Miss Sullivan Shares Women’s Golf Title

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31501, 16 October 1967, Page 9

Miss Sullivan Shares Women’s Golf Title

International honours cannot be far away for Miss Cushla Sullivan, of Canterbury, who underlined her high standing in New Zealand women’s golf by tieing with Mrs D. A. Whitehead (Manawatu) for the national stroke play title at Shirley on Saturday.

A pleasant 25-year-old golfer with onlysix years in the game, Miss Sullivan appeared to have the championship firmly in her grasp when she was all square with only four holes to play.

Understandable anxiety at this crucial point caused her to drop three strokes in as many holes, and the experienced Mrs Whitehead, a former international with two victories in the stroke championship to her credit, drew level to share the title. The match play champion and last year’s “Golfer of the Year,” Miss N. B. White (Titirangt) was third, followed by the New Zealand representatives, Misses U. Wickham (Tauranga), H. Booth (Poverty Bay), W. Bryant and G. J. Taylor (both Te Awamutu) and the defending stroke play champion. Mrs N. D. Cullen (Invercargill). Vital Shots Miss Twin dramas on the eighteenth green in the late afternoon decided the fate of the championship. Miss Sullivan almost holed a chip shot from a downhill lie, the ball pass-

ing over the side of the cup and stopping 2ft past the pin. She holed the putt for a bogey four. Mrs Whitehead approached the last hole needing a birdie for outright victory. Her approach shot kicked off the side of a greenside mound, leaving her ball only sft from the hole. But her putt slid past the cup, and honours were even. Miss Sullivan admitted feeling tense in the latter stages of the final round. Trying hard to give nothing away, she dropped shots at the fifteenth and seventeenth—two holes that have caused her bother during the championships—and she lost another shot when she dragged an iron to the back of the green at the sixteenth.

These, however, were almost the only blemishes in her day s golf. Her rounds of 74 and 76 stamped her as an exceedingly competent golfer. Her putting was sound, her chipping was uniformly good, and her new stiff-shafted woods made her one of the- strongest drivers in the field. By no means the

least of her attributes was her demeanour which could not be praised too highly. Confident Golfer s Mrs Whitehead was a mode! of consistency throughout the four rounds, with scores of 76, 76, 75, and 76. She played the course confidently, her solidity being shaken only at the thirteenth and fourteenth, where bunker trouble cost her three strokes. Miss White, too. played consistent golf although she rarely appeared likely to recapture her sparkling form of

the first round. A splendid third round of 75 gave Miss Wickham joint leadership with Miss Sullivan and Mrs Whitehead at the three-quarter stage, but she faded a little in the final round.

Miss Booth, Mrs Cullen and Miss Bryant played steadily on Saturday without suggesting that they could produce the form necessary to catch the leaders. Miss Booth's chances vanished in the third round at the thirteenth—the scene of many holes-in-one—when bunker trouble brought her a disastrous four-over-par seven.

The best scoring On Saturday was produced by the gifted international player. Miss G. J. Taylor, whose final 36-hole aggregate of 148 was two strokes better than that of Miss Sullivan. Miss Taylor made a dismal start on the first two days, but she showed her true capabilities in the final rounds with heartening scores of 75 and 73. They came too late to make her a contender for the stroke title, but they confirmed her as one of the early favourites for the match play event, which begins today. Scores;— 303: Miss C. Sullivan (Avon-* dale), 75, 78, 74, 76; Mrs D. A. Whitehead (Manawatu), 76, 76, 75, 76.

305: Miss N. B. White (Titirangi), 73, 78. 77, 77. 306: Miss U. Wickham (Tauranga). 75, 77, 75. 79. 310: Miss H. Booth (Poverty Bay), 79, 73, 80, 78. 311: Miss W. Bryant (Te Awamutu), 72, 80, 80. 79; Miss G. J. Taylor (Te Awamutu), 84, 79. 75, 73. 315: Mrs N. D. Cullen (Invercargill), 78, 77, 81, 79. 323: Miss H. M. Ensor (Christchurch), 83, 80, 81. 79. 326: Mrs B. G. Middleton (Matamata), 81, 81, 82, 82: Mrs T. G. Lister (Timaru), 80, 78. 87. 81. 327: Miss B. A. Stafford (Timaru). 80. 76, 86. 85; Miss M. Winterburn (Otaki), 85, 80, 79, 83: Mrs D. A. Henderson (Levin), 82, 82, 85, 78. 328: Mrs J. H. Ancell (New Plymouth), 81. 84, 78. 85; Miss H. M. Mowat (Manawatu), 81, 84. 82, 81. 330: Miss S. Grigg (Christchurch). 81. 80. 83. 86. 331: Mrs J. Batty (Carterton), 82, 84. 84, 81; Miss G. Longney (Maraenui), 78, 84, 87, 333: Miss S. M. Hamilton (Omakau). 78. 85, 85, 85. 337: Mrs J. N. B. Thomas (Invercargill), 86. 77. 87. 87. 342: Mrs H. L. Stewart (Alexandra), 80. 84. 91. 87.

343: Mrs J. S. Rqyds (Wait!kiri), 84, 82, 90, 87. 346: Mrs P. M. Whitaker (Otago), 79. 86, 95, 86. Other Results Jessie Reid rose bowl (best net aggregate for three rounds): Miss C. Sullivan, 223; Miss S. M. Hamilton, Mrs J. S. Royds, 226; Mrs D. A. Whitehead, Miss B. Langley (Christchurch), Mrs J. Batty, 229; Miss U. Wickham. 280: Miss N. B White. 231; Mrs C. C. Burdon (Geraldine). 232; Mrs N. D. Cullen, Mrs T. G. Lister, Mrs J. Jones (Westport), 233; Miss H. Booth. 235.

Rattray Cup (18 holes handi cap): Miss P. Cramer-Roberts (The Grange). 72: Miss C. Sullivan. Mrs J. N. B. Thomas, 73; Miss B. Langley. Miss G. J. Taylor. Miss B. A. Taylor (Ashburton), 74; Mrs J. H. Ancell, Mrs D. A. Whitehead, Miss A. Miles (Levin), Mrs K. J. Hildebrand (Bluff). Mrs L. A. Purvis (Tarras), 75: Mrs J. K. Austad (Christchurch). Miss S. Bissett (Avondale),' Mrs V. G. Henderson (Christchurch), 76.