Jacklin Defies Storm To Score 6-Under 66

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31238, 9 December 1966, Page 20

Jacklin Defies Storm To Score 6-Under 66

(New Zealand Preu Association)

TOKOROA. The 22-year-old English professional, A. Jacklin, battled stormy conditions at Tokoroa yesterday to lead the field in the £2OOO Forest Products golf tournament with an opening round of 66, six under par.

One stroke farther back was the Dutchman, M. Roesink. The Tasmanian professional, D. Graham, was on 68, and G. B. Wolstenholme (Britain) and the Waitomo amateur, P. A. Maude, shared 69.

Five players were bracketed on 70—L. Thomas, R. J. Shaw, R. C. Vines and D. J. Sullivan, all Australians, and the New Zealand professional, G. Q. AttrilL

Jacklin had birdies at the first, sixth, tenth, twelfth, and thirteenth, and an eagle at the par-five sixteenth. He dropped a shot on one hole. Gale winds lashed the exposed course and rain squalls swept across the fairways, making conditions difficult for the 83 competitors. Jacklin described the conditions as “lousy,” but he recorded his best round on the current New Zealand circuit,

one better than his 67 in the Watties tournament at Hastings. Roesink played steadily for his 67. He had birdies at the second, sixth, tenth, eleventh, sixteenth, and eighteenth. He dropped a stroke at the third when he was short with his approach. Maude, who was leading amateur at Tokoroa last year, and was also leading amateur in the Metalcraft tournament, which ended on Tuesday, produced a mixture of powerful driving, loose chip shots, and brilliant putting. The “big three”—R. J. Charles, K. D. G. Nagle, and P. W. Thomson—all had adventurous rounds, and none was satisfied with his play. Charles, winner of three tournaments on the current circuit, had a. 72. “I played pretty well and was hitting them all right, but there are a lot of blind holes,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting close enough to sink the putt.”

One under after three holes, he dropped a stroke at the 369-yard eighth. He maintained par figures until the thirteenth when his tee shot at the 131-yard hole failed to find the green, and chipping on he failed to hole his putt. He matched par for the next four holes and a 12-foot birdie putt at the eighteenth gave him regulation figures for the round. Nagle, who shot a 71, said: ‘I had an awful round.” Several of his putts missed

narrowly, but his iron play was generally sound. Thomson, on 72, said: “I steered towards the hole but they veered. I found the weather a little difficult”