Experience to fore in golf

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32298, 16 May 1970, Page 9

Experience to fore in golf

(By

R.T. BRITTENDEN)

’J'HERE is decidedly more emphasis on experience than on youth in the selection of the New Zealand amateur golf team to compete in the Eisenhower Trophy competition in Spain later this year. R. C. Murray, S. G. Jones and E. J. McDougall have had many years of international golf; only G. E. Clarke could be described, even loosely, as a newcomer. In most parts of the country, there are young players of promise, all of whom are considered, by the golfers of their own districts, as very likely candidates for national selection. But golf is a cruel and demanding game: the many youngsters who might have been in line for selection simply failed to come through satisfactorily, and it was thus that Clarke, against most expectations, retained the place he won in the New Zealand team last year. This will be the sixth time Jones has played in the Eisenhower event. Murray will be making his fifth trip. McDougall his fourth, Clarke his first. New Zealand’s last two Eisenhower tournaments have been the least successful. In the first one, in 1958, New Zealand finished fourth. It was fifth in 1960, fourth again two years later and in

1964 finished third, a proud performance. In 1966 New Zealand was placed eleventh in 1968, seventh. There have been many times in the last few years when it seemed that Jones’s days as an international were done. But he somehow manages to find his most convincing form just when he needs to most urgently, and although he has a very depressing record overseas, be makes his selection almost inevitable, year by year, by demonstrating quite convincingly that he is the best amateur player in New Zealand. In the 1969 Freyberg Rose Bowl tournament, Jones beat Murray; a habit he has—but lost to J. D. Durry, McDougall and G. D. Brown of Otago, who won a New Zealand blazer last year. In the 1969 amateur championship, he was beaten by the ultimate winner, G. C. Stevenson. But in the New Zealand Open, Jones shared second place, among the amateurs, with McDougall, and he began a run of successes which has taken him back into the New Zealand side. He was the first amateur in the Watties tournament, and early in January beat a field of professionals to win the Spalding Masters tournament at Tauranga. He

went on to finish first of the amateurs in the P.G.A. championship and a few days ago won the North Island championship by three strokes from Clarke. Jones has been a magnificent golfer, in New Zealand. His record overseas has not been nearly so good. In his five Eisenhower tournaments, his best four-round total is 304 (in 1966) and in his 20 rounds he has been 80 or more six times. Twice he has had the worst New Zealand aggregate, three times he has had only one New Zealander below him. He was not chosen for the 1968 Eisenhower; but perhaps this will be his year to overcome his overseas jinx. Murray, on the other hand, has been a consistently good player overseas. In New Zealand, his form has also been sound, year after year, and he seldom plays a really bad round. His first Eisenhower was in 1962, when he was the third in his team, with 299, behind W. J. Godfrey and R. R. Newdick. In 1964 he was the top New Zealander, and his score of 297 put him third equal in the whole talented field. In 1966 he was top equal with B. A. Stevens in the New Zealand team, with 301. In 1968, he scored 294, the best for his side, and he was eighth in the field. The powerful McDougall

has done reasonably well overseas, being second New Zealander in 1958, second again—and seventh in the full field—in 1964, third of his team in 1968. He has been playing very well in New Zealand in the last year. He was a finalist in the 1969 amateur championship. He had a good record in the 1969 Freyberg, losing to R. L. G. Pease and Stevens and this year, in the same event, lost only once, to W. Rainbird of BullerWestland - Marlborough - Nelson. He shared first place in the New Zealand Forest Products-Stars Travel tournament at Te Puke, was second amateur in the P.G.A., and was sixth equal in the North Island event.

Clarke did not play in the 1969 Rose Bowl, and this year had a poor record. He lost to M. J. Fisher (Gisborne), halved with Durry, lost to Jones and R. C. Murray. His form was a matter of much concern; but at Auckland in the North Island championship, he was second to Jones, and held his New Zealand place, mainly because his principal rivals, B. C. Rafferty, R. M. Farrant and G. D. Brown, were not able to produce consistently top form in the major events of the season.

The New Zealand team for Spain has a tremendous task before it, with the cream of the world’s amateur golfers taking part; but

the experienced New Zealand team, and the results at previous Eisenhower tournaments, suggest that it should give a very good account of itself. The photograph above shows, from left, McDougall, Murray, Clarke and Jones.