Waikato-Auckland Game To Decide Golf Title

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31676, 11 May 1968, Page 15

Waikato-Auckland Game To Decide Golf Title

(Ntw Zealand Press Association;

NEW PLYMOUTH.

i Waikato grimly held its 100 per cent record in the Freyberg Rose Bowl golf tournament by narrowly beating Hawke’s Bay in the only round played yesterday. But Taranaki, the co-leader with Waikato overnight, was held to a draw by Canterbury, and slipped back a half-point behind Waikato.

Waikato has two more hurdles to take before winning the ' tournament for the first time, against Otago this morning and Auckland in the afternoon.

Had the tournament - been stage-managed it . might not have produced such a promisring finish. There are strong

indications that the Waikato-Auckland . game will decide the 1968 champion—and it could be in favour * of Taranaki.

Auckland, since losing to Taranaki on the first day, has Improved tremendously, es"pecially through the very fine play of its young No. 2, B. C. itafferty.

Taranaki has an equally interesting last two matches. In the morning, it will meet the combined Buller-Westland-Marlborough-Nelson team, which has been an upsetting factor in this tournament, with wins over three highlyfavoured opponents. In the afternoon, it will play Bay of Plenty, which has been inconsistent, scoring good wins over Canterbury and Wellington, but halving with Northland and losing to Waikato and Mid-South Canterbury. Taranaki, on results so far, must be given a good chance of winning both of its matches today. The title would rest then on whether Waikato

can do the same, Its clash with Auckland being the decider. It was always obvious, from the time that the strong winds of the two previous days died to a breeze yesterday that Taranaki would be tested by Canterbury. At the half-way, Taranaki was down in four matches, and in danger of a heavy defeat. But the team fought back magnificently, having a win, a loss and three halves. Fair Result The biggest gallery of the day watched the match between the New Zealand representatives, E. J. McDougall (Waikato) and S. G. Jones (Hawke’s Bay)—and they saw golf at its best. Fortunes fluctuated throughout and the final result, halved, did justice to both players. The big-hitting McDougall gained a one hole lead over the first nine, short putts that failed to find the hole costing Jones dearly. However, Jones later got one or two when he needed them badly, and there was nothing between them at the end. '

The Waikato No. 2, G. C. Stevenson, remained unbeaten when he narrowly defeated the experienced Hawke’s Bay No. 2,1. S. Macdonald. He has five wins, a record shared by Rafferty and A. C. Relph (Bay

of Plenty). H. Kennedy (Taranaki) has four wins and a halve, and McDougall and G. Lummis (Nelson) three wins and two halves.

R. C. Murray started well against the Taranaki number one, R. L. G. Pease, and he was one under the card when he finished the winner, 4 and 3. He won the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth holes to kill off any chance Pease had of making a bid for victory on the homeward nine. E. H. M. Richards was three up after eight in his match with R. L. Cameron. He lost the ninth, and Cameron had an eagle at the next, but Richards replied with a birdie to stay two up. Cameron now began a splendid run which took him to one up at the sevententh. He birdied the fourteenth and Richards dropped strokes and holes at 16 and 17. The match had suddenly swung Cameron's way, but on the last, Richards played a superb chip to within two feet for a win, and to halve the match. Missed Ift Putt J. R. Broadhurst lost two early holes against A. W. Middleton, recovered one, and then watched a one-foot putt slide past the hole. Later he won two holes in succession, but when he was one up, he paid the price of an errant tee shot at the seventeenth, this ball going out of bounds. The players halved the last hole to square the match. D. R. Hope also squared his match against A. N. Jeffery. Hope was two up after nine, having chipped in at the ninth for a good birdie three. Then, playing the first (their tenth), he put two balls over the fence and his lead was cut to one. Jeffery stayed in the proceedings by sinking a 30footer for a half at the second, and then Hope chipped and two-putted the sixth to allow his Taranaki opponent to square. They halved the remaining three holes. Vital Three Putts R. K. Atkinson almost brought off a magnificent recovery from donnie three, but his putter let him down at the ninth (their eighteenth) when he threeputted from the front section of the green, to lose to the 19-year-old, H. Kennedy. Atkinson was two down after three, and thereafter was always struggling. He started bis run at the seventh with a par, and at the next hole rolled in a 35-foot birdie putt. Atkinson missed four putts of short distance, but had more than his share of success with long putts. Competition points, with Individual wins in brackets, are:

Waikato S (204), Taranaki 44 (17), Auckland 4 (164). Hawke's Bay Ji (14j), Mid-South Canterbury 34 (13), Buller-West Coast-Marlborough-Nelson 3 (14), Otago 24 (13i). Wellington 24 <l2), Bay of Plenty 24 (11), Canterbury 14 (12), Southland 1 (ti), Manawatu-Wanganui 1 <94), Northland 4 (04), Gisborne 0 (54).