Lapsley defeats national, golf champion

Press, 30 April 1982, Page 26

Lapsley defeats national, golf champion

PA Palmerston North The national amateur golf champion, Terry Cochrane, relinquished his crown in the first round of the 1982 New Zealand amateur golf championships at the Manawatu Golf Club in Palmerston North yesterday.

Cochrane was always trailing against Jim Lapsley, of Rangiora, and eventually lost, 3 and 2. Lapsley, one of those on the fringe of New Zealand selection, had 14 pars and two birdies and was much too steady for Cochrane, who interspersed birdie with bogey and never really settled into a steady rhythm. The game that generated most interest was that between the many-times New Zealand representative, Ted McDougall (Peninsula) and the Australian champion, Ossie Moore.

McDougall finally went down to Moore in a game that went to the eighteenth before Moore stroked home a five-metre putt for his third birdie in four successive- winning holes.

It was a sad end for McDougall, who had dominated the game until the fifteenth, when he made a mistake that gave Moore the edge. McDougall had a two-hole advantage at this stage, but instead of attacking he- used a three wood and immediately he hit into the righthand rough. He could make no great impression with a second attempted wood, and had to sit back and lose the hole when Moore landed on the green for two.

The “terror” sixteenth was halved in pars, but Moore had a lucky break on the seventeenth that probably sealed the match. His drive went away to the left and he had to play off a bare patch, didn’t hit well, but the ball landed short of the green and ran on and on to finish within a foot of the pin. McDougall, three metres away with his second, gave

Moore his putt and then just missed his own. Moore then landed that putt on the eighteenth to settle matters. It was the end of a great match. The leading qualifiers, Colin Taylor (Hamilton) and Rodney Barltrop (Miramar), had easy enough wins, although Taylor had to play well to dispose of Gus Jones (Shandon).

Jones was one-under at the turn and only square, and twice in the space of three holes he had to watch while Taylor landed seven-metre putts to totally negate the advantage Jones had gained by slapping the ball right on the flag. The Australians fared well on the day, although a couple of their junior team lost their positions in the field. Michael Barltrop (Manukau) was right on the verge of defeat by Philip Johnson (Aust.) but sneaked through to win, 2 and 1.

Peter Sweeney was another in minor trouble at the turn, against Greg Dyer (Manukau), but his experience told over the final few holes.

Eric Couper was one Australian forced to ’fight very hard—Robert Rookes (New Plymouth) took him to the twenty-first in the day’s longest match.

One of the great comebacks was produced by an Auckland priest, Peter HayMacKenzie, who was three down to John Williamson (Christchurch) on the turn and lost the tenth as well. From that stage Williamson lost every hole, three of them in a row with threeputt greens and he was beaten on the seventeenth.

Results were.— C. Taylor (Hamilton) beat G. Jones (Shannon) 3 and 2; Radka (Greenacres) beat J. Dixon (Harewood), 3 and 1; I. Peters (Springfield) beat G. Grootelaar (Shannon), 6 and 5; J. Lapsley (Rangiora) beat .T. Cochrane (Waitemata), 3 and 2; I. Hood (Aust.) beat J. Finn' (North Shore), 2 and 1; J. Billington (Miramar) beat S. Partridge (Manukau), at the nineteenth; P. Hay-MacKenzie (Grange) beat J. . Williamson (Christchurch), 2 and 1. E. Couper (Aust.) beat R. Rookes (New Plymouth), at the twenty-first; I. Strickett (Greenacres) beat L. Cochrane (Waitemata), 4 and 2; P. J. Heasley (Harewood) beat M. L.eitch (Maungakiekie), 2 and 1; K. McDonald (St Clair) beat K. Waite (Manawatu) at the nineteenth; M. Barltrop (Manukau) beat P. Johnson (Aust.), 2 and 1; T. Treen (Auckland) beat D. Smith (Aust.), 1-up; A. Olivecrona (Hutt) beat J. Kurta (New Plymouth), 7 and 5; P. Dench (Manawatu) beat M. Williams (Te Awamutu) at the nineteenth. P. Sweeney (Aust.) beat G. Dyer (Manukau), 2 and 1; G. Turner (Otago) beat K. Johnson (Rotorua), 6 and 4; G. Waite (Manawatu), beat G. Ritchie (Muriwai), 4 and 3; B. Soland (Titirangi) beat W. Murtha (Greymouth). 4 and 3; M. Atkinson (St Clair) beat P. Street (New Plymouth), 2 and 1; K. Haslett (Aust.) beat B. Shannon (Rangitikei), 2-up; R. Mac Kay (Aust.) beat M. C. Leitch (Manukau), 2 and 1.

H. Perenara (Levin) beat N. Johnson (Murupara), 3 and 2; P. Aickin (Whitford Park) beat R. Burney (Manukau). 2 and 1; O. Moore (Aust.) beat E. J. McDougall (Peninsula). 1-up; T. Pulman (Grange) beat J. Kupa (Napier), 3 and 1; N. Gaskin (Levin) beat O. Kendall (Mt Maunganui), 2 and 1; M. Street (Templeton County) beat E. Fowler (Akarana). 5 and 4; R. M. Barltrop (Miramar) beat C. W. Moore (Shannon), 7 and 6; D. Harper (Maraenui) beat C. Creed (Miramar). 4 and 2; D. Little (Westownj beat S. Morpeth (Opotiki), 1-up; B. Paterson (Coringa) beat C. Treen (Peninsula), 2-up.