Lister forces play-off

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34042, 5 January 1976, Page 20

Lister forces play-off

(2V.Z. Press Association)

TAURANGA. Consistency paid off for John Lister of Timaru when he shot a powerful five-under-par 65 in the final round of the 1976 golden jubilee N.Z.P.G.A. golf championship at Tauranga yesterday. He forced a sudden death;

Jplay-off against Bill Brask ((United States), and then went on to win his second championship.

At the start of the day it seemed almost inconceivable that the title would go to anyone but Brask or the Tasmanian, David Good, who were 16 and 17-under par respectively. Lister was five strokes behind on 12-under, and the way Brasi: and Good had played ;the first three rounds it seemed the New Zealander was out of contention, even if he scored a blistering round.

More than 1000 people waited behind the first tee for the “guns” to hit off. Most went with Brask and his partner, Stewart Ginn (Australia), who was well off the pace at nine-under. Last away were Lister and Good. GALLERY RIGHT Early in the round it seemed that the gallery, which grew by the minute, was right. Brask made light of the first, seven holes, pick- ; ing up four birdies as he powered past Good’s score to 20under par.

However on the second nine Brask’s touch seemed to leave him and he failed to make the last three greens in regulation figures, dropping strokes at each. Good was heading for a round of 72. Brask went through the green at the eighteenth, chipped short and two-putted for one-over, while Lister reached the eighteenth in two and had only to sink a 14-foot uphill putt to take the title. He missed by a few inches, and the play-off began at the sixteenth.

On the first hole of the play-off neither player made the proper fairway, but Lister reached the green 40 feet frc- the pin with a long shot from out on the seventeenth.

[while Brask skirted some I t rees from out on the ftfIteenth fairway to hit the green about 16 feet from the pin. Both two-putted.

On the seventeenth, Brask again drove wide of the mark and ended on the sixteenth fairway, leaving himself a difficult second over tall trees. He hit the green but was about 25 feet from the hole. Lister played his second from the centre of the seventeenth fairway and his ball stopped less than two feet from the hole.

Brask just failed with his birdie putt, but after a long hard look Lister put his straight into the centre of the hole and it was all over. Results:

263—J. Lister 66, 65, 67, 65 ($4000); VV. Brask 61, 68, 65, 69 ($2400), 265—D. Good 67, 61, 65, 72 ($1800). 271—8. Jones 69, 67, 67, 68; S. Ginn 69, 66, 66, 70; S. Owen 68, 68, 66, 69 ($1066 each). 275— P. Firmstone 74, 71, 64, 66; G. Wolstenholme 70, 71. 66, 68 ($570 each). 276 — (A.) E. J. McDougall 70. 72, 66, 68. 278— (A.) S. F. Reese 70, 73, 69, 66; A. Snape 66, 74, 7b, 68 ($455). 279— P. Hamblett 71, 70, 72, 66; J, Carter 70, 72, 70, 67; R. R. Newdick 74, 71, 69, 65.

230—K. D. G. Nagle'69, 72, 73, 67; It. C. Coombes 63, 74, 69, 69; D. J. Clark 70, 71, 68, 71. 281— Stanley 67 . 72. 73 , 67; B. Betley 74, 71, 67, 69: M. Tapper 72, 65, 68, 76. 282— (A.) A. Bonnington 71, 72, 72, 67; J. Reid 74, 71, 69. 68; IT. Kennedy 70. 68, 74, 70. 233—C. Owen 71, 72, 70. 70; A. Cooper 70, 72, 70, 71. 284— (A.) K. C. Murray 70, 73, 73, 68; (A.) B. Leach 75, 67, 72, 70- R. J. Charles 67. 69, 77, 71: P. Shadlock 69. 77, 73, 71; B. Vivian 70, 73, 69, 72. 285 — C. McGregor 70, 72, 74, 69; G. Holst 73, 72, 70, 70: A. Palmer 74. ; 69, 68, 74. 286— W Davies 72. 69. 76, 69; W. Mackintosh 72, 72, 70, 70; (A.) M. N. Nicholson 72, 73, 69, 72; (A.) P. Garner 74, 69, 71, 72; M. Bohen 68. 71, 75, 72. 288—J. Parkinson 70, 73, 73, 72; B. Boys 74: 69, 72, 73. 239—(A.) J. Ward 72. 71, 76, 70: P. Mahoney 73, 71. 72, 73.