TITLE RETAINED WITH 18 UNDER Lister’s rush of birdies destroys all opposition

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33712, 9 December 1974, Page 34

TITLE RETAINED WITH 18 UNDER Lister’s rush of birdies destroys all opposition

(By

R. T. BRITTENDEN)

Nine holes from home, the Garden City Golf Classic at Russley yesterday was moving steadily towards a thrpat-catching climax. Then, a dizzy swing of fortunes took J. M. Lister to his third consecutive title by the astonishing margin of six strokes.

Twice during the week-end Lister produced withering runs of birdies. The charge he started at the tenth, in Sunday’s sunshine, left the field floundering in his wake.

The lean and rangy New Zealander yesterday wore, by chance or design, the green and black of his native South Canterbury. His dazzling display to win with 274—18 under—was considerable compensation for the province’s sad loss of the Ranfurly Shield.

It was a great victory, for Lister fought through a worrying period on Friday and Saturday, when he had one good round, one modest score, and achieved both after straying regularly. Few loose shots On the last two days, the loose shots were only rare. It was a deserved and spectacular success. R. Shearer (Australia), leader at half-way, was a stroke in front of Lister as they turned for home. But he weakened as Lister prospered, and Shearer was joined, in second place, by the outgoing Australian, I. Stanley. The first of Lister’s dramatic advances began at the sixth hole on Saturday. He seemed to be struggling; he had dropped a shot, after starting six behind Shearer. But he found the green in 2 at the 504-yard sixth and was down in two putts. He holed an 18-footer for a birdie at 7, a two-footer for another at 8, and eagled the ninth from 20 feet. Riding high on this wonderful wave, he sank a putt

of 30 feet for a 2 at 10, and jammed his approach at 11 so close that yet another birdie was a formality. In six holes, he retrieved seven strokes. And there were two more birdies before he holed out in 65—a record for the course as it is now.

Shearer thus relinquished his overnight lead, but he contributed to his problems by putting his tee shot, an iron, out of bounds at 16 and dropping two shots there. Changer of leaders Another of the leaders, S. Ginn, slipped badly with a 76, but Stanley made up much ground with his convincing 67. The tall American, H. Underwood, kept in touch with the lead by producing a 68. For the final round, there was a fair share of the lively winds which blew each day of the tournament, but the scoring was good again. Shearer looked rather out of touch for a while, having to effect very difficult recoveries at the opening holes. But a putt of 15 feet for a 3 at the 403-yard fourth brought him level with Lister. And when the New Zealander failed to get what was a conventional birdie at the long ninth, Shearer again took the lead. He was out in 33 (four under) to Lister’s 35. Lister had not been free of trouble either. He had his birdie at the second after being bunkered, and at the fifth cut his drive dreadfully wide, before putting his second away on the right, beside a sponsor’s hoarding. The legend on it claimed that Social Credit would get New Zealand out of the rough; encouraged, Lister fought back for his par 4. Wind on his side There were portents that this was to be Lister’s day. At 6, his drive struck a spectator; his second was none too good, his little pitch was weak. He putted from 22 feet and the ball sat on the edge of the cup for several seconds before it fell, apparently urged in by the wind. The final swing started at the tenth where Lister holed a 27-footer for his two. At 11, Shearer played a thin second through the green and dropped a stroke. Lister, vastly encouraged by his previous putt, hit a drive of 320 yards down the middle. Taller and older

“You bloody ripper,” said his playing partner, Stanley. And when Lister holed his putt for his birdie from about eight feet, Stanley held out a hand, seeking to borrow this magic club.

Two shots in front, Lister hit another booming drive at 12, and Stanley pronounced that Lister was “better than even money now.” Lister had an easy birdie there.

The thirteenth hole used to hold a macabre fascination for Lister. But the trees are a little taller, Lister a little older, and this time, it was a great 1-iron, played safely, and his fourth successive birdie.

With pars at 12 and 13, Shearer had dropped further away, and his final eclipse came at the fourteenth, where an enormous drive ended beneath a tree on the right. A shank, too bold a pitch, and an inaccurate chip gave him a two-over 6. Shearer made one final gesture, chipping in from behind the 16th green for an eagle 3, but the damage had all been done. Best in world? Lister, coasted home happily, and before a summery crowd of 5000 about the last green, pitched in to a very few feet and finished his great round with his seventh birdie. At the week-end, he was round Russley twice in 131. And his Saturday run of seven under in six holes was spoken of as a world tournament record. Little wonder he made mention, at the prize-giving, of his putter “seeming to get hot" on the last two days. Today, he and R. J. Charles are playing a challenge match at Hamilton with K. D. G. Nagle and E. W. Dunk. Then it will be holidays for

both of them — Lister fishing in the rivers of South Canterbury and at Lake Taupo; Charles, no doubt, up early to make sure he gets first use of the tractor at his Oxford farm.

Stanley’s fine run While Shearer and Lister were the principals yesterday, Stanley put in a splendid run. He made mistakes, dropping shots three times, but he had five birdies and an eagle, at the ninth, from under four feet, as rewards for much fine shot-making. Ginn, four under after 11 holes, could not sustain his run and he tied for fourth with Underwood, who had a really extraordinary round. He went out in 35 (two under), and for the first five holes had pars when everything argued he would drop shots. Rough, trees, bunkers — it was of no moment to him. He managed to get back and hole a putt, time after time.

E. Ball had a 67, to total 136 for the final rounds, and R. Vines finished the tournament with a superb round of 66. He had seven birdies and did not drop a stroke. It was a happy, wellconducted tournament, productive of much good golf. And for Crichton Cobbers, it will yield something to match last year’s sum of $10,000; and that is the main aim of the exercise.