Dark-horse Parlane breaks golf drought

Press, 17 April 1978, Page 26

Dark-horse Parlane breaks golf drought

By

RAY CAIRNS

A three-handicapper from Christchurch who cannot even win a place in that gtflf club’s Woodward Cup earn, yesterday joined outstanding company as winner of the Russley 72-hole open. John Parlane, a stronglyjuilt 21-year-old who, most unusually and unbelievably, vas not placed in the Shir-ley-based club’s top eight players earlier this month, won, by two strokes from lan Donaldson (Greymouth), this tournament which occupies a place of much distinction in the Canterbury calendar.

Not only was his 298 total and first placing by far Parlane’s best performance in a four-round tournament — a 304 for twelfth place in the South Island championship two weeks ago was othefwise his shining effort — but it also broke a long drought for the Christchurch club.

Twenty-one years ago, it last provided the winner and the winner then was to become the possessor of the most illustrious name in New Zealand golf, Bob Charles. For the most part in the years since, the host club has provided the winner and in most cases until 1971, it was Ross Murray. Since then, Bruce Taylor has carried the torch but he lacked a little touch in his defence of the title and trailed Parlane by five strokes, in fifth place. Third place was taken by the consistent Mid-South Canterbury player, Robbie

Bell, who finished strongly but from too far back: he was five strokes behind Parlane before the final round. Parlane has earned a reputation demanding some respect for the power of his drives. But in the unfamiliar conditions provided by the week-end drizzle — holding fairways and greens instead of the rock-like .surfaces which have been greeting the drives — he forsook much of his distance from the tee.

With precious few exceptions, Parlane used a 3-wood in preference to his driver and this was a course followed bv many of his fellows. Hence, Parlane was getting the ball out as well as anyone, and, combined with his striking the irons a lot straighter, he was always a serious challenger.

Parlane’s only real lapses were in the middle rounds, where he had more trouble sinking putts, but he also had his outstanding shot: a wedge from 75m at the sixteenth which gave a muchneeded eagle. The same hole gave Parlane some anxious moments in the final round. Two under for the previous five holes, always putting for a birdie and getting the best of them from 6m at the eleventh, downhill and breaking left to right, Parlane put his drive at the sixteenth behind the line of trees splitting two fairways. His two-iron second hit them and came back to the seventeenth fairway, but Parlane still salvaged his par, with a wedge and a 2m putt. Just as Parlane’s sound iron play and putting brought him back into the tournament, the game of Mark Street, the 54-hole leader by three strokes, was falling apart. Only one-over after three rounds, Street dropped strokes with terrible regularity in the early part of his final round and crashed to- a 9-over 82 and only fourth place. As he was going under, so were Parlane’s other main

challengers feeling the pace. John Williamson, till then level with Parlane, dropped to an 83 and sixth equal, eight strokes away from the pace. . . So did Dennis Beggs, right up there and challenging but capable only of an 85 that pushed him down to twelfth equal. He must have looked enviously at the final round of John Allin, for so long a club-mate at Rangiora and now Coringa. His final-round 70 was the best of the tournament, bettering by one Parlane s opening effort. Through all these highs and lows, Donaldson was playing a typically consistent game. Like Parlane, he contented himself with less distance — a 4-wood, in this case — but was better served by his tee shots than by his irons in the latter two rounds. Donaldson hit the greens consistently on the first day but a poor back nine in the third round cost him a possible victory or play-off. He found greater pleasure in the consistency of his crosshand putting. Leading scores:—

SENIOR 298—3 R. A. Parlane. 71. 75. 77. 75. 300 — R 1. Donaldson, 75. 73. 78, 74. 301— R. Bell, 75. 78. 75, 73. 302— M. E. Street, 74. 74. 72. 82 303— B. C. Taylor. 77. 78. 73, 75. 306—J. N. Williamson, 72. 75. 76 S 3; B. Paterson. 76. 79. 75, 76* 308— G. C. Saunders. 80, 80, 73, 75; S. S Robinson. 78. 77, 77. 76. 309— J. Altin. 79 82. 78. 70; R. M. Vincent. 79. 79, 72. 79. 311—J W. A. Whitaker. 78. S 3, 76. 74; D. L. Beggs. 76. 75. 75, 85. 313—R. M. Sisson. 79. 75. 78, 81; J. M. Angus. 82. 79. 76. 76. INTERMEDIATE 313—G. N. Martin 77. 77. 80, 79. 322— A N. Williams. 84 . 80. 77, 81. 323— C. Paterson. 86. 80. 80. 77. 325—D. J. Briggs 86. 81, 79. 79. 329—P. L. Holmes. 82. 85. 80, 82. JUNIOR 344—5. W, Brannigan, 89. 83, 90. 82 on a count-back from D. R. Barley. 83 . 84 92 , 85. 349—G. D. McKenzie. 94. 84. 87. 84. 356—T. J. Hopkins, 85. 90 . 93, 85. 364—8. Ronan. 92 94. 90. 88