GOLF Rosebowl Players Lose In Shirley Tournament

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28554, 7 April 1958, Page 12

GOLF Rosebowl Players Lose In Shirley Tournament

Four members of Canterbury’s winning Freyberg Rosebowl team last year were- beaten in the opening rounds of match play yesterday in the Christchurch Club’s Easter tournament at Shirley. The tournament is regarded as an important one for candidates for selection in this year’s team.

The general standard of performance was perhaps a little higher than it has been in recent years. A group of very young players added interest to the event; only one has survived for the semi-finals today, but the possibilities of the others were transparent. The course played well, after the heavy rain on Friday morning. For the first time in many weeks, it was possible to pitch up to the pin with confidence, and until Yesterday afternoon there was only sufficient breeze to send the autumn leaves drifting soberly down. The winner of the stroke championship was the Christchurch Club captain, C. J. Ward, whose form so far must have been an embarrassment to himself, as he is a Canterbury selector. In both rounds of the stroke play, and in both his matches, he played with much of his old skill, all his former steadiness. His aggregate of 147 in the stroke play was three over scratch, but his homeward half of 35 in the afternoon, one under scratch, was touched with brilliance. *• Soundness K. D. Foxton was soundness itself with his two rounds of 74. and a determined at the last hole to get a birdie narrowly failed. R. K. Atkinson, B. L. Clegg and R. E. Clements also had fine second rounds, but had lost all chance in the morning. In the match play which began yesterday morning. Ward established a quick and commanding lead against R J. Ramsay, who committed ail sorts of indiscretions, most of them with nis putter. Ward went on phlegmatically, dropping an occasional stroke, and although Ramsay had a birdie at the 354-yard seventh, Ward won the tenth with a magnificent brassie shot which led to a birdie, and he was then three up. He also won the twelfth, and although he lost the next two when he was bunkered, he still had the game well in hand, and won at the sixteenth. J. G. Scott, the Christchurch club champion, was opposed by the diminutive R. Smith, of Templeton, a lad not yet 16, but one who should make his mark before long. He played some superb shot* off the tee and fairway, but spoiled his performance by hurried putting. He tossed strokes away on the greens in handfuls. At the Christmas tournament Smith had led Scott five up with five to play, only to lose on the nineteenth, and some similar sort of battle was indicated when he won two of the first three holes yesterday. But then his putting lapses came thick and fast, and although Scott was not playing at all convincingly, he was able to take the lead by the turn. Coming home the golf was of much higher quality. The 453yard tenth was halved in birdie 4’s, Scott sank a long putt for a birdie at the short thirteenth, and when he holed out of a bunker at the fifteenth for another birdie 2, Smith sank a putt of fully 30 feet for the half. Seott was two under for the half when the match ended. First Upset A. Browne, a 17-year-old from Ashburton, caused the first upset by beating M. W. Stanley, one of the Canterbury team last year. Browne saw a lot of Shirley during his matches yesterday, but his powers of recovery were often quite remarkable. Stanley’s game was untidy, but he was unlucky with the number of putts which obstinately refused to drop. A. I Charles, a left-hander, as is his distinguished son. did not score as well as D. M. Robertson, of Timaru, but he dropped the vital putts. The match of the day wes .the meeting of another Canterburv player, Clements, with A. W. Robinson. For a while. Clements was at his most wilful, spraying his tee shots with prodigal abandon, and Robinson, plaving with a measured skill, was three up after four holes. Clements soon had two of them back, and from the eighth it was a tremendous battle. The eighth is a scratch-five hole o' 434 yards, but a brassie and eight-iron were sufficient to put Clements, who sometimes seems to be playing in seven league boots, about two feet from the pin. Robinson was at the back of the green for 3. but sank a long and difficult putt: Clements missed the putt and a decisive opportunity, the hole being halved in birdies. Robinson put down another long one at the rfiort ninth for a birdie, to turn two up. in scratch figures At the 453-yard tenth, Robinson holed a putt of eight feet for a birdie, but Clements chipped in for an eagle. By this time. Robinson had lost a little of his accuracy, but even from bunkers it was only two shots explosion and a putt. He eleventh with one putt, and although he lost the fourteenth to a scratch 4. he had another birdie at the 550-yard sixteenth when he dropped a putt of 15 feet. A half at the seventeenth ended the match; Clements’s succession of four wins in this event had been broken. But to do it Robinson had eight oneputt greens in the 10 holes from the eighth to the seventeenth After 17 holes he was one under scratch. Clements one over. Foxton Wins Foxton again played beautifullv to beat the 19-year-old R. Wakefield, who notwithstanding his small stature. was the longest hitter ip the field. His tee shots were often of terrific length, but his seconds to the green let him down quite often, and were far below the rest of his game. Foxton did everything well quietly and methodically, and although he dropped a stroke eo’ng out, he had two birdies coming back and was one under at the sixteenth, where the game finished. Atkinson, who is 21. and Clegg. 19, had a fine match. Clegg started brilliantly, with birdies at the third and fourth, effected with putts of about 15 feet. He was out in scratch 36. and was then three up. Clegg has tightened up his game considerably in the last year, and his easy style suggests he will go further yet. But Atkinson, not now so stiff In showed great powers of recovery. He won the first three holes after the turn, saved the fourwith the most delicate of

