Easy N.I. Win By McDougall

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31767, 26 August 1968, Page 22

Easy N.I. Win By McDougall

(New Zealand Press Association)

WAITOMO.

E. J. McDougall, of Waikato, decisively won the North Island amateur golf championship over the week-end.

He had an aggregate of 287 (74, 73, 69, 71) on the 6401-yard. par--72 course to win by four strokes. B. C. Murray (South Canterbury) fought back strongly over the last two rounds to finish second on 291 (75, 74, 72, 70). Unfamiliarity with the course caused Murray to drop strokes in the first two rounds, but his golf throughout the tournament was consistently accurate.

Improved With Weather McDougall was in sixth position after the first two rounds on Saturday when conditions were squally and the greens rather slow. He clinched his victory with a brilliant 69 in improved weather yesterday morning. McDougall’s inaccuracy off the tees marred his play on Saturday, but he played with much more certainty ’yesterday. His fine touch around the greens was apparent until

he three-putted the fifteenth and sixteenth holes as the final tension mounted. However, the' five-stroke lead he had built up enabled McDougall to regain confidence and a birdie four at the last hole was a fine climax to his efforts. In Deep Waters P. A. Maude, playing on his home course, entered the final round only one stroke behind McDougall, but his hopes perished when he hit his tee shot into a lake at the second and took seven for the hole. Despite some fine putting, he had further lapses and could not regain the lost ground. P. Garner, the young Grange player who led at the end of the first day, had a seven at one hole yesterday morning and finally finished eighth. The title-holder, J. D. Durry (Paraparaumu), had putting troubles throughout the tournament He dropped three shots in four holes early in the final round and had a 79. A feature of the final day was the improvement of G. R. Lummis (Nelson). He was sadly out of touch on Saturday, both with his second shots and his putting, but he played almost flawless rounds of 70 and 71 yesterday. The leading scores were:— 287 —E. J. McDougall (Tokoroa). 74, 73 69, 71. 291—R. C. Murray (Temuka), 75 74, 72, 70. 294—P. A. Maude (Waltomo), 71. 73, 73, 77. 296: G. R. Lummis (Nelson), 79, 76. 70, 71; P. K. Cleland (Manukau), 71, 75. 77 73; T. Ormsby (Waltomo), 73, 76, 73, 74; B. A. Stevens (Titirangi), 75. 71, 76, 74; P. Garner (Grange), 71. 72, 75. 78. 297 TH. Hall (Waltomo), 76, 76. 72 , 73; K. B. Haggle (Te Aroha), 76. 75, 72, 74. 298 J. D. Durry (Paraparaumu), 73, 72 74, 79.