Golf victors by 16 points

Press, 24 November 1986, Page 48

Golf victors by 16 points

Paddy Fitzgibbon, one of the successful team of four in The Press Garden City Classic golf tournament, attributed his team’s win yesterday to the "luck of the Irish.”

Last Thursday one of the four originally entered by Fitzgibbon withdrew and desperate for a replacement, they contacted the tournament director, Mr Ra Bate.

Luckily, as it turned out, David Williams had contacted Mr Bate just a few minutes earlier looking for a place in the tournament.

He was immediately matched up with Fitzgibbon and his remaining team-mates, Neil Davis and Eddie Slater.

In the 36-hole, two-day tournament played on the old and new courses at the Harewood Golf Club at the week-end the four accumulated a stableford points total that brought sighs and whistles when it was announced. Their total of 314 left them 16 points clear of the second team.

The late replacement, Williams, more than played his part. He had stableford totals of 42 on both days. Davis was the other excellent performer. He amassed an amazing 48 points yesterday to go with the 36 he scored on Saturday. Fitzgibbon had totals of 36 and 38, and Slater totals of 42 and 31.

Both Davis and Fitzgibbon are training college students while their partners are at the other end of the age scale. All four left Harewood with a $4OO canteen of silver cutlery. Davis had never played the Harewood course before and he said to help him round the two courses he took with him

two pages from Friday’s edition of “The Press” which showed the course lay-out in detail. In second place on 198 points was a team from Spalding, one of the sponsors. It was headed by the former Canterbury cricket player, John Kiddey, who these days plays off a nine handicap at the Rawhiti club.

Ross Murray, who the week before won the Harewood open golf tournament, continued his outstanding form, at least on Saturday. Playing on the old course he equalled the course record with a 67 — five under par. Yesterday, in conditions as near perfect as a golfer could wish for, James Angus, a former Canterbury Freyberg Rose Bowl representative, scored a three-under-par 68 on the old course which was a record for the new layout. Leading scores.—

314—P. Fitzgibbon, N. Davis, D. Williams, E. Slater. 298—J. Kiddy, C. Allsopp, P. Lamb, E. A. Johnson. 295—N. Bidwell, D. Jones, N. Clark, G. Lewis; P. Hoffman, G. Milner, A. Double, D. Wilson.

294 —W. Bowers, T. Craffar, P. Griffiths and Mrs Griffiths. 293—C. Livermore, R. Mercer, C. Kitto, B. Bradley. 292—G. Batey, W. Horton, M. Jameson, F. Parker; J. Grocott, N. Cornelius, R. Kroening, A. M. Brown. 289—G. Robinson, P. Wise, A. Cassidy, W. Luke; S. Lawson, W. Sherwood, K. T. Palmer, B. C. Ward. 286—D. J. Fleming, E. Darch, M. Lee, M. J. Walsh. 283 —B. Daly, R. Forward, T. Daly, A. Calder. Longest drives. — Women: J. Langley and K. Griffiths. Men: D. A. J. Taylor and T. Daly. Nearest to the pin: Lyn Jenkins; runner-up M. Philpott. Putting competition: J. Grocott.