Victory to Gale after dramatic last four holes

Press, 29 November 1982, Page 42

Victory to Gale after dramatic last four holes

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

After finishing runner-up in the New Zealand BP Open golf championship last year, Terry Gale, of Australia, could only improve his position by one in this year’s Open and that he did at Shirley yesterday.

A dramatic late swing in fortune over the last four holes resulted in Gale turning a two-stroke deficit after 14 holes into a two-stroke advantage over Bob Charles at the end of 18. The sudden and unexpected reversal came through some excellent golf from Gale near the end — he had birdies at 16 and 18 — and some indifferent play by .Charles at 15 and 16. He dropped shots at both holes. Even Gale, aged 36 and a professional since 1976, was surprised at the sudden turn the tournament took. A roar from the gallery behind him told him that Charles had been successful with a long birdie putt at the tenth to go four under par. , Gale had just dropped a shot at the twelfth to return to two under. “As I went down the ■ thirteenth, I thought I was probably only playing for second.” However, Gale proved the right man for the pressure situations over the final holes, and he had his share of them, although not to the same extent as Charles. At the thirteenth, Gale blasted from a bunker arid saved par with a 2m putt. An excellent, chip brought him a. par at 14 and he almost had a birdie at 15; his 5m putt curled around the back of the hole, “I had to give it a go at the sixteenth,” he remarked. He was just short for . two bn the. par-5 hole and his sand iron approach trickled by the hole. “It was a comfortable birdie and a nice one to get.” The seventeenth had been a bad hole for Gale all week and he missed the green again, but he pitched to within Im for his par and another perfect sand iron approach at the last left him a 1.5 m putt which gave him no bother. Charles, who had a twostroke lead ' over Gale and Art Russell, of the United States, after the third round on Saturday, had lost his lead after only two "holes. .Gale started with two birdies and Charles dropped a shot at the first. / The tournament revolved around the pair as the other top players dropped away at a surprisingly quick rate. The two were tied at the turn, but Charles had a firm grip on the Open when he

i hoped his 5m birdie putt at • the tenth and Gale dropped • one at the twelfth. Charles, the popular “elder ; statesman” of New Zealand ; professional golf, holed a superb 3m downhill putt for a par at 14, but the next two ■ holes brought about his downfall. He missed the fairway at 15 and his second clipped an intervening gum tree and he was bunkered. He narrowly missed a long putt for par. The sixteenth is not a difficult hole, but Charles had his worst drive of the tournament. A cut drive left him in the rough and little choice other than to push one on to the fairway. His third shot caught a trap and he missed a 2m putt for his par. He needed two- birdies on the final holes to force a play-off but that was asking too much. Charles was in no danger of losing the second prize monry of almost $BOOO. He was four strokes ahead of Mike Colandro, a stocky Texan whose 71 was one of only four, below-par rounds on a day which promised better scoring in spite of the moderate wind which changed directions three times. Gale’s share of the $BO,OOO purse was $14,400 and his earnings this year advanced top about $140,000 — easily his’best. However, it was not the biggest tournament win this year.. The widely-travelled Australian collected $22,000. from his victory in the Yomiuri tournament in japan. Earlier in the year he had also won his state’s Open championship. Fourth placing was shared by an Englishman, Maurice Bembridge, an American, Art Russell, and a New Zealander, . Simon Owen, all of whom finished four over par 0n.292. All three had. disappointing final rounds after being well in contention. starting the day. ; If Charles was . unable to complete a home victory for the Christchurch club, John Williamson did in the amateur competition. He started the day level with Grant Waite, of Palmerston North, but Waite, for the second time in two rounds, failed to

