FOUR CONSECUTIVE CLASSICS Classy finish sets seal on another Lister win

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34020, 8 December 1975, Page 28

FOUR CONSECUTIVE CLASSICS Classy finish sets seal on another Lister win

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN)

i hey should put a plaque in the rough beside the seventeenth fairway at Russley. to mark the spot from which John Lister slammed the door on his opponents in the Garden City Golf Classic yesterday.

This was the most memorable shot in a ournament which • ieklec! its full quota of emarkahle recoveries, ml it came when the “ad. which he had won or the first time at the ixty-ninth hole was in “iipardy.

Lister’s drive at 16 was ragged into trees and the ill fell into a bunker beside he seventeenth green. If he tad tried to play out down ‘he sixteenth, he would have had both feet outside and ibove the bunker. He chose instead to use the seventeenth fairway, and with this in mind he was able to get a foot into the sand. But the shot was a dismal failure, the ball running at a sad little lope into rough on Lister’s left.

From there, the prospect; was anything but alluring.) The pines, 20 metres high, which guard the sixteenth green from such backdoor approaches seemed to be standing on the horizon; there was a bunker almost in the line to the flag. Lister pondered long, before taking out a 2-iron and playing a shot he will remember for the rest of his life. Lister is very strong, and he hit this shot with all the power at his command. The ball flew obediently, climbing beautifully for the 65 metres to the trees, dropping over the tops, and skirting the bunker to finish just at the back of the green. It was the shot of an Arnold Palmer, a champion. Last flourish From that magnificent blow. Lister won his par 5 and the evidence he needed that this was in fact going to be another of his days. Thus encouraged, 'he pitched in to 17 and sank a threemetre putt for his birdie, and then signed off, flamboyantly, by coming out of the rough again at 18. and holed a putt of similar length for another birdie. It was satisfactory that this year, the Classic winner should be awarded a new brown jacket. Lister had won the black on’e in each of the three previous years, and was, perhaps, beginning to think it was getting a little tattv.

This fourth victory was the most remarkable of them all. In other years, he had had his problems, but had produced bursts of sustained brilliance and top form to carry him through. This year, he struggled all the way, fighting loss of control.

His winning score was 283, nine strokes under par, but nine more than his total last year. This was understandable. for there were wind problems all through the tournament. The breezes swung round the compass i day by day, starting with a fresh easterly on Thursday and getting back to the) same quarter yesterday. Saturday’s southerly blew many hopes asunder: four > of the leaders — Dennis : Beggs, George Archer, Brian Jones, and Craig Owen — all had 78s. At the short third, where the top players had been using 9-irons and wedges, they were hitting 6 and 7-irons. Jones, co-leader on Friday night, had more than the wind to worry him. He said he had a mental block about his game, which had gone off, and he finished the tournament with a second 78. Brask close But there was nothing quite as eccentric as the performance of the promising New Zealand professional, Barry Vivian. He started with an unhappy 76, improved on that by a startling 11 strokes, slipped by 16 shots on Saturday, but knocked nine off that score yesterday. When the last round began, Stewart Ginn was the leader by a stroke from Lister, but six strokes covered the top 15 players. It soon resolved itself, however, into a battle between Ginn and Lister, with Bill Brask. of America, close enough to pounce at the first sign of faltering. For much of the round, Ginn played much more authoritative golf than Lister. There were far -fewer

errors from the tees, he hit his irons safely, and he looked a winner. Lister lurched about the course like a drunken sailor, making remarkable recoveries to salvage pars at the first two holes, but succumbing finally at the short third. Violent ; pulls and hooks were his ■ bugbear. At the third. Ginn, ■ holing a 4m putt, for 2, went three strokes clear. Curling putt With his mop of fair curly; hair, his youthful appearance, and his plus-fours — yesterday’s ensemble, was) identified by one of golf’s) mod. squad as ‘‘Paris pink”; — Ginn attracted a large; gallery. Some of them were there, no doubt, because of his performance at the first on Saturday. At this 298 m hole, he drove the green and sank a putt of 18m across and down the slope. There was no such virtuosity yesterday,, but he) looked sound and confident. But he failed to get a birdie at 6. and Lister did, with a 2m putt after being in a pot. And Ginn played 9, another birdie hole, badly — a weak second into a trap, an explosion which flew the green, a chip back too strong, and a 6. So at the turn. Lister was again but one behind, although having a fearful struggle to keep his game under control. It seemed clear that the crux of the tournament would be at 14 and 15, the two most difficult holes in the second nine, and encountered at a most critical period.

So it transpired. At 14 Lister did not make the green, chipped up short, but courageously holed a curling 2m putt for his 4. Ginn, a few minutes later, was through the green, putted from 2m off the surface, and missed a putt of little more than a metre.

Both of them missed the fifteenth green, but Lister chipped absolutely dead,

while Ginn failed with one of about 3m. So Lister won a lead he was to hold and extend. Popular win Barry Jaeckel, in third place overnight, had less success managing his clubs than he might have enjoyed handling a team of wild horses. Like Leacock’s horsemen, he galloped off madly in all directions and his misdemeanours brought him a strange first half consisting of. an eagle, a birdie, a par, and six one-overs.

