CHARLES LEADS AGAIN Seven Under Par On First Day

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31223, 22 November 1966, Page 19

CHARLES LEADS AGAIN Seven Under Par On First Day

fNew Zealand Press Association)

HASTINGS.

R. J. Charles, the great New Zealand lefthander, had snatched a two-stroke lead after the first two rounds of the Watties golf tournament at the Hastings Club’s Bridge Pa course yesterday.

Charles went round in 67 and 66 to be seven strokes under par and two strokes clear of the English Canada Cup player. A. Jacklin, who had rounds of 68 and 67.

Four strokes further back on 139 was the Hamilton professional. B. Boys, who matched Charles’ 66 in the afternoon round. Boys’ morning round of 73 gave little indication of the performance he was to provide later in the day.

Charles played immaculate golf all day. None of his tee shots strayed, and his chipping and putting was devastatingly accurate. In his morning 67 he had five birdies and dropped strokes only at the sixth, where his drive just caught the rough and his second fell short, and at the par-5 seventeenth where his second shot was embedded in tough rough. His afternoon round contained only two dropped’ strokes. He three-putted the; eighth for a one-over 5, and : found the bunker on the edge of the eighteenth where he blasted out to 25ft past the pin. Poor Conditions Morning showers gave way to persistent and at times heavy rain in the afternoon and only Charles, Jacklin and Boys showed any delight in the conditions. Many top players, including the Australians P. W. Thomson, K. D. G. Nagle and E. Ball, and the Dutchman, M. Roesink, failed to break par in the afternoon.

Charles’s cards for the two rounds were:—

Out.—First round: 5.4,3, 3,2,5. 4.4.3—33. Second round: 5.4.4. 2,2,4, 3.5.3—32.

In.—First round: 3,3.4. 3,4.4, 3.6.4 —34. Second round: 3,4,4, 3.4.3, 3.5.5—34.

. Boys played very consist■ent golf in his afternoon ground of 66. He birdied the ; first and second but dropped I a stroke at the difficult sixth. He then birdied the fourteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth. There was little to fault in his play and he will need only to hold his form today to test Charles. Few Errors Jacklin’s golf contained ■ little in the way of errors. ’His only faults came on the short fourth and sixteenth i holes where he three-putted and then chipped short to two-putt. His birdies came on the first, second, tenth and thirteenth. Jacklin was in great form with his putter except on the two occasions where he failed i to hole out i The leading amateur after I two rounds was A. J. Palmer I (North Otago) on 142. Two strokes further back was S. Jones (Hastings), winner of the Watties last year and the present New Zealand amateur champion. Palmer was playing in great style until the short fourth where he three-putted. This was the twelfth hole in his round; after being three under at this stage, he collapsed to a 72. G. A Edwards, who led the amateur field in the morning ' with a 69, crashed in the ■afternoon to a 77. J. H. Lowes (Napier) who was also ‘in a strong position with a I morning round of 70, finished I with a 79. I The popular Australians,

Nagle and Thomson, were scrambling all the wy. Nagle, who had an injection to deaden the pain caused by a pinched nerve in his left foot, carded a morning round of 71, and 72 in the afternoon. Thomson was in and out of trouble most of the day, gaining on the card and then losing. He had a 69 in the morning, but dropped two strokes on par in the afternoon for a 72. Scores (• denotes professional):—

133: -R. J. Charles (Christchurch), 67, 66.

X 35: -A. Jackson (England), 68, 67.

139: -B. T. Boys (Hamilton) 73. 66.

141: -D. Graham (Tasmania), 69 , 72; -D. J. Sullivan (Aust.), 71, 70; -P. W. Thomson (Aust.), 69. 72.

142: -E. A. Ball (Aust.), 71, 71; •C. A. Clark (England), 71, 71; A. J. Palmer (North Otago), 70, 72; -G. Wolstenholme (England), 72, 70.

143: -J. Carter (Maeranui), 69, 74; -K. D. G. Nagle (N.S.W.), 71, 72; -R. J. Shaw (N.S.W.), 72, 71; •A. van Pixnton (Holland), 74, 69; -T. J. Woolbank (N.S.W.), 72, 71.

IM: -B. J. Coxon (N.S.W.), 71 73: S. G. Jones (Hastings), 72

72: -F. Malloy (Auckland), 71 73; -L. Thomas (Aust.), 70, 74.

145: -R. Draddy (Aust.), 76, 79; -W. J. Godfrey (Auckland), 70, 75; -D. Ingram (Aust.), 70, 75; I. S. MacDonald (Hastings), 71, 74.

146: -G. Q. AttriU (Mt. Maunganui). 73, 73; -D. Clark (Rotorua), 73, 73: G. A. Edwards (Walpawa), 69, 77; P, Rankin (Miramar), 73, 73; -M. Roesink (Holland), 71, 75.

148: -F. M, Connallln (N.S.W.) 73, 75.

149: -T, A. Brady (Grange), 75, 74; H. R. Carver (Hastings), 74, 75; -J. C. Harvey (Auckland), 73, 76; J, L. Lowes (Napier). 70, 79; R. L. Pease (Stratford), 73, 76.

150: R. L. Cameron (Patea), 73, 77; H. W. Larmer (Hastings), 74, 76: -D. Lawson (Victoria), 75, 75; -E. A. Southerden (Napier), 74, 76.

151: -G. Donald (Victoria), 75, 76: -E. Feunell (Rotorua), 76, 75; -K. D. Foxton (Templeton), 75, 76; E. J. Gordon (Poverty Bay). 79, 72; -A. J. W. Kidd (Otago), 76, 75; -J. Lister (Christchurch), 73, 78.

152: J. F. Farley (Wanganui), 75, 77; -D. L. Machray (Hastings), 78, 74: *R. R. Newdick (Auckland). 75, 77; -B. Shelton (Heretaunga), 77, 75.

153: V. Wallison (Miramar), 79, 74; J. A. Cleland (Martinborough), 70. 83; H. F. Vivian (Hastings), 77. 76; B. R. Wilson (Waipukurau), 74, 79.

154: J. N. Andrews (Hokowhltu), 77, 77; A. M. Borreh (Manor Park), 75, 79; F, T, Gordon (Napier), 77, 77.

155: «S. McHardy (North Shore), 78, 77; »E. A. Williams (Australia), 78, 77.

156: *B. G. Dent (N.S.W.), 78, 78; R. E. Hepburn (Maeranui), 79. 77.

157: J. F. Collins (Wanganui), 78, 79; M. J. Reilly (Miramar). 78, 79; G. E. Wilson (Waipukurau), 78, 79.

158: *A. E. Guy (Auckland), 81, 77; F. H. Parker (Hastings), 78, 80; *J. Valois (Te Awamutu), 79, 79. 159: A. W. Fannin (Walpukurau)). 84, 75: A. E. Woodfield (Templeton), 81, 78. 160: F. V. Wiggens (Wanganui), 81, 79.

162: SI R. Edgecombe (Te Ngatu), 84. 78. 163: B. F. Reilly (Miramar), 168;' J. B. Jones (Hastings), 84, 84.