GOLF R. E. Clements Takes Fifth Easter Title

Press, Volume C, Issue 29479, 4 April 1961, Page 17

GOLF R. E. Clements Takes Fifth Easter Title

The brand of golf that brought R. E. Clements into prominence several years ago was reproduced by the accomplished Waitikiri Club amateur at Shirley yesterday when he won the Christchurch Golf Club’s Easter match play championship for the fifth time in eight years.

Clements overcame a strong challenge from B. A. Colquhoun (Russley)—conqueror of R. C. Murray the day before—to win the final 3 and 2.

Earlier in the day he had ended the championship ambitions of his capable young club mate, B. L. Clegg, by winning their semi-final encounter, 6 and 4. Colquhoun beat G. P. Vesty (Timaru), 2 and 1 in the other semifinal.

It was a day made for golf —brilliant sunshine, the faintest suggestion of a breeze and a course in splendid order. The conditions brought Clements’s game out tn full flower. He showed confidence, his touch was sure and his judgment was seldom found wanting. Off the tee he consistently gained length and accuracy. His approach work was good and he sank some difficult long putts although he missed some much shorter ones. Colquhoun’s strength yesterday was in his long iron shots. In both the final and in his game with Vesty, this part of the Russley man's game was working well. At times, however, his other shots did not conform to quite the same standard although his bold putting deserved better results. Record Enhanced Clements's success added to his unique record in the tournament. He won the stroke play championship in 1955 and unwound a powerful winning sequence in the match play championship in the years 1954-55-56-57. In the 1958 Anal he was five up with six holes to play—and lost. Colquhoun. too. had previously triumphed in this tournament. He beat a distinguished assemblage of R. J. Charles, R. C. Murray and C W. Caldwell to win in 1959. Colquhoun started the final strongly by winning the fourth hole with a birdie after the first three holes had been halved. From an awkward lie he played a delicate chip to within a few inches of the pin and took the lead when Clements failed with a putt from about five feet.

It was not long however, before Clements was again on equal terms. From a fighting half on the fifth he improved to a win on the sixth with an excellent putt from 15ft. Another good putt earned him a half at the seventh after his tee shot had landed in a fairway bunker but he missed a two and a half foot putt for a win at the next hole.

Both men were bunkered at the short ninth but Clements, after much the better recovery, holed a 12ft putt to be one up at the turn. The first two holes on the inward run were halved. Then Colquhoun pitched sweetly from the rough to within six feet of the pin to give him a strong chance to even the score. But the imperturable Clements did even better, he landed two feet from the pin and holed his putt to be two up. At the short thirteenth Clements placed his tee shot two and a half feet from the pin but his putt did not go down. Colquhoun, putting from the edge of the green, made a bold attempt to win back a hole but missed narrowly. Colquhoun in Trouble In trouble on the fourteenth. Colquhoun played a grand recovery shot from a grass bunker behind some trees and holed a 10ft putt to gain a half. But fresh trouble awaited him at the fifteenth. He hooked his drive and the ball struck a woman spectator on the ankle. Possibly disturbed by this, he underhit his chip, the ball dribbling only halfway up the rise to the green. He missed his putt for a four and Clements won to be three up with three to play.

The game ended on the next green with both players down in four. At this stage Clements was one under par and Colquhoun one overfigures that underlined the quality of the play of both finalists. In his semi-final with Clegg. Clements stormed into the lead from the start, winning three of the first four holes. Clegg managed to keep in the game by nearly holing his tee shot at the third, which he won with a two.

Winning the seventh, eighth and ninth holes. Clements was five up at the turn, a feature of his play being an eagle at the seventh when Clegg’s bali knocked that of Clements into the hole.

Clegg wen back a hole with a birdie three at the twelfth, but Clements replied with a 12ft putt for a birdie two at the thirteenth to again be five up. The game ended at the next hole when Clegg's progress to the green was marred by a drive into some trees and a second into a ditch. Clements hit the ball well throughout the match but Clegg, after two good days, had some of the gloss missing from his game. In the other semi-final Colquhoun struck a good patch on the outward run. a birdie at the seventh and an eagle at the eighth putting him two up. Vesty fought back to win the ninth and tenth holes, the latter with a birdie, and was one up going to the fourteenth. But here his luck deserted him. He lost the fourteenth and at the sixteenth, after being two feet off the green for a two

Colquhoun polished off the game with a birdie at the seventeenth. He was all square and Vesty one over at the end. Results Results are:— Senior Championship Semi-finals—B. A. Colquhoun beat G. P. Vesty, 2 and 1; R. E. Clements beat B. L. Clegg, 6 and 4. Final. —Clements beat Colquhoun, 3 and 2. Easter Plate Semi-finals.—D. F. Williamson beat R. K. Atkinson, 2 and 1; R. S. Wakefield beat C. E. Schadick. 6 and S. Final.—Williamson beat Wakefield, 1 up. Senior Match Semi-finals.—C. L. Jacobsen beat R. Townsend, 1 up; R. J. Ramsay beat J. G. Scott, 3 and 2. Final.—Ramsay beat Jacobsen, 3 and 2. Intermediate Handicap Semi-finals.—J. F. Logie beat R. Blunden, 3 and 2; R. S. Peate beat P. Shutt, 2 and 1. Final.—Peate beat Logie at the nineteenth. Junior Handicap Semi-finals.—G. A. Combe beat F. Littler. 8 and 7; D. M. Palmer beat T. Thomlinson, 3 and 2. Final.—Combe beat Palmer, 6 and 5. X Flight Semi-finals.—G. W. Riley, beat G. E. Dickey, 4 and 2: W. J. Rixon beat J. E. Dwyer, 4 and 3. Final.—Riley beat Rixon, 2 ■ and 1. Humphreys Cup (Foursome bogey handicap) B. L. Clegg and T. Thomlin-f son. 1 up. won on the countback from C. J. Ward and E.l H. M. Richards.