Jim Lapsley big loss to Canty golf

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 48

Jim Lapsley big loss to Canty golf

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Jim Lapsley’s swansong in Canterbury golf will be at Otatara this week-end — he will wear the Canterbury colours for the last time in the Southland invitational teams’ stroke championship in Invercargill.

At present, the standard of men’s golf in Canterbury has never been stronger, so the departure of Lapsley will make it that much weaker. Lapsley, aged 30, came to Canterbury from Southland in 1980 and he has been a most valuable asset in his stay of three-and-a-half years.

Fanning brought him to Canterbury — he bought a farm at Cust — and it is farming that will take him back to Southland. Lapsley has sold his farm and next month he will return to his former province to take over a bigger property. “My livelihood is in fanning and it will be a better sized property economically,” said Lapsley yesterday. The decision to head back to the deep south was not made without regret. “It is hard to leave as I have made a lot of friends and have enjoyed my golf in Canterbury,” he said. Canterbury’s victory in the Freyberg Rose Bowl tournament in Hamilton last November was the high point for Lapsley, who captained the team, even though it was the only year in four that he was not at No. 1 for Canterbury in the tournament.

“That was the proudest moment without question and was so rewarding because of the background work done.” Lapsley was a principal mover behind a scheme which resulted in Canterbury appointing a non-playing captain and getting a squad together for physical preparation. The tall, wiry Lapsley was one of a Canterbury team which became united in its determination to succeed. The top players, apart

from being physically fit were mentally ready, and success followed success. Lapsley was a member of the Canterbury five-man team which won the Southland invitational event in ' 1982 and which finished second in the. Freyberg tournament that year. Last year, Canterbury retained its stroke championship at Invercargill and then added the coveted Freyberg Rose Bowl to its list of triumphs. The win was achieved by a record margin and Lapsley, at No. 2, won all seven games and also the trophy for the player considered the most valuable at the tournament. In all, Lapsley played four Freyberg contests for Canterbury. He won 21 games and halved another three for an incredible percentage of 85.7. A former New Zealand junior representative in 1973 and 1974, Lapsley took the final step to national senior honours in 1983 while representing Canterbury. He was the best of the New Zealand

team which beat Japan for the first time and later in the year he played for New Zealand in the Asia-Pacific tournament in South Korea and against Australia in Australia.

Lapsley had 48 representative match-play contests for Canterbury and won 34 of them while halving another five. He was the top man for North Canterbury in the Woodward Cup inter-club competition and the team will sorely miss his services. He is keen to bow out on a winning note for Canterbury at the week-end. He has a great record in the event which has been held for the last six years. .He was in the Southland team that won the inaugural tournament and was still with Southland when it was runner-up the next year. He has been in the last two winning Canterbury teams at Otatara.

Lapsley, very strong in the wrist, is among the biggest hitters in New Zealand amateur golf, but he is proficient with his short game and has the ability to hole many putts from distances greater than sm. He has, along with those qualities, the right temperament, unruffled, quietly determined, always aggressive. He accepts defeat graciously. Lapsley, who won the Canterbury match-play title in 1981 at his first attempt, will be missed by Canterbury, but Southland, which finished fourth in the Freyberg tournament last year and which has already gained the talented Michael Atkinson from Otago this year, will be only too pleased to have him back in its ranks.