Boys’ golf title to M. Elley

Press, 14 May 1982, Page 28

Boys’ golf title to M. Elley

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

An Avondale golfer, Mark El ley, won the Sonth Island boy’s golf championship at Harewood yesterday. Elley eliminated the favourite, David O’Keefe (Russley) in their semi-final and downed Glen Brinsdon (Gore), 2 and 1, in the 18-hole final.

Elley, aged 17, started playing golf in Singapore three years ago when his father was based there with the Army. He came to Christchurch 16 months ago and has rapidly reduced his handicap to three.

The winner of the Elley and O’Keefe semi-final was expected to win the final, and for most of the morning it looked as if O’Keefe, the top qualifier and a twohandicapper, was going to succeed. Elley admitted that before he was fully aware of what was happening he was four down. O’Keefe, with two early birdies, led by that margin after six holes, but Elley’s sound putting kept him in the match. At the turn, Elley had reduced the deficit to two holes and by consistently hol-

ing testing putts of between 1 and 2m, he placed pressure on O’Keefe, whose own putting declined. Elley squared the match at the seventeenth when O’Keefe was bunkered and, after they halved the eighteenth, Elley won the first extra hole with a par. In the other semi-final, Brinsdon and Hugh McLeod (Harewood) kept within a hole of one another. They were level after the seventeenth, but Brinsdon won the last with a par. Elley gained an early lead in the final with the only birdie of the match at the

second and he went two up after seven. With his even, controlled swing, Elley was not so prone to error as Brinsdon and he again putted confidently. But Brinsdon, a six-handi-capper, fought valiantly and saved holes that looked lost with deadly chipping and once with a putt from off the green. When Elley lapsed for the first time with a small putt at 15, Brinsdon was back to one down. The sixteenth was halved and Elley clinched the title at the seventeenth when Brinsdon was bunkered

and, in spite of a fine explosion shot, he missed his putt and lost the hole to a par. The scoring was not spectacular, but both players were mostly steady. Elley was four over par at the finish and his ability to avoid trouble and hole vital putts gave him the edge, albeit slight. Results:— Semi-finals.—M. Elley (Avondale) beat D. J. O’Keefe (Russley), at the nineteenth; G. Brinsdon (Gore) beat H. McLeod (Harewood), one up. Final.—Elley beat Brinsdon, two and one.