Charles Has 67, And Leads With Thomson

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30901, 6 November 1965, Page 17

Charles Has 67, And Leads With Thomson

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SYDNEY.

Peter Thomson, of Australia, and R. J. Charles, of New Zealand, held a narrow lead in the £3200 Wills Masters golf tournament yesterday when they finished the second round with five-under-par totals of 139.

Thomson, the British Open champion, played sure and steady golf for his rounds of 69 and 70.

Charles, the 1963 British Open champion, rocketed into the lead when he returned the day’s best round of 67-r--five-under-par. He equalled par in bis first round with a 72. The South African, Gary Player, was only one stroke behind the leaders, with a 36-hole total of 140. Devlin Fades To 74 A huge gallery of between 2000 and 3000 watched him battle through the 18 holes on the 6758-yard course with the first round leader, Bruce Devlin, of Australia. Devlin had a 74 yesterday which, added to his earlier 66, placed him in equal third place with Player and another Australian, Dennis Sullivan. Later, Player announced that he may not be able to complete the tournament because of the severe pain in his chest and shoulder. He had been taking pain-killing drugs. Nicklaus Disappoints The most disappointing golf of the day came from Jack Nicklaus, of the United States, who, after going four over tiie card with a 76, said: “That was my worst display of putting since I turned professional.” With a two-ro'ind total of 148, the burly American is well down in the field, and only just made the cut-off for

the final 36 holes to be played tomorrow by two strokes. “Well, that’s the best round of golf I have played in a long time,” said Charles when he came off the eighteenth green. Charles overcame the heat wave conditions and played superlative golf on both sides of the course. With a little more luck his score could have been 65. He hit some long drives. His tee shot at the eighteenth, admittedly with a strong breeze behind it, went 330 yards to outdistance his playing partners, Kel Nagle and Sullivan, by 80 yards. The only blemish on his card a six on the par-5 fourteenth. His tee shot finished in the rough behind two trees. He started with a birdie 3, had two more, at the seventh and ninth, for an outward half of 33. On the homeward run he had birdies at the

thirteenth, sixteenth and eighteenth. Thomson had 35 shots for both nines and made only one real mistake. At the 396-yard first hole he three-putted from the edge of the. green for a one-over five. The other two New Zealanders, R. R. Newdick and W. J. Godfrey, also qualified. Newdick, on 144, kept up with the leaders in spite of a one-over 73, and is only five strokes behind Charles and Thomson. Godfrey finished the day on 148, with his rounds of 75 and 73. 139 R. Charles (New Zealand), 72, 67; P. W. Thomson, 69, 70. 140— G. Player (South Africa), 70 , 70; B. Devlin. 66, 74; D. Sullivan, 69, 71. 143—R. J. Stanton, 73, 70. 144.—R. Newdick (New Zealand), 71, 73; D. Sanders (United States), 70, 74; I. Alexander, 73, 71; J.’ Davies, 73, 71; W. C. Gale, 74, 70.