Golf BRITISH OPEN

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28630, 5 July 1958, Page 4

Golf BRITISH OPEN

I Rain For Last Rounds ’ (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) t (Rec. 8 p.m.) LYTHAM (Lancashire), July 4. > An overnight promise of at { least a few hours' sunshine for j the final two rounds of the British open golf was washed out before 8 a.m. today by heavy rain over the Royal Lytham course. Today, the finalists will complete their sixth round in five days of murky weather. Although he is three strokes behind the leader, Peter Thomson, of Australia, is favoured to win the title. The galleries have been affected by the poor weather, and the paying gallery yesterday was only 3100. This morning, when Bobby Locke, the title-holder, and Gene Sarazen. of the United States. - were teeing off for the final . rounds, only about 50 persons . were waiting at the first green f to watch them. Christy O’Connor went into the » half-way lead in the open golf L championship with a secondround 68 yesterday. His splendid 36 holes total of . 135 strokes gained him a single stroke advantage over the Argenj tine champion, Leopoida Ruiz, who produced the day’s major ’ surprise. Ruiz equalled two ? championship scoring records on his way to a 65 and 136 total. Bob Charles, of New Zealand, • was not among the 40 qualifiers c foi the final.

Charles took six at the seventh, where he three-putted to put him three over fours.

He reached the turn in 39, and on the way home had difficulty in securing par figures, and finished weakly with fives at the seventeenth and eighteenth.