GOLF. MEETING AT DUNEDIN.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13227, 22 September 1908, Page 8

GOLF.

MEETING AT DUNEDIN.

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP OF NEW ZEALAND.

PROFESSIONALS LEADING.

(SI-CU- TO "THE TItESS."} DUNEDIN, September 21. This year th© great events in golfing circles, the amateur championship ot New Zealand aud the open championship of New Zealand, are being decided on the Balmacewan links, under the management of the Otago Golf Club. Naturally, the bulk of tho contestants eomo from Dunedin, but there is a strong contingent of Christchurch players competing, and a number trom Timaru. Tho North Island is not so well represented in point of numbers, a notable absentee being Arthur Duncan, who won tho amateur championship at Napier last year. Whitehead, tho Wellington professional, who had entered this year lor the Open championship, did not put in an appearance, but Clements Ovanganui), 1). Johnstone (Weiliagtou), U. Hood" (Oamaru), J as. Herd A. J. Aiilliner (St. Clair), and James Watt (_ueloourne) made up a representative body of professionals taking part in the open championship.

Tno lin__ wero in excellent order. It had been expected tnat tho putting greens would have been somewhat ou .11© rough siue, but tiioy piayed beautituily. in anticipation ot tno meeting cuey had not been piayed on tor some little timo, and to-day the players could find no fault witn .new wnatever. Penec. goiuug conditions ruled in tne morning, wh*n inero was no wind or -unsumo, tno players getting a perlect sigut of tno oaii. in uio auernouu there w__s rather a glare trom tno sun, and a tainy sun bret.z«. blow, whien to some extent accounted lor most players taking nior© strokes to do the seoond round, 'lne tiostKiound ot tno day, however, was dohe'in th© afternoon by young Hood, tn© Oamaru proiessional, who was a pupil of iUcLaren on the Balmacewan units, and as ho had also don© well in th© morning he finisned up at the head of the list with another professional, Clements, of Wanganui, next. Hood played remarkaoly solid golf, going round in 79. There was not a bad hole in the round. Hood had not played any golf for ten months previously, except tor a couple of games in Oamaru, and a weeks practice on Balmacewan prior to tho mooting. Another professional, Herd, of Christchurch, is level for third place with It. J. Smith. Herd was playing faultlessly, except for his putting. He his second round badly. taking 48 to go out, but no came back in tho splendid number of 38 strokes. In the morning he had done 41 out, and 41 back. The Smith brothers wero as steady as over, and finished well up in Indian file with' a point between each of them. In hisecond round R. J. Smith did five holes in 3 apiece. B. J. Smith is looked on by most golfers as perhaps a shado thei best of the three brothers, and, liko Herd, he played splendidly in every branch, except that he was completely off his putts in the afternoon, when: the greens,' under the influence of sun and wind, became very keen. B. C. Rutherford, of Christchurch, who finished level with him on tho day's play, was in his best form, except for poor putting, and was th© most consistent of tho Canterbury amateurs, whoso play in the afternoon did not quite bear out' the promise it had shown in th© morning. C. K. Sams, for instance, who had gone round ia th© morning in 82, took 93 in tho afternoon, going to pieces after the ninth hole, the remaining ;9 costing him 11 more strokes than they had don© in the morning. Tho reason, probably, was that playing against the wind at the end of the day upset him. The falling off was most noticeable in his putting. Lusk, of Christchurch, last year's runner-up in the amateur championship, was rather disappointing, but he was unlucky in getting into trouble at ono or two increased his score. Kitto, a Christchurch ex-champion, did fairly well, considering that he has had no practice, and Sleigh played a steady game. Jameson, Harold Wright, and B. B. W r ood did not play up to form. O. Treweek, of Christchurch, and A. Bissett, of Burnham Industrial' School, showed pood steady golf. ■•"'•'_, The Christchurch players expressed themselves as very pleased with the whole course, and with tho greens particularly. The- following were the best scores :— —; "3 ■■a * _ _ ~- « :-^ D. Hood, Oamaru (pro.) .. 83 79 162 J. A. Clemonta, Wanganui (pro.) 83 81 164 It. J. Smith, Otago ••_.-?'„_ J. Herd. ChriKtchurch (pro.). .. 82 86 ICB B. J. Smith Otago .. -.81 89 169 B C. Rutherford, Chr_s___urc__ 84 a> 16!) H. C Smith, Otago .. ..83 87 1-0 A. F. Roberts, Otago ~ 83 88 171 A. Bissett, Canterbury .. 8_ 87j l«j T. W. Lyrxh, Timaru .. 83 00 173 J Watt, M-bourno (pro.) .. 84 90 174 A. Ml Turnbuli, Otago •• .. 88 86 174 A. H. Fisher, Otago, .. » » »3 J£ C K. Sams, Christchurch. .. 82 93 l<a H. D. Stroncch, Otwjjo .. 83 87 175 C. Turnbuli, Otago .. .. 83 93 176 H B. _usk, Chrietchurc— .. 85 93 177 1L E. Wright, Christchurch .. 8S 91 177 O.'Trewee-. Chris.cb_rc_ .. 88 90 178 If.-_.. Biss, Otago - .. .. 91 87 I<B A. J. Milliner, St. Clair (pro.) .. 91 88 173 S. K. Sleigh, Christchurch .. 89 91 180 G. H. McErwa-, .. .. 92 89 161 P. Trolove, Christchurch .. 89 93 I>_ B B. Wood. Christchurch .. 92 91 IS3 J. Forbos, St. Clair .. .. 94 89 163 J. R, Pork, Otago .. -.93 89 160 J. 0. Kettle, Otago .. .. Stf 9t. 180 C. C. Holmes, Id-sterton '.. 97 89 186 Wi R- Darling, Oamaru .. 88 09 IS7 D. Johnstone, Wellingtra (pro.) 90 99 IFB J. S. O'Kane, Alexandra .. 95 95 190 R. L. H. Kitto, Chrirtcharch ..So 96 191 WT. D. Harman. Christchurch 96 95 191 J. O. Jameson, Christchurch .. 92 99 101 F _. Barber, Timaru .. .. 93 93 191 C. H. T. Perry, Timaru .. 95 100 193 M. RXL Turnbuli Otago .. 96 102 IS6