Turner disappointed by failure in Hoy lake golf

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33869, 14 June 1975, Page 4

Turner disappointed by failure in Hoy lake golf

(By

GRAHAM SKELLERN)

LONDON. A former Canterbury' 4 golfer, Des Turner, went to the British amateur championship full of hope and confidence . . . but returned home emptty-handed and disappointed.

Having finished in the last 16 last year and becoming the Worcestershire county champion in the meantime, the 38-year-old Turner had good reason to display some confidence. His aspirations, too, took a brighter note when his major obstacle to the closing stages, the American Walker Cup star, George Burns 111, was defeated in the second round by the South African, Gavin Levenson. Burns was the only seeded player in Turner’s pool.

But along came another Walker Cup player — this time British — and Turner’s challenge ended prematurely in the third round of the prestigious tournament on the Royal Liverpool Club’s seaside course at Hoylake. After two encouraging victories, Turner was outgunned around the greens by the outstanding 21-year-old, Mark James, to lose 3 and 2 on the third day of the week-long tournament.

Turner could not handle the short approach shots to the bumpy and deceiving Hoylake greens. James — the holder of the English matchplay title — had mastered'the technique and was at ease on the greens

j to gam the upper hand. Turner, the former Freyberg golfer who won the Canterbury stroke and matchplay titles, proved j superior on the fairways as James’ drives and long i irons strayed from rough i to rough. "The secret over here is to hit the ball on a tight line and somehow make the ball stop on the hard surfaces of the greens. If you work out a club to use and practise, you become good. James has done this ' — I haven’t had time to j perfect it,” said Turner, [ who arrived to live in Engi land seven weeks ago. During this third round | match, the New Zealander I tried five different clubs to i pitch the ball a foot or so ■ from the pin. "I tried a wedge, then a roll with an : eight iron. In the end, I didn’t really know what I i was doing.” j As the golfers walked up the hilly ninth hole, Turner I asked James: “What's the

best technique for around the greens?” The Lincolnshire Burghley Park golfer replied: “I’ve worked it out — and you’ve got the wrong approach.” After victories of 5-4 and 7-6, James was under constant pressure until the fifteenth hole against Turner. With consecutive birdies, the Englishman was two up after three holes then three up after six when Turner failed with the first of many chips. However, the New Zealander birdied the par-five eighth for a win, and then James played his worst hole by driving into the rough and completely fluffing a chip to throw away the ninth.

The golfers could not be parted for the next four holes until the fourteenth when James gained his third birdie on a par-five Another win on the fifteenth sealed his victory. As expected. Turner beat the Irish two-handicapper,

Sean Flannagan (by one hole) and the American John Schubeck, a scratch club golfer from Louisville. 2 and 1 in his earlier rounds. ,

Now Turner, who works for Precision Golf Forging, in Birmingham, is practising hard for the British open pre-qualifying tournament in three weeks. After missing the final line-up by three strokes last year, Turner is determined to find a place in the major tournament to realise a long-held ambition. He is among 600 prequalifiers who will fight for the final 100 positions. Four 36-hole tournaments will be held at the Scottish Panmure, Monifeth and the Old and New St Andrews courses a week before the start of the open at Carnoustie.

Last year, only four amateurs qualified for the famous event.

Depending on business commitments. Turner hopes to be back in action for the English . matchplay championship at Royal Lytham — St Annes, near Liverpool, beginning on July 21.