Clegg Heads Field In Windsor Open

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31126, 1 August 1966, Page 12

Clegg Heads Field In Windsor Open

By

R.T. BRITTENDEN)

The course and the conditions were first, the players a moderate second, when the Windsor Golf Club held its open tournament yesterday. A testing lay-out, combined with a southerly wind, rain and cold which numbed the fingers, had all the players struggling and the winning score, 151, was seven over the card.

The winner was B. L. Clegg of Kaiapoi, who took the principal event on a count-back from the Canadianborn W. Stark of Ashburton.

Clegg’s second round, a one-over-scratch 73, was the best of the day, although the Russley professional, K. D. Foxton, invited to play a tournament to which he has often given particular distinction, had rounds of 73 and 74. Although the field was weakened by the withdrawal through illness of R. E. Clements, and the absence of R. K. Atkinson and J. F. Logie, Clegg’s victory was an impressive one.

In the last few months Clegg, long regarded as a talented player who could never quite do himself justice, through an occasional attack of the hooks, or uncertainty on the greens, has been playing extremely well. Indeed, his exclusion from the 16-man Canterbury team which played at Ashburton recently was astonishing. Yesterday, he made very few errors of consequence, and his golf was as accurate as it was assertive. His putting has improved dramatically, and it served him very well indeed until a few holes from the finish, where two short ones for birdies just stayed out. , But he had one stroke of fortune. Stark, finishing his round on the eighth green, three-putted. Clegg’s last hole was the par-five sixteenth, and

there he hit two splendid woods. He elected to play a run-up shot from about 25 yards off the green, and he played it quite well. It looked certain to run a little left of the hole, and a few feet through, until it struck another ball, put there by P. Cleland, from which it cannoned very satisfactorily to stop within six inches of the hole. Dropped 4 Strokes Clegg lost his chance of a good morning round by dropping four strokes in the first four holes. One of them was at the short first hole, which deceived and dismayed nearly every player in the field. In the afternoon, he started at the short seventeenth and dropped a shot when he missed the green. Another was lost at the third hole, but strong iron play brought him birdies at the sixth and seventh.

Clegg’s driving as usually, long and accurate, but at the heart-breaking Burma Road (587 yards) he found tree trouble and dropped a stroke again. He played par golf coming back until he went well through the green at the short fifteenth and failed to hole a tricky putt. He played a remarkable shot at the thirteenth, where his drive was a little right of the fairway and a huge pine, with low-hanging branches, was between his ball and the green. He ran a 2-iron with such success that he had a putt of three feet for the birdie. But it stopped an inch short. At the long, dog-leg fourteenth, he hit two beautiful shots and a fine pitch, but

his little downhill putt stayed out. All in all, Clegg’s was a fine display, for there was little run and the greens demanded reading of scholarly quality, and a fine touch. Held Ou Well Stark, too. played extremely well, he shared the lead with D. R. Hope in the morning, and faltered in the afternoon only about the middle of his round, when he had tree trouble through some badly struck seconds. But he held on very well, until that fatal lapse on the last green. Stark is not spectacular off the tees, but he hit some very fine irons yesterday and showed sound judgment on and around the greens.

I. D. Dobson played solid i golf to take third place and I. Jordan, after a good start, , faltered just a little but was never far behind the leaders. Hope had a good 74 in the morning but began his second round full of error. He was quite out of touch, and was , five over after five holes. He , dropped another before the turn, and then some careless shots cost him two-overs at the tenth and eleventh. He was again one-over at the twelfth, and then needed pars for an 83. But his real quality was shown in his finishing burst—four birdies in the last six holes. E. H. Richards, another Freyberg Rose Bowl player, played very indifferently, but his afternoon errors were not as costly as those in the first round. Impressive Youngster Some of the best drives and irons came from the diminutive 16-year-old, P. Cleland, who impressed with the quality of his golf, and with his course demeanour. During the day he three-putted no fewer than 10 greens, and it was disappointing to see good shots from tee and fairway so badly wasted. Cleland, who must rank as the most promising of Canterbury’s golf youngsters, was five over the card after four holes, but he stormed back with birdies at the fourth, sixth, seventh and eleventh. Then his putting troubles began again. He was not the only one in trouble. D. F. Williamson had 11 penalty shots in his morning round, and the Freyberg Rosebowl representative, J. R. Broadhurst, scored a spectacular 12 at Burma Road, with three balls out of bounds He had a brilliant scoring sequence early in the afternoon, but then faded again. Foxton, if not a competitor, was a fine example. His ease of stroke production and his accuracy suggest he will hold his own on the professional circuit next summer. If it was persistent tribulation for most of the players, there was a brilliant homeward run of 33 (three under par) by B. Maguire, of Waimairi Beach—and a hole-in-one at the 161-yard fifteenth by E. Haig, of Avondale. Results:— Senior 151: B. L. Clegg, 78, 73; W. Stark, 74, 77 152: I. D. Dobson, 77, 75. 153: I. Jordan, 76, 77; D. R. Hope, 74, 79. 157: E. H. Richards, 81, 76. 155: F. W. Roberts, 79 79. 159: P. Cleland, 77, 82; J. Lineman, 79, 80. Intermediate 164: R. Mitchell, 81, 83. 166: D. M. Wilson, 81 85 167: G. Hood, 79, 88. ’ 169: R. C. Motz, 84, 85; R Reavey, 82, 87. 171: E. Robinson, 85, 86. 172: T. Jordan, 86 86 173: F. G. Dick, 91, 82. Other Events Senior.—Morning gross: D. R. Hope 74. Afternoon gross: I. D. Dobson 75. Intermediate. Morning gross: G. Hood 79. Afternoon gross: F. G. Dick 82. Handicap Events j Senior I Stroke—Morning: B. Ma75, f ’~® 9 - Afternoon: S. W. Fox, 76, 7—69. 36-hole nett: J. Lineman, 159. 16— 143; T, Emery, 161, 16—145. Intermediate Stroke.—Morning: W Wilkinson, 85, 15—70, on a count-back from K. G, Perrin. Afternoon: R. J. Watson, 87. 13—74 on a count-back from : lor , d^ n ’ 36 -hole nett: R. C. M£ tz . J, 69 . 24—165; W. E. Bull, 175, 30—145. Teams* Match „ “-.Mitchell, R. Reavey, P. Goulding, and P. Strettele 302 In an intermediate and junior tournament on Saturday, results were:— Intermediate , (s a r^ s -^ 36 holes: H. R. Sim, 169; N. E. Barrett, 170. Morning gross: D. Henderson, 87. Afternoon: R. Allison, 82. 36 -hol e Stroke.—G. Aitken, 144; R. Burrell, 145. Mornnct: Morrison, 71. Afternoon: I. Munro, 71 on a count-back from A. Osborne. _ Junior , “ l ’oss.—36 holes: A. Skinner t m 21 Morning gross: J. Tonkin. Afternoon. G. McNiece. 36-hole Stroke.—K Bell L J. Mclntosh 2. Morning stroke: J. B. Watson. Afternoon: K. „?PP® rt h- Teams’ match: L. Walker, J. Mclntosh, E. Sutton, and N. Wall.