chips, and took the seventeenth with a birdie, to be one up. At the last hole he hit a drive of mathematical precision, but Clegg went out to the rough on the right. From there Clegg played a magnificent shot, dropping over the bunker, clearing the intervening hillocks, and finishing less than three feet from the pin. But the putt for the birdie, which would have kept the match alive, went astray. Atkinson was three over, with scratch figures home. Ward and Scott There were some exciting moments in Ward’s match with Scott. Ward was the steadier, Scott lacking accuracy with some seconds, and he might well have won a little sooner. At the 170-yard third Ward hit the near-pertect tee shot, finishing three feet behind the pin, and he had his two. But Scott was out of bounds at the fourth, and after playing another off the tee, he hit his fourth clear across the fence. Later it was discovered that the ball had somehow bounced back in bounds, and this intelligence must have surprised Ward, who had played a succession of shots based on safety rather than the spectacular. So Scott, with a fine approach and one putt, achieved a half in sixes. Ward was still one up at the turn, although Scott was resisting strongly, and the match was squared at the tenth. Scott saved himself at the thirteenth with a fine explosion shot, and they stayed square until Ward ran down a putt of 17 feet for a birdie at the fifteenth. Scott got another rather unexpected half at the sixteenth, where he shanked his third and was short with his fourth, but Ward surprisingly missed a putt of 18 inches. Ward was one up playing the last, and there he calmly sank a putt of 35 feet for another birdie and the -match. Browne again played some very spectacular shots in beating Charles', who was very steady to the greens, but there lost strokes repeatedly. Robinson, playing James, lost his putting touch for a time, and when .James had a fine birdie at the long fourth, Robinson was two down. Then James twice three-putted, and they both sank long putts for birdies at the seventh. Robinson had another at the eighth, and turned two up, in scratch figures. From there, Robinson held his lead tenaciously.' Surprising Result Perhaps the most surprising result was the defeat of Foxton by Atkinson, who played exceptionally well, whereas Foxton played some loose seconds and did not putt with his usual accuracy. Although at the eighth Atkinson missed a very short putt for an eagle, and although at the ninth hie ball sat on the lip and deprived him of a birdie, be was out in 35, one under scratch—the reward for accurate drives of good length, straight seconds and very sound play about the greens. He won four successive holes to be four up at the turn* held Foxton to a half in birdies at the tenth, and although he lost two holes, he had a decisive win at the 440-yard fourteenth where Foxton’s drive left him a difficult line to the green, and his second was bunkered. Atkinson had scratch figures for the 18 holes played. Results were:— Senior Stroke Championship C. J. Ward, 74. 73—147; K. D. Foxton, 74. 74—148; J. G. Scott .73. 78—151; I. J. Campbell, 75, 76—151; D. M. Robertson, 76, 75, 151; B. L. Clegg, 80, 74—154; M. W. Stanley. 75. 80—155; R. E. Clements. 82 74 158; R. J. Ramsay, 80. 76—156; R. Wakefield, 77, 79—156; A. I. Charles. 80, 77—157; L. J. James, 79, 78—157; R. Smith. 77, 80—157; R. K. Atkinson. 86 74—160; A. Browne, 81. 79—160: A W. Robinson, 80. 