Canterbury fights for two wins in national golf

Press, 8 November 1984, Page 38

Canterbury fights for two wins in national golf

From

BOB SCHUMACHER

in New Plymouth

With a slice of luck, several crucial birdie putts at the right time, and a silent prayer or two, Canterbury finished the first day of the Government Life national inter-provincial golf tournament as one of six unbeaten teams.

The number unbeaten was unusually high compared with recent years. Apart from Canterbury, Bay of Plenty, Auckland and Southland all posted two wins, while Taranaki and Wellington had a win and a half each. Canterbury has to meet Taranaki in the single round today, Bay of Plenty is on the agenda for tomorrow, and Auckland is its last rival on Saturday. Mid-South Canterbury, after losing to Bay of Plenty in the morning, recovered to draw with Taranaki in the afternoon. The redoubtable Mid-South No. 1, Charlie Alexander, shot seven birdies in the last 11 holes against Robert Rookes, but it was only good enough for a half. Two wins on the opening day were a prerequisite for Canterbury if it was to hold the national title. They were achieved in tight, tense situations which did show the calibre of the Canterbury players under pressure. The Canterbury captain, John Sanders, was grateful for the two points. “After last year (when Canterbury dropped only four and a half individual games ovep seven rounds) two 5-0 wins or even 4-1 wins might have led to us being a bit cocky. Today was probably

a good result for us. We know there’s room for improvement,” he said. Canterbury started well against Manawatu-Wan-ganui in the first round, only to falter near the end and win in a gripping finish, with a late rally against Hawke’s Bay in the afternoon. After 13 holes, Canterbury was down in three matches, Murray Brown was 1 up, and Brent Paterson was 2 up. Paterson, playing a former Coringa club-mate, Dave Render, wrapped up his match hastily winning three successive holes. Although not the maestro of the morning, Brown had a win to savour. His victim at the sixteenth was none other than the “emperor,” Stuart Jones. Jones had some unkind names for his putter which failed him badly, but Brown, who also had some lapses, won the war of nerves on the green. Canterbury’s third win came from an unexpected source. Paul Minifie, unbeaten in his seven games in the tournament last year, had been unimpressive in the first round and he looked anything but secure even when he fought back from 2 down at the turn. Canterbury’s half point was provided by Sanders, who holed a 6m birdie putt

at the seventeenth to square with Jamie Kupa. Tony Richards supplied the sole win for Hawke’s Bay. He gained an early 3 up lead, and his very reliable putting kept Mark Street at bay. Canterbury had only met its first opponent, Manawatu-Wanganui, once in the last 11 years and that resulted in a loss. It will be quite happy not to play the combined side for another 11 years after scrambling home on the contest’s very last putt. With the match square at two-all, the Canterbury No. 1, Paterson, watched his opponent, Neil Gaskin, a former international, miss a 5m putt for an eagle on the last which would have tied the teams. That miss brought only temporary relief for the Canterbury players as Paterson still had a 1.5 m putt for his birdie on the par-5 finishing hole. At the seventeenth hole, Paterson, then 2 up and nicely placed on the green, saw Gaskin chip in from the rough 20m out. He took that setback calmly and offered words of praise to his chunky, cheerful combatant. The ice-cold temperament of Paterson was so evident at the last. His first putt was from 18m and below a steep mound. To his credit,

he did not leave it short, but the 1.5 m return must have seemed like 15m in his mind, such was its importance. The putt rattled into the centre of the cup. He was three-under at the finish. Brown and Minifie went the full distance. Brown winning, and Minifie losing, while the other two matches were settled after 17 holes. A long wait on the ninth tee affected the concentration of the Canterbury players more than that of their opponents. Sanders, 2 up before the enforced break, lost four of the next five holes to Craig Perks. Minifie lost his game at the last when Bruce Stone finally succeeded with a putt of some distance. Canterbury’s followers became more apprehensive when Street, who had holed two 10m birdie putts and one small one to be 6 up after 11 against Barry Shannon, lost five holes in a row. Street ended the incredible comeback by birdieing the seventeenth. Seconds before Brown had two-putted the last hole to match birdies with Paul Dench. Brown had every reason to feel totally satisfied with his first match at the national inter-provincial tournament since 1979.