Title-holder Hanson tops women golf qualifiers

Press, 23 March 1988, Page 68

Title-holder Hanson tops women golf qualifiers

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Tracey Hanson had no gallery (to! entertain! at Shirley yesterday as I she comfortably Topped (the qualifiers for the Canterbury women’s match-play championship, and more was the pity for she wtjiuld certainly have captivated any audience with | the quality of her golf. [ The predicted southerly wind arrived in the after- . noon — mercifully the predicted rain did not'accompany it! — and though, it coldly: sliced through to the! bone, it had no apparent affect- on the almost fragile figure of the young Wellington player. When ( thp weather was at ii its meanest, Hanson warmed itoj her task in the afternoon round. She (was two-under (par after successive birdies at 10 (and 1 11 and- maintained the momentum over the difficult closing holes to card a bne-under par round of 73. ; I , Added tb her morning score of] 77, which was the best first round, Hanson served (warning that she had no (intentions of surrendering] j the championship wliich she won for the first time last year. The nearest challenger to! Hansori was a fellow

New Zealand representa- I tive at the Commonwealth I tournament (last October, I Liz: Doiiglasi Playing on I her home course, Doug- ( las,! thelchampiondn 1985 i arid 1986, had her share of (indecisive shots, but i three birdies on the back I nine in (the second round ! was mope ini keeping with ; her kno;wn ability. ( Douglas finished four • shots adpift of Hanson, but ] ‘ her long birdie putt at the I last eriabled her to pip i Dianne Woodhouse for the second qualifying spot and : it has placet! her on the !! opposite! side of the draw { (I from Hanson. Several ac- j complished (golfers stand i in the way ojf Hanson and ! Douglas] but the fancied ] pair are in (a position to : meet ■ iri tomorrow after- ] noon’s trial. | i Woodhouse, the winnerof (“The Press” tournament last month, gave an j inspired exhibition from ( tee - to green; she hit 15 in j regulation in the morning ( and went one better in the ! afternoon. She was disap- ; pointed at missing some : putts but was hopeful that ! she] had saved a few for ! (vital times today. (. The fourth: qualifier, : [Adrienne Bond, had cause ]' for; disappointment too. iShe played the front! nine i [exceptionally well in' both ;

rounds, a one-over 38 in the morning, a par 37 in the afternoon, but the last seven holes tripped her. both times.; Four shots were dropped in the first round, five in the second,and there was the frustration : of finishing with a two-over six at the eighteenth. :• Bond most impressive and matched Hanson for much pf the second round. She drove accurately and recovered cleverly wh(en astray with her approaches, but her putting touch deserted her near the end. She had 16 putts on the first 11 holes; a further 1(7 on the final seven. to i Vicki Collis, from Nelson, was another who suffered the putting blues;, but she still shared fifth with the: Canterbury Stylemasteif representa--tive, Rachel Buxton, and a ] surprise packet, Joy East, to to ! Completing the top eight was one of Canterbury’s mpst improved young players, LynneMarie Shasjkey. She had a' creditable ] 7$ in the second round in spite of an out-oUbounds tee shot at the last.pj ' The day- however, belonged to I Hanson. The

plus ope handicapper had an inauspicious start, dropping shots at five successive {holes on the front nine in! the morning and taking 141 for that half, tout she hpd three birdies! on the back nine to return in 36, par. Stropg off the tee, precise: with, her (approaches, assertive in her putting, l Hanson had four birdies! in] the second round I!— two from short distances, one from 9m, the otlier from 6m — and she provided ample evidence (to justify her (inclusion in the 1 New Zealand team for the Queen Sii-ikit Gup tournament in Bangkok in( May. (qualifiers 150 -L T. Hanson, 77, 73. 154 to L. Douglas, 79, ] 75. 155 — D.i Woodhouse; 80, 75. f , I 158 to a. Bond 79, 79.1 162 — R. Buxton, 82, 80; J. East, 80, 82; V. Collis, 78, 84. 163 --r- L. Shaskey, 85, i 78. ; 165 j. ross, 84, 81.| I 167 to S. Hamilton, 86, 81. . 168 to a. i King, 81.1 87; J. Benschop, 81, 87. ! ’ 169 to k. I starr, 86, ]B3; R. Lee, 85, 84; D. Manley, 83, 86; Ml Sparrow,; 79, 90. i i The first round draw: ] ' Hanson v. Sparrow; Shaskey v. Ross; Bond v. StarrBuxton v. King; Douglas v Manley] Collis v. Hamilton; Woodhouse v. Lee; East v. Benschop. i