Day of upsets at N.Z. golf championships

Press, 11 May 1979, Page 23

Day of upsets at N.Z. golf championships

P\ * Paraparaumu Leading qualifiers fell by the wayside during a day of upsets in the New Zealand golf championships at Paraparau mu beach yesterday.

The top qualifier, Geoff Clarke, won through, but the next four. Ronnie Johnston, the defending champion Frank Nobilo, Tony Proctor and Tim McDonald were all eliminated.

Johnston lost 2/1 to his St Calir clubmate John Finn. Nobilo was edged out two tip by Paraparaumu player Michael Bartlett. Proctor lost 3/2 to former international Peter Creighton, while McDonald went down by the same margin to littleknown Michael Small of Manor Park. To knock the punters’ predictions for six, John Durrv stormed round the back tine to eliminate Southland’s ”ruce Soulsby. Bartlett’s win over Nobilo was not entirely unexpected by the locals. The twenty-year-old, who only last week regained a place in the Wellington team, has been playing well. A reserve on two occations for the national junior team, Bartlett took full advantage of an indifferent Nobilo start to be four up after 11. Nobilo birdied the

par five (twelfth) and a one over five on the thirteenth was good enough for the win, bringing the deficit back to two holes. But the defending champion threeputted at the par three 'fourteenth to go three down again. Bartlett yanked his second shot left of the fifteenth green and Nobilo made a straightforward par to grab 'the hole.

McDonald dropped eleven [shots and never really threatened Small. The former amateur champion. Durry. provided some inspiring play. The 42-year-old, who has won the title on three previous occasions was behind for most of his match against Soulsby. But he scrambled a miraculous par at the thirteenth and then won the next four holes with a birdie, birdie, par. par burst. “It was that I putt at thirteen that (started it,” an obviously delighted Durry said later. Soulsby had hit the deimanding thirteenth in two while Durry was wide and i short to the right. He wediged off a nasty lie to within

four metres, just off the putting surface, and sunk the putt.

That half gave the former champion confidence. He rifled a short iron in two metres away at the fourteenth and made his two and then canned a slippery four metre shot for another birdie at 15.

Soulsby three-putted 16 and then missed the green at 17 on the left to drop another shot and the match. The 16-year-old Soulsby was expected to be a front runner for the title. He reached the final eight in the tournament last year and is the world under-16 champion. Results: —

First round.—G. E. Clarke (St Clair> beat R. Ng (Miramar), 4 and 3; A. Smith (Lochiel) beat T. Scott (Takapuna), 2 and 1; T. R. Pulman (The Grange) beat G. D. White (Wellington). 1 up; D. F. Prosser (Shandon) beat J. W McKenzie (Hastings), 2 up; N. H. Johnson (Tauranga) beat R. Olivecrona (Hutt). 2 and 1; I. A. Peters (Springfield) beat K. U. Hayden (Paraparaumu), 3 and 2; P Dench (Palmerston North i beat T. Cochrane • Waitemata i. at the twenty-first; M. W. Small (Manor Park) beat K. McDonald (St Clair), 3 and 2;

A. J. Cawley (Stratford) beat P, K. Keenan (Levin), 5 and 4; R. Ritchie (Muriwai) beat B. Ball (Remuerai, 3 and 2; K. A. Ronert (Shandoni beat G. E. Reid (Paraparaumu), 3 and 2; J. D. Durry (Paraparaumu) beat B. Soulsby (Invercargill), 3 and 1; S. Bittle (Hainiitom beat D. Turner (Kusslev), G and 4: D. A. J. Render-Walsh (Shandon) beat C. Treen (Peninsula), 6 and 5; M. E. Baritrop (Manakau) beat B. Barron (Paraparaumu), 5 and 4; M. Bartlett (Paraparaumu) beat F. Nobilo (Titirangi), 2 up: P. K. Creighton (The Grange) beat A. Procter tParaparaumu), 3 and 2; R. H. Bradley (Miramar) beat R. T. Hogg (Hutt). 3 and 2; J. B. Williams (Paraparaumu) beat N. J. Horgan (Ha re wood). 2 and 1; S. J. Barron (Paraparaumu) beat K. R. Downie (Invercargill), 2 and 1; N. Gaskin (Levin) beat S. A. Transam (Napierj, 1 up; C. H. Lacy (Paraparaumu) beat A. C. Candy (Hutt). 2 and 1; F. T. Hobbs (Westport) beat R. Rookes (Foxton), 2 and 1; B. C. Taylor (Russleyi beat J. Smale (Coringa). at the nineteenth; M. T. Davidson (Miramar) beat M. Webber (Paraparaumu), at the nineteenth: S. Creighton (Paraparaumu) beat J. Billinton (Miramar). 1 up: P. J. Aickin (Whitford Park) beat G. Kirk (Carterton). 3 and 1: J. G. Gatley (Lochiel) beat J. Ferregel (The Grange), 2 up; R. M. Barltrop (Miramar) beat S. W. Street (Harewoody 4 and 3; T. Treen (Titirangi) beat P. Mosley (North Shore), 4 and 3; J. H. Lapsley (Winton) beat M. McDonald (Manor Park). 1 up: J. Finn (St Clair) beat R. J. Johnston (St Clair), 2 and 1.