Title-Holder Favoured To Repeat Victory

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32119, 15 October 1969, Page 17

Title-Holder Favoured To Repeat Victory

(New Zealand Press Association)

NEW PLYMOUTH. The New Zealand international, Miss U. Wickham (Tauranga), holder of the stroke-play title, has won the rating of the “player in top form” on the eve of the national women’s golf championships.

They begin today with the 36-hole foursomes, which are followed on Thursday by the 72-hole stroke championship for the Mellsop Cup.

The final 36 holes of the stroke event will be played by the top 24 qualifiers on Saturday. Miss Wickham missed this year’s Russel Grace tournament for the first time in 16 years—and feels that this has not helped her to develop a fine edge to her play. But there has been little indication that the edge had blunted in her two practice rounds at Ngamotu. Miss W'ickham has been close to the par of 72, and certainly

better than most of the other competitors. Making Miss Wickham’s scoring all tbe more impressive is the fact that although the standard scratch rating for the course is 71, the par has been reduced from 74 to 72, despite an increase in yardage to 5536 yards. In the foursomes, Miss Wickham is partnered by another experienced golfer, Mrs N. D. Cullen (Russley), and the pair will be one of the favoured combinations. They shared fourth place last year at Hastings, with two Australian pairs taking first and second placings. Another strongly favoured combination is Miss H. Booth (Poverty Bay) and Miss N. B. White (Titirangi). Both hit the ball well in practice yesterday. Miss Booth being one under the card and Miss White playing par for the first nine holes.

Miss H. Mowat (Manawatu and the New Zealand representative, Miss C. Sullivan (Avondale),. Miss G. Taylor (New Plymouth), and Miss S. Hamilton (Otago), Miss J. Hanratty, and Mrs M. B. Buddle (Wellington), Miss M. Winterbum (Otaki) and Mrs R. C. Blake (Waiuku), Miss W. Bryant (Lochiel) and Miss M. Doherty (Avondale) are some of the others in the field of 57 who should score well.

In the Mellsop Cup event, Miss Taylor, who has also been hitting the ball beautifully in practice, and with Miss Booth, who led the Australian championship qualifying rounds last month, will he strong challengers to Miss Wickham.

Miss Taylor was runner-up to Miss Wickham last year. Miss Mowat, a 22-year-old from the Manawatu club, and Miss M. Ensor (Waitikiri) must also come into consideration. A New Zealand selector, Mrs J. Whitehead (Manawatu), believes that because of the strenuous nature of the Ngamotu links, one of the younger players will win the stroke title. Guessing at the winning score, she suggested that four 75’s would be required.

Miss Sullivan, who shared the Mellsop Cup with Mrs Whitehead in 1967, said that while she thought four 75’s would have been sufficient to win under windy conditions, there was reason to believe that something better was required in calmer weather. Miss Wickham was more cautious in her predictions, saying that four 76’s or 77’s would be enough to win.