GOLF TITLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 234, 2 October 1937, Page 10

GOLF TITLE.

THE FAVOURITES. MOSS GOING STRONG. Auckland Professional Leads After Third Round. (By Telegraph—Special to "Star.") HAMILTON, this day. The most interesting problem ill the Dominion golf world to-day was whether A. <T. Shaw, the open champion, who was seven strokes behind 13. .T. Moss, a previous holder of the title, could make good the deficit by the end of to-day's play. The iirst round was decided on Thursday, the second on Friday, leaving two rounds to be fought out to-day to complete the open championship. After A. Murray and J. P. Hornabrook had come in together, however, it appeared that the issue would lie between that pair and Moss, whose round of 75 gave him the leading aggregate of

After the sun had dispersed the early morning fog perfec-t golfing conditions prevailed at the St. Andrews links. Though there were 13 competitors within seven strokes, the issue appeared to be among half a dozen, with J. P. Hornabrook the only amateur to carry a serious challenge to the professionals'

leader. "* I E. J. Moss (146) and Hornahrook (100) were near the tail-end of the 70 I players left in the iield. From the j earlj- play it was apparent that the I chances of the amateurs, Ewen and I Si me, were slender, while Guy played j his worst round to date an<l enabled j Shaw to get within one stroke of him, ■whereas there were five between them ! before they started the third round. 1 Shaw, partnered by Silk, drew the gallery, and it was the amateur who provided the thrills which were anticipated. He had an inspired putting run, and at one stage coming home holed J three consecutive ones. none less than five yards. Shaw had been plodding away solidly, but with few spectacular touches, and he could not get the break of the greens that so happily came to Silk. Electric Five Holes. Both were out in 37, Silk's putter during the nine holes working better, or at least more successfully, than Shaw's. Then followed an electrifying rnn of five holes by Silk, which he played, in 16 (3, ;■>, 3, 3, 2). This left him in the position of wanting four 4's for 09. After holing a 2 at the 14th he was actually a stroke better than Moss had been in his round of 70 yesterday. Two of the 4's followed, one at the 16th bein"- a i '"birdie." ~

Then the unexpected happened. Silk found a bunker with his second at the 17th. His recovery went through the green, and a 6 became an ugh' blot on his card. He could not improve on bogey •> at the final hole, and tliue. ended with 72.

In consequence of his stronger finish Shaw was only two strokes worse. He was unable to get the orthodox 3 at the two short- holes. In the last nine lie had a string of eight 4's, and finished with a 5. Shaw played his best golf of the tournament this' morning, and has improved his position.

Amateurs Disappoint. Prospects or two of the amateurs in the leading six, Sime (1921 champion) and Ewen, were dimmed after their morning rounds. Both recorded their biggest figures—77 for Sime and 78 for Ewen. They were supplanted 011 the championship ladder by Shaw.

Those who observed Guv* plav clo«elv yesterday predicted that there would be trouble in store for him, for his second shots to the grean were most unconvincing. particularly hw short pitches. This morning he did not improve in this part of liis game, and when his driving went astray the consequences were fatal He was through the first green to lose a stroke, and was very fortunate to get a '-birdie - ' four at the next, when he pulled his second into the trees after a screaming drive. He went alone satisfactorily enough with a string o'f six fours, but slipped a stroke eighth, after an orthodox five preceding it. His tee shot «t the ninth was pushed into the river, and it was only through the fortune of holing a Ion? putt that lie was able to obtain }he four and be out in 38—foop'ov figures.

Guy in Difficulty. With four holes left to play coming borne lie had lost two against'the card, and the best he could then have done was <0 again. At the fifteenth his drive went astray and sliced into the rouoh. It was a disastrous mistake, for ""lie required seven for the hole. A fighting finish. T>. 4, 4 (one better than the scratch figures) enabled him to wind up 111 78, and give him a total of 226—one better than Shaw.

Thomson played a sound round this morning, his figures being 38 out and 3" bome. Ho partnered Guy. and Ion" utter as lie is. was easily outranged by the professional, but Thomsons shots to the pin were sounder. Hi the undernoted scores at the end of the third round professional players are denoted by an asterisk:— " " *E. .T. Moss .... Tf "n % ;a. K. (iu.v ; ; -—.7.-'. *A. J. Sl,aw ... i'o- IJ- I*— *B. T. Douglas# A. Sime 7-; B. a. Thomson *. ** * 7V ii r>r>s R. M. Silk 70 H. W Hat torrtey . .'.! 79. 7S fc-?, i. A. Liven 4;.• .T f " *■ Moore 74' 7<V 70 ~i~/j •T. I/anibie .... e,,' i- - -■? *r. r. Clements 7,; Bft ; 77Z r ' ? W Rfc:::::;;; I?,- ?«• •?-*« 15- 11. Menzies si' 7-.' i i'- Bi.u-k 7 -: f • U. 11. Gladin.c 7*' f"— K- <"• Ward so' s-V 77--"** \ r ; T ;"r ksnn s -- s -. T5 —•>:::> A. U McLean 82, 79, SX-I'4_> (Additional Scores in Stop Press.)