GOLF CHRISTCHURCH A WINS WOODWARD CUP FINAL

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28371, 2 September 1957, Page 16

GOLF CHRISTCHURCH A WINS WOODWARD CUP FINAL

Tn an interesting and close contest, Christchurch A and Russley A drew in the final of the Woodward Cup contest played at Templeton on Saturday. Each team won four games. As a result Christchurch has wen the Wocdward Cup for 1957. Russley. which stood one point Behind, needed an outright win to draw level in points and force a playoff.

The current influenza outbreak affected the teams, and Christchurch was without its leading player, R. J. Charles, and M. R. Blank. Russley had to replace F. Williamson. The defection of Charles was expected to give Russley every chance, but the leading Christchurch players rose to the occasion and won four of the first five matches. Only J. G. Scott, of the leading five, lost.

Both G. W. Latimer and A. E. Benzie the Christchurch replacements. lost their matches and H. Lawrence, who replaced Williamson for Russley, won his match.

At the half-way mark, after nine holes had been completed, the match was still very close with Christchurch leading in four games. Russley in three, and one was square.

Conditions at Templeton were tricky throughout the day. and although overhead conditions were perfect and the course fast, a cold wind had its effect. Almost all the players had trouble on greens which were sometimes bumpy and untrue, and the putting difficulties resulted in scoring somewhat below average. The young Christchurch player, B. L. Clegg, made a fine recovery against the more experienced D. C. Watson, particularly as it seemed towards the end of his match that Clegg would have to win if Christchurch was to finish all square. Clegg, who often seems to be In trouble with his putter, threeputted three greens early in his match and was two down as they played the ninth. He seemed to be in serious difficulties when he put his drive into the trees, and he could do nothing but chip out on to the fairway. From here he played up to the edge of the green and proceeded to sink his chip. Watson, who seemed certain to win the hole, failed to obtain his half in scratch fours when he failed badly with his chip and putter. Fine Recovery Although fine play by Watson won him two more holes and he wassthree up with six to play, this chip at the ninth seemed to make all the difference to Clegg, for his play around and on the greens was subsequently of a high standard. He seized every chance to get down in a chip and a putt, and won the thirteenth, and

fourteenth and the sixteenth, after the fifteenth had been halved in scratch figures.

At the seventeenth he confidently sank a nasty five-footer for a win, and requiring only a half for victory placed a fine drive right up the middle of the eighteenth fairway. The match then took a dramatic turn, for while Clegg's second almost went through the club-house window and caused Russley supporters to move quickly out of the danger zone, it also gave them cause for renewed hope. But Clegg used his putter from the concrete to put his third just through the other side of the green, and from there he once again chipped dead for a certain five. Watson, who had failed to find the green with his third, chipped too boldly and failed to hole the vital putt for a four and a squared match. It was a fine recovery by Clegg, who for most of the match seemed certain to be beaten. The matches between the lead-

ing players C. W. Caldwell and J. G. Scott (Christchurch) and K. Foxton and M. W. Stanley (Russley) were a little disappointing, for although all four players had their moments, much of their play was patchy. Promoted to

No. 1 for Russley. K. Foxton was beaten 4 and 2 by Caldwell, who started badly but gradually improved as the game went on. Sound play on the green gave Foxton the first two holes and they halved the next two in scratch figures. Foxton then struck a very bad patch and lost five holes in a row to be three down at the turn. The fifth ("The Pit” scratch 4> was a chapter of accidents and was finally won by Caldwell with a 6 to 7. A good putt and a perfect chip gave Caldwell birdies at the seventh and eighth, and Foxton. now playing quite badly, had no answer.

Caldwell was well on top at the turn, which they both reached in 43 against a scratch score of 37.- Although Foxton with a perfect third from the rough at the long twelfth got a birdie and a hole back, and scored another win at the fifteenth, Caldwell gave him little chance. The match finished at the sixteenth in a convincing win for Caldwell. Close Match The No. 2 players, J. G. Scott and M. W. Stanley, had a close match in which the result was in doubt until the last few holes. Scott played confidently and established an early lead, but Stanley sank a good putt for a birdie at the sixth. The match was squared when Scott conceded the seventh after two quick hooks and a lost ball. Stanley then badly three-putted the next hole to be one down again, and it was not until Scott put his tee-shot out of bounds at the short eleventh that Stanley became square again. He took the lead for the first time with a fine putt for a birdie at the twelfth and after three halved holes won the sixteentn to be two up. A half at the seventeenth left Stanley the winner 2 and 1.

Neither golfer was really at ms best in this match and with only two birdies scored in the whole match most holes were won by

opponents’ mistakes. Stanley generally was much sounder oil the tees than Scott, and several times out-drove the other in his four by quite a big margin. In another close match. L. A. Watson (Christchurch) playing at No. 3, beat R. K. Atkinson, 2 up. They were still square at the seventeenth but Watson, after a half-duffed drive, played a spectacular iron to within two feet of the pin for a birdie. At the eighteenth, Atkinson put his drive behind a tree and the match was over. Both played quite consistently throughout but Atkinson, who had been very steady around the greens, failed when badly needing a saving chip or putt at the last two holes. Results were:— C. W. Caldwell oeat K. Foxton, 4 and 2; J. G. Scott lost to M. W. Stanley, 2 and 1; L. A. Watson beat R. K. .Atkinson, 2 up; B. L. Clegg beat D. C. Watson. I up, C. J. Ward beat D. J. Gaudm. 3 and 2; J. H. Scott lost to W. D. Armstrong, 3 and 1; G. W. Latimer lost to H. W. Lawrence, 1 down; A. E. Benzie lost to C. G. Cliff, 2 down.