Lister deserved success but Charles gave him a fright

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33090, 4 December 1972, Page 24

Lister deserved success but Charles gave him a fright

(By

R. T. BRITTENDEN)

A blade or two of fine-cut grass contributed to the most exciting finish imaginable in the Garden City Golf Classic at Russley yesterday. J. M. Lister was a popular winner but R. J. Charles, needing a birdie at the last hole to force a play-off, put in a bold, brave putt from 35 feet.

It struck the back of the hole firmly, but the ball jumped out and sat on the edge, looking willing to fall. So there was a magnificent finish to a tournament in which far more players than usual were in contention after the first two rounds. Contrasting golf But it was a strange weekend of golf. On Saturday, Charles played a round he described as “junk” because he made so many mistakes; but his professional skill and coolness of approach saw him round in a three-under 70. Lister, playing splendidly, returned a 69, and joined Charles and Sukree Onsham, of Thailand, in the lead. Yesterday, the roles were reversed. Charles played steadily and reduced his errors dramatically. Lister seemed to be all over the course, but his great recoveries left him with 71, a shot ahead of Charles, and two in front of Onsham and the strong-finishing young Australian, J. Newton. Vines faded By Saturday evening, Charles, Lister and Onsham were tied in the lead on 209, with K. D. G. Nagle and R. C. Vines three shots back. Vines, co-leader at half-way with Charles and Onsham, fell away in the bleak southerly wind, but little Onsham, remarkably steady, held together well. He had some anxious moments, and had to hole a long putt for his 5 at the sixteenth, a success he marked by a delighted little jog-trot off the green.

Charles was in all sorts of bother, and made some miraculous recoveries, none better than at the first hole, where he had a little putt for a birdie after pulling into the trees. Lister seemed very assured, with good reason. He kept the ball consistently straight, he hit some magnificent, strong irons, and he putted well. He was three under after a spectacular 5-iron had found the green at the 502-yard sixth. Bold and lucky He and Charles, playing together, drew in almost all the spectators, and it was an absorbing struggle. Lister was a little lucky at the par-5 thirteenth, a hole he attacks time after time,, with varying degrees of success. On this occasion, his attempt to go over the trees resulted in a cut wood which left him in cocksfoot, but with a clear line. In went a 9-iron, and he all but scored an eagle from 12 feet. A third round usually presents its contrasts—the leaders conscious of their position, the back-markers attacking vigorously. The New Zealander, F. A. Molloy, put in a bid with a five-under homeward run of 31; the American, R. Funseth, had a 71; a young Australian, P. Croker, turned in a fine 69. Amateur has 68 But the best round of the day was that of the talented Otago amateur, C. Alldred, surely a New Zealand representative before long. Only a tee shot into trees at the seventeenth cost him a stroke. He hit 17 greens, had 30 putts, and scored six birdies.

Alldred finally finished top amateur, one stroke ahead of F. Whitaker (Otago) and E. H. M. Richards (Canterbury). Yesterday, it seemed that no-one wanted to win, for a while. None of the leaders could get a break on the others, Lister going out in 36, Charles in par 37, Onsham in 39. Onsham .seemed to have lost his chance there. He had a dreadful 6 at the first hole, missed a little putt at the short third, and was three over. Lister started with a 10-foot birdie, but thereafter struggled to hold his game together. Nearly a tragedy It was a trying day for him. There were trees at the second, and a lucky rebound. At the third, he was marking his ball when his putter slipped from beneath his arm and nudged the ball. But it did not roll, and there was no penalty: only a fright. When Lister three-putted the tenth, Charles caught him. But Lister birdied 12, 13 and 14—-a magnificent burst. Onsham came back into the picture with his birdies at 9, 10 and 11. At the ninth (497

yards), he was on for two with an iron second: he has amazing length for one so small and slight. And Onsham was the only one of the three to birdie 16. That left him and Charles only a stroke behind.

Lister, having dropped a shot at the fifteenth, played a dreadful drive at the sixteenth, but was fortunate to have a clear shot out of the trees. Down the seventeenth fairway he went; then came a wedge, the ball clearing the tall pines, climbing into the clear blue sky, and falling sweetly on to the green. He had a safe 5. Uncertain putt Lister had a chance to close out the opposition at the seventeenth, when a fine second put him three feet from the pin. Ha missed the birdie putt. “I wasn’t quite sure what the ball would do, and when you are not sure of the line, you can’t give it a good putting stroke,” he said later. Charles did not get near enough to the seventeenth hole to more than hope for a birdie, and here it was that Onsham’s run ended. He played an aggressive second, looking for a birdie, but the ball went through to trees behind the green, and he dropped a stroke. Lister, at the last hole, cut his drive but he played a splendid second to thi green and was safely home in 4. Charles, needing the birdie, pulled his tee shot and had a very unhappy lie. But he drew in his iron spectacularly and made that wonderful effort to save the day. Lister’s victory was well received by the crowd of about 3000; a play-off would no doubt have been welcomed too. Third victory “My game was not completely under control,” Lister said, with a meaning smile. “But after the first two holes, I tried to keep out of real trouble.” This was the third major, 72-hole tournament Lister had won. For Charles, it was run-

ner-up at Russley for the third successive year.

The leaders had the crowds, but there was some great golf ahead of them. Newton, who this year has won the Dutch Open and the Benson and Hedges Classic in England, had four birdies in his 68, and also lived up to reputation by holing a wedge for an eagle 2 at the seventeenth. Nagle also had an eagle—a magnificent drive at the eleventh, and a sand-iron from 45 yards out. It was, though, a great day for Lister. It began with him watching the Rugby test on television. And by late afternoon, he had ended a golfing drought which had worried him—and his host of friends and admirers.