GOLF L. J. JAMES HAS EASY WIN IN STROKE CHAMPIONSHIP

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27471, 4 October 1954, Page 9

GOLF L. J. JAMES HAS EASY WIN IN STROKE CHAMPIONSHIP

If conditions fop play and players were exceptionally good, performance* were distinctly disappointing when the North Canterbury amateur championship was played at Waitikiri on Saturday and yesterday. It was almost as if the Little Muddlecombe B team had appeared, through some unhappy misdirection, at Lord’s. This is no reflection on the winner of the title, L. J. James, a good young golfer who will become an outstanding one when he is able to handle his putter with the same confidence he enjoyers in using his irons. James was the only player in what was, on paper, a strong field to break 80 in each of the four rounds, and although his aggregate, 311, was 23 strokes more than the standard scratch score, he won by five clear strokes. Strong winds yesterday and the fact that a few of the greens were not of the same quality as the rest of the course might be advanced as reasons for the poor scoring. But even on Saturday when conditions were excellent. most of the players fairly wallowed in error.

Waitikiri, graded by the New Zealand Golf Association among the six best championship courses in the country, would have won the approval of a much wider range of examiners. From the sixteenth tee, for instance, there was compensation for the recent duffed putt in a splendid vista of willows, pines, firs and oaks, set in shapely rows in the orderly depth of a stage backdr.op. The sliced drive taking a player into the trees would as likely as not disturb the pukeko which strut about the course as if it is theirs, or the more numerous and retiring rabbits. Difficult Wind The strong north-west wind which took charge for much of yesterday presented some real difficulties for a time. Even on the greens, the balls sometimes rolled about disconcertingly. and the unfortunate player recovering from a bunker was sometimes thrown into sandy obscurity, from which he advanced grimly and grimily, like a film hero. There was some compensation at times, from this boisterous wind. After the excesses it caused at such holes at the 185-yard eleventh hole, where the green sits, a small peninsula with steeply sloping cliffs. At the fifteenth, it was behind the players, and B. Kane, an intermediate from Templeton, put his drive only 65 measured yards from the flag on this 410-yard hole, although the pin was almost at the back of the green. James was much more consistent than his opponents, and deserved his success. He was seldom astray off the tees, and his seconds were played with accuracy and judgment. His iron play was probably without compare in this tournament and had his

putting been better he would have scored exceptionally well. W. J. McGavock. one who was usually able to place his drive properly, as this course so often demands, had one very bad round, and over the final nine holes stabbed several short putts. The young Templeton player, P. Lewis, was always handily placed, but could not get the short run of really good figures which would have taken him to victory. H. J. Gosset. still suffer-

ing from an arm injury suffered some time ago, led the field after three typically steady and thoughtful rounds, but in the first nine holes of the final round totalled an extraordinary 49, the accumulation of small but costly errors.

Of the many well-known players who finished well back. I. B. Cromb and A. W. Robinson each had one good round, and C. J. Ward’s third round was quite the best of the championship. While others were finding their slightest mistakes magnified by the strong wind. Ward played like a fine golfer in form. His tee shots

hU^m° pened Breen Mm. 'fhl lr °“s, seMom wavered from Ji nc ’,? nd although the ball stopped he Wlth irrit ating regularity, he putted very soundly. At the 470Si? seventeenth, he was eight feet past the pm with a drive and a five iron, just missing an eagle. If this round was a brief display of skill, it was a satisfying one. B. E. Clements, the winner o± the championship last year, was off colour and out of form. „ 11 ’c . s ' nce the competition was first held, ana 13 since Waitikiri took it over. In those years Waitikiri has seldom been as fast as it was this time The dry weather made some of the greens very fast, and at the short third, nearly everyone had difficulty in getting the ball to stay on the green; time and again the pitch shot brought a high bounce into some or the most uninviting out-of-bounds who found perhaps too little difficulty with this hole, however. was R. B. Grey, who holed out m one. Results:—

