GOLF Thomson Wins £1000 Sponsored Tournament

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29077, 14 December 1959, Page 25

GOLF Thomson Wins £1000 Sponsored Tournament

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, December 13.

The Australian professional golfer, P. W. Thomson, had little difficulty in breaking his own record for 72 holes of the Paraparaumu beach course to take first money in the £lOOO sponsored tournament which concluded on Saturday afternoon.

Thomson yesterday carded a five undef par 68 and a 71 for a four round total of 278.

Five strokes away on Thomson’s old record mark was A. Miguel, of Spain, who had rounds on Saturday of 73 and 68.

Thomson started the fourth round with a commanding eight stroke lead and although Miguel played dashing golf the leeway was too great.

The young Australian professional, R. Tuohy, was third, and K. D. G. Nagle, the other Australian in the field, was four strokes behind him, on 292, in fourth place. As Tuohy is still an apprentice to the Professional Golfers’ Association he could collect no prize money and the prize money for third went to Nagle, and the fourth prize to the first New Zealand professional in the field, E. • A. Southerden, who finished with 299. The top amateur was J. Stern, also on 299. Stern, who plays at Paraparaumu, was one of only three in the field to improve his round each time. His card read 79, 77, 73, 70. Stern impressed as a golfer in form. His 70 in the final round was the best by a New Zealander. The other improvers were Nagle and the former New Zealand cricketer, I. B. Cromb. Thomson and Miguel on Saturday afternoon attracted about 2000 spectators. Although the result was almost a foregone conclusion after Thomson returned his 68 over the morning round, there was still an element of tension in the golf. If Miguel had not missed putts by small margins it is likely that he could have set a new record for the course. The course round is 65 returned by the South African professional, G. Player. Almost throughout Miguel out-

drove Thomson, sometimes by as much as 30 yards, but he could not match the Australian’s iron play for steadiness. A couple of times Miguel played beautiful irons—his No. 2 to the 18th green on the second day will be remembered as the shot of the tournament—but in this department Thomson was a true champion. Thomson’s finest shot of the three days was a chip from a gully below the fifth green in the third round. He had a fair lie, but from his position at the foot of the gully all that' could be seen was the top of the flag at the hole. Nevertheless, the ball finished only two inches away from the pin. Thomson’s putting was more accurate than Miguel’s although luck seemed to be with the Australian and against the little Spaniard. One of the highlights of Saturday’s play was A. E. Guy’s hole-in-one at the short fourteenth. He holed in one at the same hole during the national championship meeting two months ago. It was his fourth one-str.oke hole in his career. Nagle, who went round with Tuohy for the two final rounds, was unlucky during the .tournament, although his three under par 70 on Saturday afternoon included flashes of the player who pushed Thomson so hard in the New Zealand Open in October.

At the prize-giving ceremony, Nagle paid a tribute to Thomson’s play. “Over the last six weeks or so, Peter has been hitting the ball much better than I have ever seen any other golfer do it,’’ he said.

Both he and Thomson congratulated the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club on the condition of the course. “It is certainly the best in this part of the world and is a course New Zealand should be proud of,” said Thomson.

In the following results an asterisk denotes a professional:— 278: *P. W. Thomson (Australia), 72, 67, 68, 71. - 283: *A. Miguel (Spain), 75, 67. 73, 68. , 74 2M: *R. Mr < Austr “i“». 75, 74, 73, 70. ‘W 299: *E. A. Southerden, 75, 78. 73, 75; J. Stem, 79. 77, 73. 70. 300: B. M. Silk, 78, 73, 76, 73. 303: »F. X. Buckler, 74, 77, 76, 76: •M. Busk, 76, W, 75, 75. 304: T. M. Stout, 78, 74, 77, 75; J. D. Durry, 79, 73, 78, 74: *J. Kelly, 80, 72, 76, 76; J. E. Meikle, 78, 80, *E. J. McDougall, 82, 74, 78, 73; P. Creighton, 76, 76, 76, 77; »E. Fennell 75. 78, 73, 79; W. J. Godfrey, 79. 75, 74, 77. 308: *A. E. Guy, 78, 78, 79, 75; W. G. Horne. 81. 75, 77, 75. 310: A. R. Tims, 75. 80, 75, 80; F. T. Gordon. 82, 73, 79. 76. 311: D. Scalfe, 83. 77, 75. 76. .RnS^n^VV’ 815 313: E. Gray, 81, 77. 76, 79; »G. Hudson. 80, 78, 76, Tt. 314: P. A. Maude, 79. 78, 82. 75: G. Cunningham, 80, 76, 84, 74; J. Logan, 84, 75, 77, 78. 316: J.-B. Williams, 79, 79. 76, 82. 317: J. Scott. 84, 76, 79, 78; P. Lewis, 84, 78, 78, 75. 318: T. A Harrison, 78, 77, 81, 82; J. M. Dorreen, 83, 83, 76, 76. 319: A. R. Taylor, 80, 81. 81, 77; K. J. S. Smith. 81, 82. 78, 78; *T. A. Davidson. 76, 81, 81, 81. 321: »P. Tuohy, 81, 81, 80, 81. 322: I. B. Cromb, 82, 81, 80, 79; I. A. Ewen, 79, 76, 82. 85. 324: O. R. Higgins, 83, 83, 79, 79. 325: P. K. Heginbotham, 82. 80, 82. 81; J. A. Haro, 88. 77, 81. 79. 326: *J. Watt. 78, 84. 82. 82. 328: R. Jenkins, 87, 81. 78. 82; J. E. Nicolaus. 82. 80. 82. 84. 332: B. Crutcher, 84, 80, 77, 91; D. J. Gaudin, 80. 82, 82. 88. 333: *l. Arundel. 87. 79. 82, 84; R. Montgomery, 77, 88. 85, 83. 336: A. A. White, 86, 85. 83. 82. 339: C. J. Cook, 88, 83, 78, 90. 341: R. Dailey, 82, 89. 90, 80.' N. H. Fuller, 91, 79, withdrew after two rounds.