GOLF CHARLES AND MURRAY FOR AUCKLAND MATCH

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29237, 22 June 1960, Page 17

GOLF CHARLES AND MURRAY FOR AUCKLAND MATCH

The week-end of July 9 and 10 will be an interesting and important one for the New Zealand golf selectors for the team to compete in the world amateur championship at Philadelphia later in the year.

On July 9 and 10, Wellington will play a match against Hawke’s Bay, on a Hawke’s Bay course, and the top players are J« D. Durry, for Wellington, and S. G. Jones. Durry was a member of the last New Zealand team which played in the Commonwealth tournament at Johannesburg last year. Jones will be an automatic selection if he can satisfy the selectors that his recurring back injuries will not prejudice his chances of being in top form at Philadelphia. So the match will be of considerable importance to both these players. If Jones is not passed fit, the players most likely to make up the four-man team are R. J. Charles and R. C. Murray (Canterbury), R. R. Newdick and W. J. Godfrey (Auckland). These players took part in exhibition matches in Christchurch last week-end, and arrangements are now almost completed for a return match at Auckland, also on July 9 and 10. The match will again be a fourball, best-ball, but it is likely

this time to be played over 36 holes, instead of as two 18-hole games.

Negotiations for the match have been conducted by Mr A. W. Dennis, of Christchurch, and Mr L. W. Williamson, an official of the Titirangi club. Mr Williamson is Auckland’s sole selector. The Titirangi club is making itself responsible for the match arrangements; the Christchurch games were controlled by the Canterbury Provincial Golf Association. The Auckland games will be of especial importance to Murray, for his chances of selection were not improved by his play in the Freyberg Rosebowl tournament. Since then, however, he has won an open tournament at Russley from a field including Charles, he beat Charles in a Woodward Cup interclub game, and last week-end he had the best score on both days of the matches with Charles, Newdick and Godfrey. The Christchurch matches, watched by more than 3000 people, were an immense success, and golfers were appreciative of the efforts made by the Canterbury Golf Association, and particularly those of the secretary (Mr G. W. A. Green). No doubt Mr Williamson's enterprise and interest will be similarly rewarded at Titirangi.