GOLF Thomson Almost Certain To Win National Open

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29366, 19 November 1960, Page 7

GOLF Thomson Almost Certain To Win National Open

(From Our Own Reporter) INVERCARGILL, November 18. It now seems to be merely a matter of who will come second to P. W. Thomson in the New Zealand open golf championship being played at Otatara. Today the brilliant Australian professional was in occasional difficulties, and when he was one over scratch at the turn, there were prospects of some close competition tomorrow; but he reeled off four successive birdies, came home in 31, equalled his new course record of 68, and had a lead of seven strokes at the half-way mark, and that seems to be that. The young Auckland amateur, R. R. Newdick, shares second place with K. D. G. Nagle, the Australian professional and British open title-holder, and C. W. Caldwell, of Christchurch, again played extremely well to share fourth place with M. J. Rusk, a professional from the Manawatu. ,

It was a magnificent day today—blazing sunshine and no wind.

Otatara is in her. most glamorous garb, but she is a wanton wench. The lush green fairways, the bright splashes of manuka, the highly polished appearance of the whole course have charmed visitors from the north. But a careless moment can produce heavy penalties, particularly on the greens, which demand the lightest touch with the putter. So the scoring, always excepting Thomson’s, was not spectacular.

The distinction of equalling the scratch score went to three prominent amateurs—J. D. Durry (Wellington), W. J. Godfrey (Auckland) and R. C. Murray (Christchurch). And Murray’s was probably the day’s most genuine hard-luck story. Tomorrow the top 50 players will contest the final two rounds, and on Monday the 32 top amateurs—those with scores of 157 or better—will begin the matchplay.

If it is using a tattered phrase to suggest that Thomson’s putter today was red-hot, it is very nearly accurate. Dissatisfied with his putting yesterday, Thomson altered the face angle of his putter last evening and it worked, wonders.

His was a strange round today. After an easily-contrived birdie at the first hole, he had something of a struggle for his

figures until the turn. A bunker at the third, a chip and two putts at the short sixth cost him shots and his 37 out looked quite moderate.

Then the putter began to work like a charm. He had a fivefooter for his birdie at the tenth, a 15-footer at the next, a 13ft putt at the twelfth, and one of lift at the thirteenth—all birdies and in a matter of minutes he had gone from one over to three under. At the next two holes he just failed with his birdie putts and a 67 seemed very likely. But at the seventeenth his iron second left him a long putt, and he was about 18 inches short. Somehow he failed to hole the little one. But he made amends at the last hole, where he sank an enormous putt for his fifth birdie of the half—home in 31, and very much master of the situation.

Nagle Below Form Nagle looked as confident as ever, but he was distinctly below his Wednesday form. He has an odd 'habit of addressing the ball by putting the club head level with, but inside, the ball, then thrusting it forward into the normal position and up in the swing, all in one movement. His woods were sound enough, but his irons did not present him with his usual quota of birdie chances, and his putting was merely human today. Indeed, he three-putted the third and was not able to recover the stroke. Newdick had a very good chance of being a clear second, for after some misdemeanours going out, he had two birdies straight after the turn and was still scratch playing the last hole. There he hooked his drive savagely into some heavy flax and was lucky to find the ball at all: the hole cost him 6. two over scratch. But he is hitting the ball beautifully, and he should have an excellent chance in the matchplay. Busk again played his irons almost perfectly, and it was only at the end of the round that he slipped a stroke or two. Caldwell, with his 73. is the second amateur so far. He dropped one stroke on each half. Today the figures did not come quite as easily as they did yesterday. He had to recover from a few drives which left the fairways. but his putting was extremely reliable. Durry played in company with Nagle, and led him all the way, bis birdie at the fifth, the product of a perfectly-pitched approach, put him one under and he stayed there until well into the second half E. A. Southerden slipped back a little wish his 74.

Murray's Impressive Start Murray, playing with Thomson was impressive indeed. He kept hitting long straight drives and finding the greens wrth his: seconds. Thomson is not short off the tees by any means, but Murray very often left him 20 yams or more behind. . Murray put himself to rights by holing a putt of fully at the 201-yard, sixth, for a birdie. Then at the «5-yard eighth he was pin high for 2 and duly had his birdie. That put him two

under, and three shots better than Thomson. After that, nothing went right for him. At the tenth, from seven or eight feet he missed his birdie by a whisker, at the next, he failed to hole one of 18 inches, and dropped a stroke. Birdies eluded him by irritating margins at the next two holes. At the long fourteenth, perhaps the hardest hole on the course, he miss-hit his second, his only really bad shot of the round, and that brought him back to scratch. At the-short fifteenth he had his only piece of fortune, which at that time was fairly beaming on Thomson. From a bunker he blew out too strongly, but the ball pitched hard against the cup and the bottom of the flag and stayed only three inches away. Then he had three final holes at which the birdie putt somehow evaded the cup. A scratch 71 was good—but Murray could not clutch more than the hem of the gown of greatness. But Murray is a stout hearted golfer, and the putts must begin to go in for him soon. Charles’s Tragic Round R. J. Charles had a tragic round. He was one under after eight but his drive at the ninth hit a hedge and was lost. Yet he dropped only one stroke, for his fourth finished a foot from the pin. He went to one under again at tjfie eleventh, but twoputted the next, three-putted the thirteenth, caught the ditch at the fourteenth and had an ugly 7, and was out of bounds again at the sixteenth. Five penalty strokes, and plenty of putts, in his 78. I. S. Harvey redeemed himself with his 73, and his putting was beautifully relaxed. He remains one of the best irons players at the tournament. G. P. Vesty (Tirnaru) also turned in a 74, although he d-d not have a bogey at any of the three short holes. In the following list of qualifiers for the final two rounds of the open tomorrow, an asterisk denotes a

136—*P. W. Thomson (Victoria), 68. 143—*K. D. G. Nagle (New South Wales), 71, 72; R. R. Newdick (North Shore), 70, 73. 145—*M. J. Busk (Manawatu), 71, 74; C W. Caldwell (Christchurch), 72, 73.

