Canterbury Has Two Wins In Women’s Golf

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31981, 7 May 1969, Page 19

Canterbury Has Two Wins In Women’s Golf

Inspired by a magnificent round from its leading player, Mrs D. A. Whitehead, Manawatu-Wanganui beat the pre-tournament favourite, Auckland, 3-2, when the national women’s Russell Grace golf tournament began at the Brandon course, Ashburton, yesterday.

Mrs Whitehead was two down after 13 holes against the resolute hitting and sure putting. of the willowy international Miss N. B. White (Auckland), before she staged a splendid recovery.

flourish against Northland. Miss Boag and Miss C. Sullivan, who were the only Canterbury players, to win both their matches yesterday, were three up against their opponents after four holes, 2nd Miss J. Davidson, in her -first Rus- ■ sell Grace' tournament played i like a veteran to be four up I after seven. • The No. 1, Miss M. Ensor, ’ had two indifferent iron shots at each of the first two holes i against Mrs N. B. Cullen, i formerly of Southland, to be t two down, and from then on i had a uphill fight to get back • into the match. At the turn. Miss Sullivan : had gone to a five-hole lead against Mrs M. N. Going; a cousin of theßugby-playing ■ brothers, and Miss Davidson - still had her four-hole lead. - Miss Ensor had lost another - hole and Miss Boag’s lead bad > been reduced to one. The , other player, Mrs V, Lang- . dale-Hunt, was two down in , a sea-saw match with Mrs F. ■ R. Worker. Mrs Langdale-Hunt squared i the match at the short > eleventh, but two holes later was again two behind.'. She , fought on doggedly and did • well to lose only 2 and 1 in 1 her Russell Grace debut r Miss Ensor was four down. I after 10 holes and was beaten . 4 and 2, but Misses Sullivan, ; Boag and Davidson all s registered fine wins. Miss Sullivan’s 7 and 5 victory was i particularly praiseworthy and

She won the next three holes to be one up and halved the last two, to give ManawatuWanganui the over-all Victory. The most spectacular of many fine shots in the match was Mrs Whitehead’s 25-yard chip for a birdie at the sixteenth, which gave her the lead for the first time. Hawke's Bay-Poverty Bay is the present leader after two rounds. It accumulated 7} points after halving , its match in the morning with the defending champion, Wellington, and beating the weak Nelson - West Coast • Marlborough side, 5-0. Three other teams— Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington and South Canterbury—have 6j points. South Canterbury played splendidly to beat Otago, 54), after losing, 11-34, to Manawatu-Wanganui. On 6 points are Canterbury, Auckland and Bay of PlentyThames Valley. The trophy is decided on the number of individual wins scored by each team. Canterbury beat Northland, 3-2, and then had to fight for every hole against Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley. After nine holes Canterbury was all square over all, but Miss S. Boag picked up three holes on the last nine to ensure its victory. Canterbury began with a

she produced some, of her finest golf. Miss Ensor’s play improved in the afternoon against Mrs F. Lee (Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley). She was three up after 13 holes and ended the match at the seventeenth. Miss Sullivan continued her pleasing form, was quickly three up, and in spite of losing two holes after the turn, she was still three ahead after 13. Miss Davidson was three down after nine holes m the afternoon but recovered well to pick up two holes in the next five. She was. still one down at the eighteenth, but a putting lapse lost her the hole and the match. Miss Boag was all square against Mrs P. MacDougall at the turn but picked up a hole at the sixteenth to take the lead she held to the end. The powerful hitting and delicate touch of Miss J. Hanratty (Wellington) and Miss H. Booth (Hawke’s BayPoverty Bay) produced one of the day’s best matches. Miss Booth won 2 and 1, but it was Miss Hanratty’s luck to meet an opponent in magnificent form.

Miss Hanratty ended the match with a 50ft chip for a birdie at the seventeenth, which gave her a 2-1 victory and Wellington a half share of the match points.