RALPH DEFEATS STERRITT 4 AND 3 IN ROTORUA FINAL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 205, 30 August 1941, Page 16

RALPH DEFEATS STERRITT 4 AND 3 IN ROTORUA FINAL

After leading 1 up at the end of the first round oi IS holes of the Botorua Golf Clulf tournament. -J. P. BalpJi (ReHjfcSra) beat J. Sterritt (Te Awamutu), on the thirty-third green. Winning 4 and 3, tlit- young player carded 70 to Stenitt's 7S for the opening round, and in the second round he covered the first nine holes in 30 (bogey 35). Sterritt. who was out of touch with his putting the whole day, was approaching magnificently in the morning, and this enabled him to hold Ralph over the first 18 holes to the ]o.>* of but one hole. Birdie for Te Awamutu Man Both secured 4's at the first and second holes after lunch. Hooking his tee shot. Sterritt was unable to do better than 5 at the next, as his ball came to rest in the creek, while Ralph, with a magnificent wood shot to the green, took the hole in 3 to stand 2 lip. The tallies were turned at the fourth, where Stenitt. ran down a long putt after a perfect drive and second, to secure a birdie against Ralph's 4. Sterritt again found trouble at the iifth. and scored a 6. while Ralph played a safe ■> to be again 2 up. Ralph's tec shot at the sixth I was no more than eight feet from the pin. while Sterritt.'s ball found a bunker from which he made a good recovery. Ralph missed hie putt for 2, >.ut Sterritt was unable to put down a shorter one for a half, dropping another hole to his opponent. Bunkered by the boundary at the seventh, Sterritt recovered well and both carded orthodox .Vs. At tin- eighth, the scene of several birditv during the tournament. Ralph was bunkered on the left, but played .a magnificent full shot out to the green. Sterritt was unable to improve ion this and Ralph came up safely ti> t ike the hole with a 4. Sterritt again had a golden opportunity at the ninth, when his tee shot found the green, and Ralph's second out of a bunker was still far from the hole. The latter secured a 4. but Sterritt did no better than halve the hole. Loser Misses a Half The longest hole on the course, the tenth, of 540 yards, should have been halved in s's, but Sterritt was astray with a short chip up and failed to sink a longish putt, and was thus 5 down. The eleventh and the twelfth were halved in .Vs. Sterritt managed to win a hole back at the thirteenth, where Ralph took 5. Sterritt then being 4 down. Orthodox 3's at the fomteenth hole and the next saw the finish of the match in Ralph's favour, 4 and 3.

In the second division, two 10-handicap men, A. G. Hyland, of Tit-'rangi. and L. B Stuart, of Gisborne, had a good match with what promised to be a lighting finish, but the latter was unable to recover from a position of dormie 4, and the match ended on the seventeenth, 2 and 1, in favour of Ryland.

Special day matches were won by the following during the tournament: —First medal, G. B. Simpson; second medal. J. darken; first bogey, C. A. Johnson; first Stableford. H. G. Da vies; second bogey, B. B. Armstrong; pccoml Stableford. L. S. Davidson; four-ball bogev. H. K. Spencer and J. Smythe; putting, R. H .loncs.

Results in the other match finals were as follows:—Flight A: R. 11 Glading beat G. Woods, 5 and 4. Flight R: C. J. Lunken beat T. A. Webb. 5 aiul 4. Flight C": B. B. Armstrong beat ,1 T Lawson, "2 and 1. Flight D: E. D. Williams beat J. Graham, 7 and 5. Flight F: E. (J. Annstrong beat J. darken. 3 and 4 Flight F: R. H. Jones beat P. C. Myles, - and 1.

The victor reached his eighteenth birthday two months ago. At the age of 16 he won the Remuera championship. Ralph is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Ralph, who have performed prominently in golf in Auckland. As a member of the Auckland and Remuera Golf Clubs. Mr. Ralph won championship events at both clubs. Mrs. Ralph has also won championship contests at Auckland and Remuera. J. P. Ralph's grandfather, the late Mr. W. J. Phllscn. was r former championship winner of the Waiumata Club. J. P. Ralph won the New Zealand schoolboys' championship in 1938 and 1939. An elder brother. \v. P. Ralph, has also had success at golf. He defeated Pax Smith in the first round of the Rotorua tournament in 1939. but was himself eliminated in the third round.