break 80. and Williamson’s 77 was good enough for him to win the Bledisloe Cup by four shots. Final scores - 284—T. Gale (Aust.) 75. 66. 74. 69 ($14,400). 286-R. J. Charles (N.Z.) 70. 74. 69. 73 ($7840). 290—M. Colandro (U.S.). 73. 71. 75. 71 ($5280). 292— Bembridge (U.K ). 72. 71. 74 , 75; S. Owen (N.Z.) 73. 74. 69. 76; A. Russell (U.S.) 70. 70. 75. 77 ($3114.66 each). 293— M. Harwood (Aust.) 71. 74. 74. 74 ($2304). 294— M. Ferguson (Aust.) 77. 70. 77. 70; D. Clark (N.Z.) 75. 70. 71. 78 ($2064 each). 296-M. Clayton (Aust.) 76. 74. 74. 72: R. Shearer (Aust.) 74, 72. 77. 73; R. Coombes (N.Z.) 75. 75. ■ 73. 73; J. Newton (Aust.) 74. 74. 73, 75 ($l6BB each). ■ 297—N. Ratcliffe (Aust.) 77, 70. 74, 76; B. Jones (Aust.) 77. 71. 70. 79; I. Baker-Finch (Aust.) 71. 78 72. 76. 298-R. Michael (U.S.) 75. 68. 82. 73; C. Bishop (Aust.) 74. 78, 71. 75; M. Krantz (U.S.) 76. 75. 72, 75. . 299—5. Anderson-Chapman (Can.) 73, 74, 77. 75; T. Daber (U.S.) 78, 75, 75, 71; J. Lister . (N.Z.), 75, 74. 74, 76. 300— V. Somers (Aust.)' 77, 73. 74, 76; P. Hamblett (N.Z.) 71, 75. 76. 78; I. Stanley (Aust.) 76. 76, 71. 77. ' 301— Mosey (U.K.)-74, 76, 79. • 72; J. Williamson (A. Chch) 77, 71. 76. 77; S. Knapp (Can.) 75, 72. 76. 78; S. Reese (N.Z.) 73.72,71,85. 302— K. Dukes (Aust.) 75,76,78. 73; A. Bonnington (N.Z.) 78, 72, 79. 73; G. Clarke (N.Z.) 77, 77, 75, 73; K. Tarling (Can.) 73. 78, 73, 78. 303— W. Grady (Aust.) 74. 72. 79, 78. 304— S. Ginn (Aust.) 75, 72, 81. 76; R. Wood (Aust.) 76, 76, 75, 77. 305— J. Godwin (Aust.) 79, 73. 80, 73; R. Stanton (U.S.) 79, 74, 78, 74; E. Fisher (U.S.) 76, 77, 79, 73; D. Maggs (Aust.) 76, 70, 81, 78; W. Dunk (Aust.) 77. 76, 75, 77; M. Tapper (N.Z.) 77. 72, 77, 79; R. Stephens (Aust.) 72, 76, 78, 79; G. Waite (A. Palmerston North) 70. 74, 80, 81.. ,306—W. Riley (Aust.) 78, 71, 80. 77; J. Clifford (Aust.) 73, 76. 77. 80; I. Smalley (N.Z.) 74, 75, 74,83. 307— F. Coriallin (Aust.) 74. 80, 81, 72; K. Nagle (Aust.) 79, 72. 76. 80. 308— R. Lee (Aust.) 81,. 73, 77. 77; O. Moore (Aust.) 77, 74, 76, 81. 309— B. Murray (U.S.) 81, 81. 80, 77; P. Minifie (A. Chch) 75, 76. 82, 76; F. Nobilo (N.Z.) 78, 76. 77. 78. 310— P. Street (A. New Plymouth) 75, 76, 78, 81. 312— G. Saunders (A. Chch) 78. 74, 81, 79. 313— L. Stephen (Aust.) 79, 73. 82, 79. 315—A. Nance (Aust,) 78; 75, 84. 78; S. Stull (U.S.) 76, 73, 82. 84; M. Guy (N.Z.) 74, 79. 79, 83. M. Street (A. Chch) 76, 78, 78. withdrew..