STROKE HANDICAPS Saturday Morning.—Senior: P. J. Lewis, 77. 3—74; F. Marshall, 80. £-74; H. J. Gosset, 77, 2—75; M. J. McNally. 79, 4—75; R. G. Ogier, 82. 7—75; D. J. Ramsay, 79, 4—75. Intermediate: R. Yellowlees, 80, 12—68; A. L. Castle. 82, 11—71; D. Clark, 84, 12—72; J. Messervey, 87, 15—72. Junior: M. M. Hibbard, 86, 16—70; A. C. Sparrow, 95, 24—71; A. D. McFadden, 92, 20—72. Saturday Afternoon.—Senior: J. Rennie, 78, 5—73; L. J. James, 76, 2—74; W. J. McGavock. 76. 2—74; P. F. McNeilage, 81, 7—74; W. D. V.’ood, 82, 8—74. Intermediate: F. R. Busch, 82, 13—69; D. Clark, 82, 12—70; A. L. Castle, 84, 11—73. Junior: L. A. Watson, 89. 19—70; A. D. McFadden, 91, 20—71; K. Bradford, 93, 20—73; A. C. Sparrow, 97, 24—73. Sunday Morning.—Senior: C. J. Ward, 73, 1—72; R. F. Lafferty, 83, 8—75; D. J. 1 unsay. 79, 4—75: J. Rennie, 80, 5—475; D. C. Watt. 81, 6—75. Intermediate: D. J. McFadden, 84, 13—71; R. G. Pool, 84, 13— 71; N. Robertson, 86, 12—74. Junior: K. Bradford, 91. 20—71; W. Gunn, 91. 20— 71; A. C. Sparrow, 98, 24—74. Sunday Afternoon.—Senior: A. W. Robinson, 75. 4—71; I. B. Cromb. 75, 1—74: R. B. Grey, 82, 7—75; L. J. James, 77, 2 —75; A. J. McGillivray, 82, 7—75; D. F. Williamson, 82, 7—75. Intermediate: D. S Lamberton. 84. 9—75; R. M. Ry burn, 92. 15—77; S. Hinchcliffe, 88, 11—77. Junior: A. C. Sparrow, 94, 24—70; K. Bradford. 93, 20—73; M. Hbv/e, 91, 16—75. Seventy-two Hole Net Aggregates.— Senior: A. W. Robinson, 302. Intermediate: R. G. Pool 303. Junior: A. C. Sparrow 288.

CHAMPIONSHIPS Senior L. J. James . 79 76 79 77 311 W. J. McGavock . 77 76 85 78 316 P. Lewis . 77 79 81 79 316 C. J. Ward . 84 80 73 80 317 I. B. Cromb . 79 83 81 75 318 A. W. Robinson . 80 79 84 75 318 H. J. Gosset . 77 78 78 87 320 N. M. Fowke . 82 77 80 81 320 R. D. Kearns . 78 80 83 80 321 D. J. Ramsay . 79 79 79 86 323 R. E. Clements . 79 78 82 86 325 J. Rennie . 85 78 80 83 326 M. J. McNally . 79 81 82 84 326 Intermediate D. S. Lamberton . 83 87 87 84 341 D. Clark . 84 82 89 90 345 A. J. Kernick . 83 90 88 89 350 A. L. Castle . 82 84 95 93 354 K. R. Kane . 82 93 92 91 358 J. F. Tucker . 86 89 92 91 358 Junior M. M. Hibbard . 86 95 96 97 374 W. Gunn . 93 94 91 99 377 K. Bradford . 102 93 91 93 379 L. A. Watson . 101 89 96 95 381 A. C. Sparrow . 95 97 98 94 384 Teams’ match: C. . Ward 79, A. Robinson 71, I. B. Cromb 74, H. J. Gosset 85— 309. Best gross score in championship: C. J. Ward, 73.