Minifie’s telling birdie putt at the twentieth

Press, 23 April 1984, Page 26

Minifie’s telling birdie putt at the twentieth

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Quite amazingly, Paul Minifie managed only one birdie in yesterday’s final of the Canterbury P.G.F. amateur golf championship at Shirley, but it could not have come at a more opportune time.

That birdie occurred on the second sudden-death play-off hole against Mark Street, the defending champion, and the successful 3m putt clinched the first individual Canterbury title for the 21-year-old Waitikiri player. The scoring in the final was not startling and while it would not rank among the classics, the closeness of the contest ensured that it was never less than absorbing.

Never more than one hole separated the duellists; twice Street took the lead on the front nine, Minifie countered both times by winning the next hole.

On the back nine Minifie gained the advantage twice, only to have it nullified within a hole or two. Something spectacular was needed to break the stalemate and Minifie provided it at the twentieth. A big drive, delicate wedge shot and firm putt gave him the match-winning birdie. The pencil-thin Minifie more than matched the physically stronger Street, who started favourite to defend his title after crushing a former title-holder, Joe Whitaker, in the semifinals.

So slight of build is Minifie that one spectator suggested he looked in need of a good feed, but he hammered his drives, low and hard, well over 220 m, and it was Street who often had to play first after the tee shots.

Minifie, normally reliable, often brilliant, on the greens was strangely out of touch. He could have opened a decent early lead, but missed a Im putt on the first, and reasonable birdie putts on two and five. In fact, although Minifie hit eight greens in regulation on the front nine, he twoputted every green, and was 1 down. Street was not the master of the greens either, but he played several superb recovery chips or wedge shots and had two one-putts. He had a birdie at the ninth after striking a magical second shot. He was behind a tree dff the tee and enclosed by other lofty woody matter, but he hit'a No. 1 iron under, then over, and around the obstacles to reach the green in two on the par-5. The rub of the green did

not go kindly for Street on the back nine. Minifie snared a half on 12 when he winkled into the hole off Street’s stationary ball. Minifie had asked Street to leave the ball by the hole and the gentle caress saved him the hole. Under the new rules of golrfcjin use overseas. Street would have been entitled to mark his ball. The rules take effect in New Zealand from June 1. Minifie’s lead was shortlived — he three-putted the next green — but another decisive turning point came at the fourteenth. There Street was not given what seemed a formality tap-in putt. It was only 30cm and no-one expected Street to have any worries, in factfew people remained to see him miss it.

Reflecting on that crucial lapse after the match, Street shrugged philosophically. “There was a little borrow but I just tried to hurry the ball into the hole.”

Street recovered to square when his birdie putt was conceded at 16, and the Eair stayed locked in their jnse struggle until the pendulum swayed in Minifie’s favour four holes later.

Minifie, who had shared second place behind Street 'in the Canterbury stroke championship earlier this year, maintained his motionless expression of intense concentration as he had in earlier rounds when defeating the twice champion, Geoff Saunders; the talented Ricky Vincent; and a Mid-Canterbury Freyberg representative, Kevin Frazier.

Street eliminated Wayne

Tucker in the first round; John Crawford-Smith, who had upset the top qualifier, John Williamson, in an opening encounter, in the quarter-finals; and Whitaker in the semi-finals. Street’s win against Whitaker was paticularly sweet. As a raw 15-year-old, Street had met Whitaker in the 1975 Canterbury final and was given a lesson by his more experienced and astute rival. Results.— SENIOR Championship.—First round: J. D. Crawford-Smith beat J. N. Williamson, 1 up; M. E. Street beat W. I. Tucker, 3 and 2; M. G. Brown beat J. R. Gantley (withdrew with injury); J. W. A. Whitaker beat J. Louwman, 3 and 2; R. M. Vincent beat S. L. Greenall, 5 and 4; P. F. Minifie beat G. C. Saunders, 1 up; K. L. Frazier beat N. S. Reid, 1 up; J. B. Sanders beat P. J. Heasley, 3 and 2.

Quarter-finals: Street beat Crawford-Smith, 3 and 1; Whitaker beat Brown, 3 and 2; Minifie beat Vincent, 4 and 3; Frazier beat Sanders, 2 and 1. Semi-finals: Street beat Whitaker, 5 and 4; Minifie beat Frazier, 4 and 3. Final: Minifie beat Street, at the 20th.

Plate.—Semi-finals: Williamson beat Louwman, 4 and 2; Heasley beat Greenall, 4 and 3. Final: Williamson beat Heasley, 1 up. Handicap.—Semi-finals: G. M. Gunn beat J. R. A. Parlane, 1 up; K. A. Lake beat M. E. Elley, at the 20th. Final: Lake beat Gunn, 2 up. Handicap plate.—Final: P. Smith beat N. W. Robertson, at the 19th.

INTERMEDIATE Championship.— Semi-finals: D. J. O’Keefe beat P. Hoffman, 2 and 1; R. Hurley beat I. D. Dobson, 4 and 3. Final: O’Keefe beat Hurley, at the 19th. Plate— Semi-finals: P. E. Neal beat P. J. Hansen, 3 and 2; C. Bilton beat B. D. Lavender, 2 up. Final: Neal beat Bilton, 2 and 1. Handicap.—Final: I. Sturrock beat S. Ripley, 2 up. Handicap plate.—Final: A. McLelland beat R. J. McLeod, 1 up. JUNIOR Championship.— Semi-finals: P. Blane beat P. G. Nicholl, 3 and 1; L. P. Boyd beat T. Daly, at the 20th. Final: Boyd beat Blane, 8 and 7.

Plate.—Semi-finals: C. Basher beat N. Thom, 7 and 6; K. Collett beat J. S. Dickson, 1 up. Final: Basher beat Collett, 2 and 1.

Handicap.—Final: N. Singh beat P. Mariu, 2 and 1. Handicap plate.—Final: P. Hellings beat N. Chambers, 1-up.