80—160. Match Play First round: Ward beat Ramsay, 3 and 2, Scott beat Smith 2 and 1, Browne beat Stanley 3 and 2, Charles beat Robertson 1 up, James beat cEESE* rss Cleg* I iip. ratton beat Wakefield 4 and, 2. Second round: .Ward beat Scott 2 up, Browne beat Charles 3 and 2. Robinson bear James 2 and 1. Atkinson beat Foxton 4 and 2. Easter Plate stSST 5e a 2“LiS‘ son at the twentieth, Clements beat Campbell 2 and li Clegg beat Wakefield 3 and 2- • ' ‘ Senior Match Handicap First round: A. L. Smith beat H. M. Elliott 4 and 3. B. J. Osborn beat A B. Boot 5 and 4, G. W. Riley beat J. W. McLean 2 and 1, A. E. Benzie beat G. P. Vesty 1 up, A. McGillivray beat L. H. Marshall 3 and 2. J. H. Scott beat J. B. Prendergast by default, D. C. Watson beat W. W. Clayton 6 and 5, D. F. Williamson beat J. D. Bull 1 up Second round: Osborn beat Smith 4 and 2, Benzie beat Riley 7 and 6, Scott beat McGillivray 3 and 2, Williamson beat Watson 6 and 5. Intermediate Stroke M. K. Rodgers, 165, 20—145; K. D. Watt, 173, 26—147; M. F. Hobbs, 172, 24—148: L. H. Sinclair, 171, 22-149: R. Townsend, 166, 18—150; D. Clark, 167, 16—151; R. Faulls, 179, 24—155; D. R. Pitman, 182, £6— 156; C. W. Jenkin. 177, 18—159; K. V. Atkinson, 186, 26—160; B. V. Glubb, 176, 16-160; R. E. Alexander, 180, 20—160; F. D. Eskrick, 182, 20—162; D. H. Cummack, 184, 16—168; R. M. Ryburn, 191, 20— 171; J. A. Ellerm, 197, 24—173. Intermediate Match Handicap First Round.—C. W. Jenkin beat M. K. Rodgers, 6 and 5; R. Townsend beat F. D. Eskrick, 1 up; R. Faulls beat R. M. Ryburn, 4 and 3: M. F. Hobbs beat B. V. Glubb, at the nineteenth; L. H. Sinclair beat R. E. Alexander, 2 up; D. R. Pitman beat J. A. Ellerm by default; D. Clark beat D. H. Cummack, 3 and 2; K. D. Watt beat K. V. Atkinson, 2 and 1. Second round: Townsend beat Jenkin, 5 and 4: Faulls beat Hobbs, 2 up;: Sinclair beat Pitman, 1 up; Wall beat Clark, 5 and 4. Junior Stroke " u - G. E. Dickey, 176, 36—140; P. Meier. 174. 32—142; H. C. Smith, 192, 48—144; I. Young, 192, 48—144; L. A. Sinclair, 183, 38—145; G. Ci Spencer, 176, 30—146: S. J. Walsh, 178, 32 146; L. S Jewell, 177, 28—149; G. R. Day, 178. 28—150; W. I. Tucker, 188, 36—152:M. G. Summers. 183, 28—155: B. Williams, 'B5, 30—155; R. A. Roberton, 186, 28—158; N. C. Williams. 188, 30—158; R. C. Day. 194. 36—158; H. M. Minson. 196. 32—164. Junior Match Handicap First round: G. R. Day beat G. E. Dickey. 4 and 2; L. A. Sinclair beat R. A, Roberton, 3 and 2; S. J. Walsh beat R. C. Day, 6 and 5; M. G. Summers beat H. C. Smith at the twentieth; J. Young beat B. Williams, 4 and 3; L. S. Jewell beat H. M. Minson by default; G. C. Spencer beat N. C. Williams, 3 and 2; W I. Tucker beat P. Meier, 5 and 3. Second round: Sinclair beat Day. 3 and 2; Walsh beat Summers, 5 and 4; Jewell beat Young; Tucker beat Spencer, 7 and 5. Stroke Handicaps Senior.—Morning: L J. Campbell, 75, 4—71; J. G. Scott, 73, 1—72; A. E. Benzie, 79. 6—73; A. B. 8001. 79. 6 73; R. Wakefield, 77. 4—73; C. J. Ward, 74, 1—73 Afternoon: I. J. Campbell, 76. 4—72; C. J. Ward. 73. 1—72; R. K. Atkinson, 74, 1—73; B. L. Clegg. 74, 1—73. Intermediate.—Morning: R. Smith, 77, 7—70; M. F. Hobbs, 83, 12—71; R. H. Faulls, 86. 12—74; L. H. Sinclair, 85, 11—74. Afternoon: M. K. Rodgers, 79. 10—69; W. W. Clayton, 7g, 7—71. Junior.—Morning: P. Meier, 84, 16 —6B; G. E. Dickey, 86, 18—68; G. C. Spencer. 84. 15—69; I. Young, 93, 24 —69. Afternoon: H. C. Smith, 96, 24 —72. Sams Cup (for left-handers).—M. K. Rodgers. 165, 20—145. Easter handicap: G. E. Dickey, 176, 36—140; P. Meier. 174, 32—142. SUbleford.—H. V. Rossi, 35 points; R. A. Wilkinson. 33. Four-ball Bogey.—l. Young and B. Williams, 3 up;. F. S. Taylor and P. H. Wood. 2 up; N. E. Shaw and W. C. Strang. 2 up.