GREAT STRUGGLE IN FINAL

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25662, 26 November 1948, Page 8

GREAT STRUGGLE IN FINAL

SHAW HAS ONE BAD PATCH MURRAY’S CONSISTENT PLAY (P.A.) DUNEDIN, November 25. By winning the professional golf title to-day, Murray repeated his feat of 1935. when he also won the open, the professional, and the professional foursomes titles (on that occasion in partnership with J. D. Mclntosh). Murray’s triumph to-day enabled him to equal the great performance of his opponent in this year’s final, Shaw, in winning the three titles at one tournament twice. Shaw achieved his successes in 1931 and 1934. Murray had to come from behind to round off his brilliant performance this year, since Shaw had overwhelmed him in the first nine holes of the final and had a commanding lead of 4 up at the end of the morning round. But Shaw began the second round as disastrously as he had begun the first round brilliantly, and Murray was able to wipe off this substantial deficit in the first four holes when the match was continued. Murray had to go on struggling, however, and it was net until the twentyninth that he went ah*ead for the first time. He shut Shaw out from that stage to the end, in spite of a magnificent fighting finish by his opponent. Shaw came right back to his best form over the last six holes, which he did in three under bogey. It was a tribute to Murray’s imperturbable control that he held his game right to the finish of an exacting tournament. Inspired Golf of Shaw Shaw played inspired golf over the first nine holes in the morning. He had birdies at the second, third, and fifth, and was out in 34—two under par. They halved the holes in the second half until the fourteenth l , where Murray’s caddie grounded a club in a hazard, and Murray had to forfeit the hole. Shaw was then 5 up, but Murray holed a difficult putt’at the short sixteenth, to take one back. Shaw won the seventeenth in four and lost the eighteenth to a birdie four. He had good reason to be pleased with his position when they went in for lunch. He had played an approximate 72 and Murray a 75. It was a different story in the afternoon. Murray played a magnificent second into the wind to win the nineteenth with a bogey four, and-he hit a tremendous drive at the twentieth to 40 yards of the green (338 yards) for another win, after Shaw was too strong with his approach. Shaw was bunkered with his second at the twenty-first, and the open champion was only 1 down. This unexpected sequence of wins ikeited the crowd and it applauded when Murray holed a difficult 12ft putt to square the match at the short twenty-second. Murray hooked his tee shot out of bounds at the long twenty-third (the ball was later found in a house property across the road and returned to Murray) —and Shaw had regained the lead He missed a 2ft putt at the twenty-fifth to surrender it, however, and Murray was never behind again. Both played weak chips at the twentySHI hS ha ]y ed in 5 to start the last nine holes all square.

Match Square Murray had played the first half in the afternoon m 40, and the mistakes into which Shaw had fallen had enabled him • ° Jl « quare the mat ch in spite of this indifferent scoring. Shaw had not played anything like his golf in the morning, his ■•costly weaknesses being in his uncertain approaches and lack of firmness in his putting. Shaw lost the twenty-eighth because of a s and he was 1 down for the first time in the match. He seemed to have a chance of drawing level when Murray skied a tee shot at the long twenty-ninth, and the ball was embedded in a soft patch in the fairway. Murray was allowed a drop, and he hit a beautiful shot to the mouth of the green. Shaw had hit a good drive, and he decided to take a wood for a hanging lie. It was a mistake, and an indifferent shot careered across into the rough on the other side of the fairway. Murray let him escape by taking three putts, and the hole was halved in a badly played 6. Shaw was in the middle of a bad patch and at the thirtieth (345 yards), Murray d s.?, ve t° 15 y flrds of the green. Shaw was still behind him with his second, and he lost that hole to be 2 down Shaw began a brilliant rally at the thirty-first, and a birdie '4 there got one hole back. They halved the next hole m birdie 3’s after both had driven the green, and Murray had to negotiate a difficult half-stymie at the thirty-third to get his 4 and gain a half after Shaw had failed with a long putt. Again on the next green, the short thirty-fourth. Shaw was just an inch or two away with a good putt for a birdie 2 and a win. The large gallery was thrilled with the fine finish. Shaw was staging a great recovery, and he was playing so well again that Murrays slender lead was far I from reassuring. The crowd was definitely on Shaw’s side in his game fight. Last Two Holes Halved Murray had a lucky break at the thirtyfifth when his drive kicked back on to the fairway. Both played good irons to the green, and, after a measure. Shaw laid his 15ft putt dead. Murray, deliberate as ever, stroked his putt perfectly, but it sat on the edge and he went to the eighteenth still clinging to a one-hole lead. The gallery saw two magnificent tee shots, and two bold approaches to the green at the last hole. Murray was lucky when his ball turned into the green from the mound of the right-hand bunker, while Shaw’s second covered the pin all the way. Murray putted from 40ft away and the ball stopped Tour feet from the hole. Shaw had a 15ft putt, and his confident attempt for an eagle 3 and a win just slipped past the edge of the hole. Murray once more took considerable pains to study his putt, and it went into the cup. But for the first five holes in the afternoon round, Shaw played better golf than Murray, but once he allowed Murray to catch up the champion was relentless. He gave nothing away once he was in front and he hung on grimly when Shaw was making his run over the last few holes. It was a very fine final. Bamfield Extends Silk There were four good matches in the quarter-finals of the amateur championship and one particularly interesting finish.

