Jones Worn Down By Pro’s Relentless Golf

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31533, 22 November 1967, Page 19

Jones Worn Down By Pro’s Relentless Golf

(New Zealand Press Association) HASTINGS. R. J. Charles relentlessly wore down the New Zealand amateur representative, S. G. Jones, to win the Wattie’s $3OOO tournament at the Bridge Pa course yesterday.

Charles fired a three-under par 67 in the final round for a 72-hole total of 272, to win by two strokes from Jones.

In third place was the 22-year-old English professional, M. Bembridge, who finished with an eagle and a birdie for a final round of 67 and an aggregate of 277.

One stroke further back were W. J. Godfrey (New Zealand) and P. Townsend (Britain). Townsend, the overnight leader, crashed to a 76 in the third round yesterday morning, but came back strongly in the afternoon with a 67. NEVER LET GO Jones went into the final round two strokes clear of Charles, but the tall lefthander, in a superb display of golf, seized the initiative from the start, and with the game in his grasp after six boles, never let go. Impervious to the wind and ram which swept the course for the two days, Charles did not give Jones a chance. When Jones landed inside Charles on the green, it was Charles who sank the longer putt to put increasing pressure on the amateur.

Charles got his first stroke back on Jones at the first hole with a birdie four, and then Jones birdied the 525yard second to maintain the position. At the fourth, Charles got a birdie two to Jones’s three, and the big break-through for Charles came at the sixth, where Jones three-putted for a one-over five, and the professional drew level. THREE UP AT 11TH

At the seventh, Jones again fired away a stroke when’ he pushed his drive into the trees, and at the turn Charles out in 33 to Jones’s 36. Charles increased his lead to two at the tenth when he sank a 20ft putt for a birdie three, and then went three ahead at the next when Jones hit his second through to the back of the green, chipped back too strongly and twoputted. Jones had a great chance to get a stroke back at the 341-yard twelfth when he put bis second shot 3ft from ths pin. But Charles, 18 feet away, rammed in the putt

from the back of the green to Jones’s birdie. The next five holes were halved in par figures, and they went to the eighteenth tee with Charles three strokes in the lead. Here, he played his first loose shot of the tournament. He pulled his tee shot Into the trees, and was only able to scrape it out on to the fairway. He finished with a one-over five to Jones’s par. GLUT OF BIRDIES In their morning rounds, Charles and Jones carded 13 birdies between them—Jones seven in h’s 67, and Charles six in his 68. ■ A magnificent homeward half of 31 took Bembridge into third place. With two holes to play he was trailing Godfrey by three strokes and Townsend by two. but an eagle on the seventeenth and another fine putt for a birdie three on the eighteenth put him ahead.

Godfrey had a 4ft putt to tie with Bembridge, but missed it.

Townsend collapsed badly in the morning after going to the seventh two under. He dropped nine shots in the following 12 holes. The Timaru professional, J. M. Lister, returned the best afternoon round, a four-under 66.