146 J. D. Durry (Shandon). 75, 71; •E. A. Southerden (Napier). 72, 74. 147 R. C. Murray (Russley). 76. 71. - 148— W. W. Smith (Titirangi). 74, 74.

149 P. K. Creighton (Paraparaumu Beach), 73. 76; J Stem (Manawatu), 76, 73. 150— W. J. Godfrey (Titirangi), 79, 71; T. J. Jeffrey (New Plymouth), 75, 75; *R. J. Charles (Christchurch), 72. 78; I. S. Harvey (Tirnaru), 77. 73; I. D. Woodbury (Hutt), 74. 76. 151— *J Watt (Wellington). 75, 76; S. G. Jones (Hastings). 74, 77; F. X. Buckler (Lochiel). 78, 73; H. R. Carver (Wanganui), 74, 77; G P Vesty (Tirnaru), 74, 74. 152 *J. Kelly (Remuera), 79, 73; H. D. Kearns (Otago). 74. 78; A. R. Timms (St. Clair). 78, 74. 153 K. D. Foxton (Russley), 77, 76; H. W. Hattersley (New South Wales), 80. 73; -I. Arundel (Masterton), 79, M. Silk (Wanganui), 77, 77; P. K. Heginbotham (Paraparaumu Beach), 70 75. iSS—G J Williamson (Queen’s Park). 77, 78; G. C. Halligan (Invercargill), 77, 78; B. T Bovs (Hamilton) 75, 80; L. J. Stephens (Invercargill), 79.’76. =«Pnens „ IS ®U D . L - Woon (Hamilton), 78, am n‘ w ’aPV (C hristchurch). 76, 7?’ 7?’ a W ’-t-(Quel's Park), ,?■ 7 ?>) A A Skelt (Invercargill), 80, 76 -_ W. Cochrane (Ohai), 79, 77. 157—-J. E. Nicolaus (Paraparaumu »ea^) M: 80 D -77 S^ e H <P feS <«?)’: '• «■ wife; so ( F ew „ South Park)’ M <Q Ue «n’s . M - Stout (Mira- -- A- Walker (Gore) (St - Clair), 84 74 • J. R. Ho worth (Otago) 79 79- r r>’ Means (Hawera). 78 80. ’ ’ P gI IS9 A R - Kitto (Wanganui). 78, who failed to qualify

KiU?’7B D 'm- S i I^«L^ nna ? dnvercartobi. ’t? 1 ' J*’ Davidson (Otago), 78. 81; D. J. Ryan (Hamilton)? 83: 80-**!i o’ Black (Miramar). 80. 82 : a’ w n rC S ne (Ashburton) 78, 80 m'- Rob t lns °'’ (Christchurch) TO- r’ 1?’ £Clair), 81 S’ Tustin (Hutt). 78. 82; -R C G (Titirangi), 81, 79; c. G. Gray (Invercargill). 82. 78- R A - Smith (Gore), 82, 78. ’ K ’ t c 5“ CIe 8" (Waltikiri), 75 86J. S. Lindsay (Invercargill) 82 79Grefv 80 • E. J Greay (Wyndham). 79. 82- B Adamson (Otago). 81. 80; G C Sts' ® ( M re) ’ 87: 74: * railmil Beach) W ’ G (P ’ ra P*s“? Ut M ) ’ ■^’’ 8 S : ’ < J ’ £°r d ?NeT (Christchurch), 83. 79- J gan (Gore), 80. 82. Oomi ~ Bea“h). M. 78i Sa ß. P vS^lTit? 1 rangi). 77. 86; P. d. Stretteil Hn' ?9 B °= W ’ Kit ‘° p -1 #E: q’ rSf™®? 1 (Roxburgh), 85, 79—(Queen’s Park) R*? 81 jJw Can J /ChrStJTJrch), w'(Otautau), 80, 85(Otautau), 83, 82. i* (Russley) 80 87* C. R g 83 R - m J T (Christchurch), 87- r ’ a i McNally (Waltikiri), 81, 52* L*- A. .Watson (Christchurch), 86, g7 l ®: L- W. Ewen (Lochiel), 82, ch l U mh) D -84. P -86 WiniaInSOn (Chllst--17- R r- J ’ Adams (Patea), 80 91. Otago). M. ?7 Sutherland (North I. j. Campbell (Waltikiri), 87.

N ® w t° n (Hutt), 85. 90. ■Hie OT?nrt^ il T y ,, fWaiU *i ri) - 80 the ars.Vj D R F °^ a »

Paraparaumu Beach, 304 (J. Stem 73, P. K. Creighton 76. D. Scaife 77, J. Logan 78). 2: St. Clair. 309 (A. R. Timms 74. O. Ford 74, R. F. Jones 79, C. R. Colquhoun 82), 3; Titirangi. 310 (W. J. Godfrey 71 W. Smith 74. R. Hay McKenzie 79, B. P. Vezich 86), 4. rj