Brask, three years ago a big and wild hitter with a; good short game, is now a fine player who keeps out of trouble and who still chips and putts better than almost anyone on the circuit. He has enjoyed spectacular success in Australia and New Zealand, and he was seldom far from the lead yesterday. With five holes to go. he trailed Lister by a single shot, but an error at 14, a three-putt at 16, and Lister’s splendid finish, left him four strokes in arrears.

The best round yesterday was that of Hal Underwood, who had five birdies going out in 32 and nicked up another shot coming home for a 67 — a return of his Dunedin form. Robert Taylor, of Australia, was within two inches of a hole-in-one at 10 —and the car which would have gone with an ace. Dennis Beggs, of Rangiora, was a clear and popular winner of the amateur section. He finished one under par for the 72 holes. Yesterday he played brilliantly to go four under after 10, but slipped here and there later. Geoff Saunders was five shots back, finishing with a fine 72. Paul Hartstone was a little unlucky not to be level with him. At 16 his ball seemed safe within bounds, but could not be found, and he had to record a seven. But he finished with two birdies and scored 298.

If the scoring at the 1975 Classic was not as dramatic as in other years, it was a highly successful and wellconducted tournament, with the closeness of the contest reflected in public interest. Gate takings were up by almost 25 per cent, to 8’5400. Scores.—

283—J. M. Lister (N.Z.), 68, 74. 71, 70 ($3750).

286— S. Ginn (Aust.). 70, 70, 72, 74 t 52250). 287— B. Brask (U.S.). 71, 73. 71, 72 ($1450). 289— G. Archer (U.S.). 69. 72, 78, 70: N. Ratcliffe (Aust.), 75. 69. 72, 73; B. Jaeckel (U.S.), 75. 67, 72, 75 (each $961.66). 290— H. Underwood (U.S.), 75, 73, 75, 67: K. D. G. Nagle (Aust.), 70. 75, 73, 72: R. Davis (Aust.). 72, 76. 69. 73 (each $525). 291— D. L. Beggs (A., Rangiora), !70, 71. 78, 72: D. Clark (N.Z.), 77, 170, 74, 70; E. W. Dunk (Aust.). 76, 71. 74, 76; C. N. Owen (N.Z.), 71, 711 78, 71 (each $353.33).

292—E. A. Ball (Aust.), 72, 73, 76, 71; B. Betley (U.S.), 72. 73, 74. 73: B. Clark (U.S.), 72, 76, 72,

72; A. Cooper (Aust.), 71, 75, 77, 69; J. Kinsev (U.S.). 74, 72, 76. 70; B. Vivian (N.Z.), 76. 65, 81, 70; B. Glider (U.S.). 72. 69, 74. 77 (each $232,141. 293— S. M. Owen (N.Z.), 78, 69, 75, 71; V. Somers (Aust.), 74. 72, 73, 69; G. Parslow (Aust.l, 70, 77, 71. 75; R. Taylor (Aust.), 72, 77, 69, 75; F. Phillips (Aust.). 67, 75, 75. 76 (each S 185). 294— R. J. Charles (N.Z.). 74, 73, 74, 73; R. Hore (Aust.), 76. 73,

75, 70; G. Serhan (Aust.). 75, 68, 30, 71; G. B. Wolstenholme (Aust.), 76, 73. 75, 70 (each $162.50).

295— M. Bohen (U.S.), 76. 74, 72, 73; W. Davies (N.Z.). 73. 77. 72, 73; P. Firmstone (Aust.), 76, 73, 75, 71; P. G. Hamblett (N.Z.), 72. 74, 77, 72 (each $133.75). 296— K. Garner (Aust.). 76. 70, 78, 72: G. C. Saunders (A.. Christchurch). 74, 74. 76, 72; R. C. Vines (Aust.). 78 71, 75. 72; D. Good (Aust.), 71. 74. 73. 78; S. Brew (U.S.), 72, 74. 72. 78; B. Jones (Aust.), 72. 68. 78. 78 (each $661. 297— P. N. Croker (Aust.), 78, 74, 70, 75; M. Ferguson (Aiist.), 75, 71, 75, 76; J. M Orrick (Aust.). 72. 76, 75. 74. 298— P. E. Hartstone (A., Russley). 74. 75. 76. 73; B. Milgate (Aust.), 77, 76. 72, 73. 299— T. Johnson (U.S.). 74, 72. 78, 75: T. Linskey (Aust.). 71, 70, 77. 81: P. Shadlock iN.Z.I. 77. 76. 73, 73.

301—P. Mahoney i.N’.Z.i, 76, 76, 74, 75; A. P. Snape (N.Z.i, 72. 77, 77, 75; 1.. Winchester (U.S.), 75.

73, 76. 77. 302—G. D. Smart (N.Z.i. 73. 77 73, 79.

305—J. M. Angus (A.. Russlev), 75, 78, 74, 78; H. Ashbv (U.K.), 79, 72, 75, 79. 307—R. H. A. Bradlev (A., Wellington), 73. 78. 75. 81. 310—J. L. Allin (A., Rangiora), 78, 75, 79, 78. (A.) denotes amateur.