GOLF Dramatic Finish Gives Devlin Open Title

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30249, 30 September 1963, Page 15

GOLF Dramatic Finish Gives Devlin Open Title

“The Press" Special Service WANGANUI, September 29. In a tense and dramatic finish, B. W. Devlin, of Australia, won the New Zealand Open golf championship at Belmont yesterday with a score of 273. When Devlin and his two fellow Australians, P. W. I homson and K. D. G. Nagle, stood on the seventy-second tee to play the last hole they were all even, followed by a crowd of 3000.

Nagle, strangely nervous, pushed his approach shot into a greenside bunker, exploded short, and with two putts took 5. Devlin, meanwhile, played ■ number 6 iron, which he sfierwairds described as the greatest golf shot of his Life, to within four feet of the hole a-nd after considerable preparation holed the putt. Narrow Miss Thia left Thomson with the task of also scoring a bridle 3 to tie the championship. His approach was drawn dead on to the pin but when the ball stopped rolling it was 25 feet short of the hole. He failed to hole the putt by the narrowest of margins. So Devlin won £3OO and his second Open championship of the year, and there could be no disputing that on the grounds of courage alone, putting aside all considerations of technical skill, he deserved his success. Playing to the sixteenth in the final round when he. Thomson and Nagle were still level, and Phillips, the leader after the third round, had dramatically slipped from the scene. Devlin shanked his approach clean across the fairway and left himself a hotibly Long shot over bunkers to the green. He got his 5 but the indications were that the damage resulting from the socket would kill his chances. Unruffled, he holed out from nearly six yards to score a birdie 3 on the seventeenth and tie the lead again. And at the final hole that glorious

iron brought all the success it deserved. A sad and unhappy-look-ing figure was presented by R. J. Charles, who ended the tournament with a 77, including a 7 from a shot over the fence at the fourteenth. Charles had manifestly not been himself throughout the week and by yesterday his driving, which at Hastings had exceeded most of the field by 40 yards, was no better than the average. He struggled to reach the turn in 37 and then fell right away with an uncharacteristic 40 for the last half. An attack of three-putting cost R. C. Murray a golden chance of winning the Bledisloe Cup for the leading amateur. After his splendid 69 of the morning which represented confirmation of his outstanding form of the moment he was at the turn in the afternoon in a par 36. But he three-putted the tenth, took four to reach the long eleventh, three-putted the thirteenth and scored a 6 on the sixteenth, again with three putts. A finish of 5s at the last two holes deepened the wounds but Murray still looks a good bet in the amateur championship. Phillips Collapsed

But if the crowd sympathies were with anyone, they were with Phillips, who had three greet rounds of 64, 67, and 69 to lead the field by three strokes after 54 holes. He appeared to have the Open wrapped up, but then finished with a disastrous five-over 76. In 1934 the then GovernorGeneral of New Zealand, Lord Bied-sloe, presented to the championships a cup for the best amateur in the open, and the first winner was B. M. Silk, of Wanganui. On Saturday Silk made the most remarkable recovery of eight strokes over the last 18 holes to become the most popular prize-winner, in taking the Bledisloe Cup again, at the age of 53. After 36 holes Silk led by one stroke from Murray, two strokes from R. R. Newdick (Auckland), and four strokes from P. Creighton (Wellington). Through a bad lapse of a third-round 77, Silk, at the 54-hole stage, was seven strokes behind Murray, four behind Newdick and two behind Creighton.

The young Ashburton player, A. C. Browne, completed an excellent ■ Open with

rounds of 71 and 73. He had 5s at the fourth, seventh and ninth holes for an outward half of 39. But after one more 5 at the long eleventh, he played extremely well, scoring a birdie at the thirteenth and making only one mistake in scoring a 4 at the 210-yard fifteenth Browne's steadiness was his most compelling quality: he looked completely unruffled.

This was not the fortune of I. S. Harvey, who had a disastrous 82 in the morning to spoil his good efforts of the first two rounds. His putting let him down, especially the short ones, end after taking six 5s in the first half he had a 7 at the sixteenth on the way home. Final Scores Final scores (• denotes professions Is 1 were:— 273: *B. W. Devlin (Australia), 68. 70. 66 , 69. 274: »P. W. Thomson (Australia), 70, 63, 72, 69. 275: «K. D. G. Nagle (Australia). 67, 70, 68. 70. 277: *F. J. Phillips (Australia). 65, 67. 69. 76. 285: *W. Dunk (Australia), 76. 72. 66. 71. 286: B. M. Silk (Wanganui). 70. 70, 77. 69; *R. J. Charles (Christchurch), 72. 67. 70, 77; *E. A Ball. 73. 73. 70. 70. 287. R. C. Murray (Russley), 72. 69, 69. 77; P. K. Creighton (Paraparaumul. 72, 72. 71, 72; R. R. Newdick (North Shore), 71. 7;. 71, 74. 289: «R Howell (United Slates), 69, 70, 74 . 76; E. J. McDougall IMuiriwail, 72, 72, 73, 72; •W. J. Godfrey (Auckland), 75. 71, 72, 71. 290; A. C. Browne (Ashburton), 75, 71. 71, 73; J. D. Durry (Paraparaumu), 74, 72, 74, 70. 294- ‘R. Tuohy (Australia), 73. 74, 71, 76; ’F. X. Buckler (Lochiel), 75, 67. 77, 75. 295 J. M. Dorreen (Napier), 74. '72, 75. 74; »T. A. Brady (Miramar), 73, 75. 76. 71. 297: F. Malloy (Akarana), 74. 72, 74. 77; *B J. Coxon (Mamawatu), 71, 75. 74 77. 298: A. W. Middleton (New Plymouth). 74. 75. 73, 76; J. F Collins (Wanganui), 79, 71, 77. 71. 299: H. R Carver (Wanganui). 73, 76, 77. 73. 300; *N. D. Hayden (Manukau). 72, 75, 75, 78. 301: 'D. Mercer (Australia). 71, 76, 78, 76; E. J. Gordon (Poverty Bay), 74. 74, 78, 75: I. S. MacDonald (Hastings), 73, 76. 77, 75 303: I. S. Harvey (Timaru), 76, 72 . 82. 73. 305: R. O. Montgomery (Manawatu), 75. 72, 75, 83: K. D. Foxton (Russley), 76. 72, 79, 78; •J, Watt (Wellington), 74. 76, 76. 79; D. J. Ryan (Hamilton), 75. 75 79 76 306: P. G. Gunson (Onga Ones), 75, 75, 78. 78.

308: *J. C. Harvey (Remuera) 76. 72. 77, 83.