yds), where a perfectly-hit iron shot left him a 2ft putt. This advantage was offset at the next hole, where his drive was in the rough, on the side of the narrow fairway, but a birdie four at the final hole, after an excellent recovery from the seventeenth bunker, for the four there, enabled him to finish in 35. Hornabrook's putting is a model.

The amateurs' challenge was sustained by the Hutt player, Ewen, who failed by one stroke to repeat his 75 of yesterday. With plenty of length from the tees, and accuracy with it, the greens were usually easy targets for him. Out in he started home with a brace of threes, and with three holes to go had a reasonable prospect of 73. He failed to make the long sixteenth in the three shots, requiring a six for the hole.

The last hole cost him five, making his home run 37 and his round 76.

1. S. Galloway found the greens consistently, but he had several lapses of three-putting, which robbed him of any chance of being up in the lead, as h% was with two rounds played last year.

Guy in Great Form. Errors in the last stage of his round prevented Guy from repeating hi* 73 of yesterday. Though he used a brassie lroni the tee. as a precautionary measure, he "wa = hitting a grand ball, leaving himself simple chips to the green, but these shots he was inclined to stab with, a deep-faced club and there was always •suspicion that he might leave himself an awkward approach putt. This happened at the eighth hole, and there lie slipped a stroke, with a five. Up to this stage he had played par golf, having two "birdies"' in the first four holes, the second and fourth. Both are five bogey, but Guy reached them with a drive and a mashie.

He reached the turn in 37. the same as yesterday. With an orthodox 3, on the homeward journey, and with the slightest luck at the following two holes, lie would have had the same figure (30). Putts, however, would not drop. A topped drive and a hooked second at the fifteenth was offset by an approach which left him a foot putt. Two fours to finish would jiava given him a round of 73, but it was not to be, his seconds on each occasion finding a bunker. He did well to get the live at the seventeenth after two in a bunker.

11l the luuleniotecl scores at *tlie end of tlie second round asterisk denotes professionals: —

•E. J. Moss TG 70—14* *A. E. Guy 73, 75—Hj J. P. Hornabrook 77, 73—13 C I. A. Kwrn 7Ti, 70 —131 •A. Murray 7t;, 75—10 l A. G. Sinn* 75 70—15? *E. S. Douglas S'J. 71—13fc •J. Galloway 78 75 —1.13 U. G. Thomson 73 50—153 *A. J. Shaw 7s 7.1—153 *X. H. Fuller 7S 70—134 •T. E. Black 7r> 70 —134 T. H. Horton 7'.t 75 —134 •T. H. Vfliinj 7!l 70—155 *\V. Morrice 78, 78 —136 B. H. Menzies SI 75 —130 *T. S. Galloway "0. 78 —137 *.T. I.amhlc So. 77—137 *.T. D. Mcintosh SO 77 —137 I*. E. Peacock So 77—157 R. G. Holland S". ~S —15S *G. W. Ritchie So. 7S—I3S A. I{. Blank So 7s—l3S •X. liell 7!) 50—139 H. P. Dale So 70—150 "A Dyke 70. 83—159 R. Harsant 77 S3—loo 11. H. Gladin- 7S SJ—IGO I\. Ross 7!i. >1 — 100 G. P. Roberts SI. 70—10" F. H. McDonalvl S'J. 70 —101 •T. R. Hobbs 70. sj—l«l *J. A. Clements S3. 7S —101 I>. C. Collins S'J 70 — 101 *\V. Allbon so. 70—102 A. D. S. Duncan si. si—lo2 H. A. Black so. 53—103 P. R. Godby ! sj. Si'—Hit F. C. Hutchinson SI. S3 —104 C. B. Thomas M S3-- 104 1.. A. Reid ss! 7S —100 H. Hedley S'J. S!—100 ,T. Stichbur.v S4. S3 —107 M. T. Houlihan SI. S7—loß *J. Watt S3, 84 —109 J. G. Ferguson s."J* SO —100 J. A. Scouller S4. SO—l7o *.E It. Galloway 87, 53—170 *15. J. Smith S4--171 R. A. Boon ss* 57—172 W. Monk 01' sj—l73 R. C. Hayward s:,, ss—l73 A. J. C. Runciman so. 57—173 I. A. MaoKwan sr. ;u—l7" •G. W. Melvin S7. 00—177 K. E. Caldwell «t7 S3 —ISJ B. Kiernan ;ij! Oo 182