GOLF Charles Beats Scott In Final At Shirley

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28472, 30 December 1957, Page 5

GOLF Charles Beats Scott In Final At Shirley

In a match in vfhich some brilliant play was combined with bad putting, Canterbury’s leading player and the national champion in 1954. R. J. Charles, won the Christchurch match-play championship at Shirley on Saturday. In the final he beat J. G. Scott, a Canterbury Freyberg Rosebowl player, 6 and 4. At no stage did Charles lose control, even though his play at times was indifferent. The weather was the best the competitors had encountered during the three-day tournament. The course was in good condition and the greens played true. About 40 spectators followed the final.

After the first hole had been halved in a scratch 4, Charles had the first of his many putting failures at the second. Dragging the shot, he missed a 6ft putt to halve the hole. The third was halved in a scratch 3, but at the fourth, several shots went sadly astray. Charles drove his tee shot to the fence and had to play an extremely awkward shot, gaining only a few yards. Well Out of Bounds Scott, however, after playing his tee shot close to a bunker, sliced his next out of bounds, and the new ball, too, disappeared over the boundary. His third ball was on the green for seven, and Scott conceded the hole, leaving Charles 1 up. At the fifth, Scott again sliced his approach,, and Charles won the hole in a birdie 3. The sixth was halved in 5, after both had missed putts of less than 10ft. Charles appeared to recover his best form at the seventh, and holed a nicely-judged 15ft putt to win the hole with a birdie and be 3 up. But after Scott had holed a long putt at the eighth, Charles, who was about 6ft from the pin, missed. Scott won the hole with a birdie 3. At the ninth, Charles unexpectedly holed a 35ft putt for a birdie 2. After- his bad showing with putts of less than 10ft, his succesfe at this hole gave him confidence. Scott, however, ha 4 clearly been unsure ever since he sent the two balls out of bounds at the fourth. Charles was out in 36.

Again at the tenth, Charles missed an easy putt, and Scott reduced the margin, to be 2 down. But the eleventh went to Charles, and at the twelfth, with a 20ft putt, he became 4 up. Scott, who in general had putted better than Charles, lapsed at the thirteenth after an ill-

directed tee shot, and the match ended on the fourteenth, Charles making no mistake with an easy* putt. Semi-finals In the semi-finals in the morning. M. W. Stanley, who played so well to win the Christchurch stroke-play championship on Thursday, was well beaten by Scott, 3 and 2. Stanley’s driving and putting were not up to his usual high staiyjard. # W. McGavock, who played well on Friday to beat the Otago player and last year’s titlewinner, R. D. Kearns, could not match Charles in the other semifinal. McGavock’s putting was weak, and he lost the match at the thirteenth, 7 and 5. At the thirteenth Charles missed a hole-in-one by sin. Results were:—

Christchurch Amateur Match Championship.—Semi-finals: R. J. Charles beat W. McGavock. 7 and 5; J. G. Scott beat M. W. Stanley, 3 and 2. Final: Charles beat Scott, 6 and 4. Shirley Senior Match Handicap.— Semi-finalß. J. Osburn beat G. A. Mcßeath, 2 up; R. B. Townsend beat J. H. Scott, 2 up. Final: Osburn beat Townsend at the twentieth. Christmas Plate.—Semi-finals: W. A. Christian beat A. M. Leslie. 3 up; K. D. Foxton beat F. R. Marshall at the nineteenth. Final: Christian beat Foxton, 1 up. Junior Match Handicap.—Semifinals: L. J. Roy beat G. R. Day, 2 up; A. F, Ross beat P. Meier, 4 and 3. Final: Roy beat Ross, 3 and 1. Bqgey Handicap.—M. R. Blank, 1 up; J. V. Rossi, 1 down; W. J.Humphries and C. N. EUem. 3 dovzn. Four-btll Bogey.—P. H. Wood and P. Hall, 4 up; P. G. Edgen and N. A. Rountree; M. A* Johnston and R. S. Beadel, 3 up; J. H. Scott and J. Richards, 2 up. Greensome Bogey.—C. J. Ward and L. S. Jewell, A. J. McGillivray and A. Mcßeath, A. E. Benzie and A. J. Campbell, 4\up. Stableford.—A. F. Ross, 27 points; C. N. Ellem, 21.