GOLF CHRISTCHURCH A LOSES CUP GAME TO KAIAPOI

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28975, 17 August 1959, Page 6

GOLF CHRISTCHURCH A LOSES CUP GAME TO KAIAPOI

Waitikiri became assured of winning the Woodward Cup for the 1959 season when, at Rangiora yesterday, Kaiapoi provided the major npset of the inter-club competition by beating Christchurch A by 41 games to 31. At the end of the last round Waitikiri held a one-point lead over Christchurch A. Waitikiri was to have played Russley B in the final match on September 6, but since it now- holds an unassailable lead this match may not be played.

Christchurch A began the match on a high note and with only three pairs to come home, led by 31 games to IJ. The lowest ranked Christchurch players, however, all lost their games—all finishing on the last green. The feature of the match was the precision golf of R. J. Charles, who as well as trouncing Kaiapoi’s top player, M. W. Stanley. 7 and 6, completed the course in 67—five under scratch. He was hardly off the line throughout his round and his long hitting and pitching delighted quite a large gallery of North Canterbury. enthusiasts. He scored birdies on five holes and recorded scratch figures for the remaining 13. Out in 35 this could have been lower had his putting in the first half been of his usual high standard—he came home in 32. Putting Neither Charles nor Stanley was particularly confident on the greens on the outward half, and it was Stanley’s putting that cost him the match. On the outward half he three-putted on four greens and 22 of his 40 strokes in this half were in putts. Charles two-putted on seven of the first nine holes and some of his first putts were not particularly difficult ones. Both improved on the inward half, Stanley meeting with his greatest success after the match was finished at the twelfth green. He took two putts on each of the first three holes in this half, then, with the pressure off, regained his confidence on the greens and required only eight putts tor the remaining six holes. These helped to give him an mward half of one under scratch 36. Charles, after taking 16 putts in the first half, took 14 on the inward half He had three one-putt greens which brought him birdies Stanley had every right to feel discouraged with his putting for he had a tremendous amount of bad luck. Ofter the ball lipped the cup, 2P tbe lip or bounced over the cup. The rest of his play was of a high order At the 445-yard second he putted for an eagle, missed narrowly and after another two putts

had to be content with a scratch 5 to Charles’s birdie 4 after a 10ft putt. At the turn, Charles was 5 up. Stanley had a good chance of winning one of these back at the tenth, but again his tong putt just lipped the cup A duffed fairway wood and a sliced pitch prevented Stanley recovering a hole at the eleventh, and Charles, on in two, secured his second birdie at this hole. Charles had another birdie at the twelfth and Stanley’s putt to halve the hole died on the lip. Charles appeared to be playing well withm himself. He consistently hit long drives from the tees, but every now and then hit a tremendously tong drive. On the outward half, at the 415-yard seventh, he used a wood off the fairway for his second and was just through the green. Coming home he was well on at the same hole with a sixiron second The hole of his round was the eighteenth, a tricky dogleg to the right. Taking plenty of fairway he nit another long drive and followed this with a wood which took his ball well over boundaryline trees and within comfortable chipping distance of the green. A good chip and a 22ft putt, gave him his last birdie. Caldwell Too Steady

Although one-down at the turn, C. W. Caldwell could not be shaken from his beautifully steady golf and he beat I. B. Cromb, 3 and 2. Cromb won the first hole and Caldwell the second, but Cromb took a two-hole lead when he won the fifth and seventh—the last with a birdie three. A seven oy Cromb at the ninth, however, gave Caldwell the hole. Although hitting a longer ball than Caldwell throughout their match, Cromb was often inaccurate with his tee snots and his fairway woods, and in tne second half, while Caldwell continued to hit his ball straight down the middle. Cromb could not settle down.

Caldwell squared the match at the tenth, won the eleventh with a scratch 5, and the twelfth with a birdie 3. to be two-up. A long putt gave Caldwell a birdie at the thirteenth, and he appeared certain of winning the hole, but Cromb calmly sank a 15-footer to halve. Cromb won the next, but when Cromb duffed his second at the fifteenth, and Calawell chipped to within six inches of the pin at the sixteenth, both holes and tne match went to Caldwell.

R. J. Charles beat M. W. Stanley. 7 and 6; C. W. Caldwell beat I. B. Cromb, 3 and 2; J G. Scott halved with H. J. Gosset; C. J. Ward lost to A F. Green, 3 and 2; M. R. Blank beat R. G Rainey, 2 up; I. J. Campbell lost to L. Morris. 2 down; B. W. Cleland lost to T. Monk, 1 down; J A Mackay lost to J. Monk, 1 down

The teams points P. W. H are Pts. Comp. L F. A. Pts. Waitikiri .. 5 5 0 0 304 94 5 Chch A .. 6 4 0 2 32 16 4 Kaiapoi 5 3 0 2 17 23 3 Russ. A 5 2 1 2 241 154 24 Russ. B 5 2 1 2 18 22 24 Chch. B .. 5 10 4 13 27 1 Avondale 5 0 0 5 9 31 0 Results:—