Taylor back in the swing

Press, 15 September 1976, Page 40

Taylor back in the swing

BOB SCHUMACHER

By

Bruce Taylor, captain of this year’s triumphant Canterbury Freyberg golf team, is slowly getting back into the swing of things after returning recently from a three months holiday in Britain and the Continent.

The Canterbury No. 1 returned in time to play in the qualifying rounds of the Russley club championships and he' was satisfied with his rounds of 78 and 76, which placed him equal fourth.

In his first-round of matchplay at the week-end, Taylor was a comfortable winner, but he has a tough assignment this Saturday when he meets the provincial champion, James Angus. Angus beat Taylor, 1 up, in the Can-’ terbury final last April.

However, a more important and pressing engagement for Taylor this month is . the Peter Stuyvesant tournament at Titirangi, Auckland. The 54-hole stroke tournament for the Peter Stuyvesant Cup is held m conjunction with the inter-island event and Taylor is included in the South Island team of 12 The South Island will field a strong line-up and its chances of sucecss must be rated highly. The 1976 Freyberg tournament provided the southern teams with possibly their best results, Canterbury finishing first, Otago second, and Southland fourth.

Apart from Taylor, three other members of Canterbury’s victorious team — Geoff Saunders, Dennis Beggs and Colin Hoole — have won South Island honours. The one omission, Simon Robinson, was forced; he is still overseas Otago has also supplied

four members of its Freyberg side. Geoff Clarke, a seasoned international and the only South Island player to gain a place in the New Zealand team for the world amateur championship later this year, heads the quartet which also includes Ron Johnston, John Sanders and Kim McDonald.

Southland’s top two amateurs, Paul Adams and Jim Lapsley, and the No. I’s from Mid-Canterbury and Buller-Westland, Ross Murray and Fin Hobbs, respectively, complete a powerful dozen. Kevin Downie (Southland) is the reserve. Taylor, who intends to work hard on his. game in the next 10 days, enjoyed the experience of playing in the British amateur championship at St Andrew’s last June “even though I was eliminated at the first opportunity.”

Taylor was beaten in the first round, 2 and 1, by Gordon Brand, who has since been selected in the English amateur side. The course, especially the greens, was in excellent order, but it was typical Scottish weather — a misty atmosphere and a cutting wind.

“Conditions were so bitter that I wore four layers of clothing; it was hard to get the swing going as I would have liked” Taylor said. But he added that he was beaten by a better player on the day. Although Taylor has olayed few rounds in the last three months. Saunders, Beggs, and Hoole have beer well occupied with golf. Al) three played against BullerWestland and in the Town versus Country match last month, and Saunders won the Rangiora open for the third succesaive year a fortnight ago.