All-Conquering Player Wins Golf Final

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30884, 18 October 1965, Page 3

All-Conquering Player Wins Golf Final

(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter— Copyright) WENTWORTH (Surrey). Gary Player, the 29-year-old South African, played machine-like golf to win the Piccadilly world matchplay tournament at Wentworth on Saturday. Player beat Peter Thomson (Australia), 3 and 2, in the 36-hole final to win the first prize of £5OOO. Thomson’s share of the prize money w as £3OOO.

In a tremendous duel, there was never more than two holes between the pair until Player clinched the maich at the thirtyfourth green with a birdie three. Player again displayed the ice-cool temperament which brought him back from the edge of defeat in Friday’s semi-finals, in which he beat the American, Tony Lerna, after being seven down with 17 holes to play. On Saturday he was a hole down to Thomson four times, and it was not until the twenty-fifth that he went into the lead for the first time.

In a blistering come-back, the South African also won

the next hole to go two up. Thomson rolled down a 12foot putt for an eagle three at the thirtieth, to cut the lead, but Player soon struck again. The South African won the thirty-third with a birdib four and ended the match on the next green, having covered the last 16 holes in a 57, six under par. He was nine under par for the 34 holes played. The South African has had one of his greatest seasons, winning prize money totalling £57,120. Victory on Saturday followed his successes in the United States Open, the Canada Cup and the champion of champion world series, and second place in the United States Masters. Greatest Recovery In the semi-finals on Friday, Player made one of the greatest recoveries in top-class golf to beat Lema at the thirtyseventh hole. After the South African had stood 1-up at the ninth with a two below par outward half of 34. he lost the tenth when Lema holed a 16-foot putt. For the rest of the round, while Player’s golf became ragged, Lema rose to mighty heights, covering the inward half in a six-below-par 32 and winning seven holes in a row from the tenth to the seventeenth, with a terrific run of 4,4, 4,2, 4,3, 4. Went 7 Up A half at the eighteenth left Lema round in 67 against 74 for a lead of six holes, and the American made it 7-up with a birdie four at the nineteenth.

Player hit back with a brilliant run of 2,3, 4,2, from the twentieth winning back two holes, but he was still five down.

Player won the twentyeighth with a par three when

Lema failed to find the green, and followed a glorious pitch with a four-foot putt for a winning birdie three at the twenty-ninth to be three down. He won back the thirtyfourth when Lema was in the woods and then reached the green of the 495 yard thirtysixth with a 4-wood second to draw level and complete a tremendous round of 67. He then went on to win the extra hole. Dramatic Finish Thomson reached the final after beating another American, Arnold Palmer, by one hole rn a dramatic finish. Although Thomson missed innumerable putts of six and seven feet, he was 3-up after 18 holes with a one-under-par round of 73. Thomson increased this lead to four twice during the opening five holes of the afternoon round, and was still 3-up after 28 holes. But Palmer refused to concede defeat easily, and drew level after winning the thirtieth, thirty-first and thirtythird.

The Australian won back the thirty-fourth with a par four, when Palmer surprisingly missed a three-foot putt. The next hole was halved and then came the final drama at the long thirty-sixth. In Bunker Thomson put his second on the front of the green, while Palmer’s tremendous second fell into a greenside bunker. Thomson putted up 4ft short, but seemed more than safe when Palmer's bunker recovery finished seven yards short of the hole. But when the American rolled in his putt, the situation took on a different aspect. Thomson, however, stepped up and quietly rolled the ball into the hole for the half and the match.