B. Bamfield took B. M. Silk, defender of the title, to the last green, and it was not until he won the eighteenth that Silk was ever in front. Bamfield was ahead several times and had a lead of tw» holes after the sixth. Silk kept at him, however, and his match experience stood by him when they went to the last tee all square. Bamfield got away to a lucky start when he won the first hole with a 5, one over bogey. Silk got that one back at the fourth where he played a typically accurate chip and sank his putt for a birdie 3. Silk pushed his tee shot at the fifth out into the rough and his second into the rough on the other side of the fairway. Bamfield

sank a three-loot putt for a birdie 4 and a win. Bamfield was 2 up Wn Silk took three putts on the sixth green, but he lost his lead before they turned for home. Silk made a grand recoveiy from a bunker at the eighth and won in 4 to 5. Bamfield was in trouble at the ninth and played it in an estimated six. Bamfield let Silk save the tenth in spite of three putts, but Silk was behind again when Bamfield had a birdie at.the thirteenth. Silk squared the match witn a birdie at the next hole, where he played his second right to the Pin. bilk was bunkered at the sixteenth, but sank a 15ft putt for his three and a half. The seventeenth was halved In 5. and the young New Plymouth player went to the last all square, with probably the most redoubtable amateur match player in New Zealand. It may have been tension, out he played a weak second while Silk was fairly on the green. Bamfield still had a four foot putt for a half, but it did not go down and Silk had survived a very keen struggle indeed.

Gibbs Beats Woon The match between Gibbs and Woon was expected to be hard fought, ana it was. Woon has not been playing the golf that carried him into the New Zealand team for the tour of Australia, but he had proved himself on that tour as a match player. Gibbs had played brilliant rounds in the open and in the early stages of the amateur. Although Woon was out in an approximate 38 to Giljfos s 39, they turned all square. Gibbs had gone ahead with a birdie 3 at the second, but lost the lead to Woon’s par 3 at the fourth. Woon took his turn in front when Gibbs dropped a stroke to bogey at the seventh, but Gibbs evened the score at the next hole. A bogey 3 at the tenth was a win for Gibbs, and he was 2 up after playing a beautiful iron to the eleventh green and sinking a sft putt. A birdie 4 at the thirteenth made the gap 3 up. Gibbs was playing brilliant golf now, and to this stage he was two under bogey. Woon was suffering from the weakness of his whole tournament form—he” was short with his chips and putts. At the fourteenth, both had putts inside 3ft for birdies, and duly sank them. Gibbs’s putt on the fifteenth l green died on the lip of the cup and Woon got a hole back. The match came to a spectacular end at' the short sixteenth (172 yards). Woon was short and his ball ran into a bunker guarding the left of the green. Gibbs was through on the back edge of the green, but he sighted his 40ft putt carefully, stroked it confidently, and watched the ball run round the hole and drop in for a birdie 2. Woon had to sink his shot from the bunker to keep the game alive. His attempt was a bold, one, but unsuccessful. Gibbs completed the round in an approximate 72, one below bogey, playing the second nine in 33, four better than par.

Glading’s Early Lead Glading established an early lead against Kitto but he had to keep on form to hold it. He was not always happy on the greens, and putting lapses gave Kitto several chances, which the Castlecliff man could not take. Glading has been showing signs of staleness. He sometimes stabbed his putts, although he did run down some long putts. There was not much wrong with his long game. Kitto was 2 dpwn at the turn to Glading’s 35 for the first nine, holes. He won the thirteenth with a fine birdie 4, to be 2 down, and Glading missed a grand chance to close off the match on the sixteenth green, where he missed fen 18-inch putt. He sliced his tee shot at the seventeenth into the pine trees, which jut to the edge of the fairway. He chipped back on to the fairway and Kitto was unable to avoid the half that Glading needed to clinch his win. Tyrrell’s Bad Start Tyrrell got away to a bad start against Horne, losing the first three holes, and he could not make any impression on that deficit. Horne was 4 up after the fifth, but Tyrrell got one back to turn 3 down to Horne’s 38 for th l e first nine. The Wellington player won the thirteenth when Tyrrell was short with his approach, and when Tyrrell put his tee shot at the fourteenth into a hazard, it seemed that the match was as good as over, but Tyrrell made a fine recovery, and a long putt that went down kept the game alive. The Qiago player chipped boldly from the bqck of the fifteenth green to inches of the cup, but Horne chipped over a bunker for his 4, to win, the match.