DUNCAN CHAMPION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 915, 7 September 1910, Page 6

DUNCAN CHAMPION.

THE GOLF TOURNAMENT. POSITIONS OF THE PLAYERS. (Uy Telegraph.—Press Association.). .■■-'. Christchurch, September 6. . Fine weather was again experienced for tho New Zealand Golf Championship meeting, which was . resumed at Shirley to-day. The sky was' clear, and the easterly wind blowing was not strong enough to seriously hamper play. Tho third' and fourth . rounds of the open championships were played, and resulted in A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) winning the. coveted ohampionship, with a score of 295. Results are as follow:— :..'...-. t3*= Z-3 _; A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) .„. ~u ijj J.- A. Clements (Christ-■'.,.■••• church) '.. ■„>„ .75 80 806 J. o.' Biuwill (Wellington) 79 ' 78 308 H.E. Wright (Christchurch). 80 80 309 B. (J. ilutim'iord (Christ- • ■••'■' church) ......: :.'.'. 76. 77 309, H. 8., Luslc .(Christchurch) 77 81 31(i D. Hood, (Hagley) ..:.., 82 79 .310 B. B.'Wood (Christchurch) 77 80' 317 S. C. Johnstone (Wanganui) 82 ' 83 322 J." Watt (Wellington) 83.. 77 324 W. Simpson (St. C1air)...... 87 75 325 K.-Tarcna (Napier) .... 80' :80 325 W,- M'Ewan (Wanganui)... 81 88 320 J.'C. Burns '■ (Auckland)...... 84 81 330 J. M. Herd (Napier)... 80 83 330 R. L. D. Kidston (Mirainar) 87 . 76' 332 It. C. Butters (Richmond . '.. Hill) 86 82 332 R.,.JVSmith (Dunedin) ; ■ 8.4 81 332' S. Saunders (Wanganui) ;.. 84 83 335 J. Forbes (St. , Clair); '.. 8(i . 8(i 335, A. H. Fisher (Dunedin) :'JO 87 337 J. Herd .........; 88 ,85 . 341 A. .Bisset (Ashburton) ......' 90 '80 .342 C. Treweek (Christchurch)... :82 .-87 342 S. K;. Sims (Christchurch)... 84:, 89 345 H.'R,.H. Balneavis (Wei-,. lington) ' ....'.'.:. 81 84 345 H. C 7. Smith (Dunedin) ...... 81. 93 346 D.:M'Cormick (Christchurch) 87 84 346 W. B. Gow (Christchurch)... ,88: ,87 .3W W. 'E. Reid (Wellington)... 85 ■' 86 '350 P. C. Wright (Timaru) ...... 85 94 351 J. R. Park (Dunedin)...:.....' 89 92 35« P. C.' Freeth' (Miramar) ... 85 . 91 354:. W. (Christchurch):'-91 : 87 355 C. St.. G. Gore .: .': 'ton) ..........; .....:.'.'..!., 83-. 94 355 C. C. Holmes'.(Masterton)... 91 ' 87 355 F. H. Traill '....... 94 '93'359 H;,C.: Cock'(Nelson) '■•.......„. ; i 87' '91 359 P. ; Trolove ••..■.•.■...".:.:...:..■■.■....'..■■'■ 98 '•■'. 91 '362 L.' C. • Hales '{Wellington)... -, 91 !. 89 -363 G. Gossett '(Christchurch)... 87 .'93 365 E. S. Peafce (Wellington):.. 93'. 91' 367 A." M. Clark : (Wellington)..'.' 93 91 367 Ji,.8., Liisk (Auckland)....-..;. 91 "93 370 -H..M. Roxby (Oamiiru) ......,:97 92, 371 R; ; C. ■ Wallroth (Miramar) 92 96 3. S G;-E..Rhodes(Christchurch) 94 89 37r■! J.'L. .Climie (Hutt) .;;..'...■;-85" 96 381 j G. M.. Laing (Invercargill)..., 99 96 333 1 G. R; Webb (Invercargill).,. 105 102-398 j E. F.' Armstrong .(Oamani) 106 101 ill ■'..Concurrently', -with 'to-day's -rounds, and the open championship,, the qualifying rounds werd; played, for -the amateur.'Championship, tliti''thirty-two • play-, ers with' the- lowest,.cards-being: eligible. No fewer : than seven, players .were equal, for - last', place, and.. a. .qualifying round of ;.fiye'. holes .is- to,be ; played ' to-morrow' morhirig: to eliminate ' three,;. of , thepi. , The. seven ;are i—Bonuington, Borthwick, Cook, .'Harmani.'Holmes, .Seymour, and Troutb'epk.'■'•:. The .players- who. have qualified are;—Balneavis, „ .Bidwill;V Bisset, Burn's,:' Dodgshun, Duncan, . Fisher; Forbes, . Freeth, ■..Gore, ■-.'; Gow, Kidston,: MacCormick, > Pharazyn, Reid,:, Rnther-.. idfd,:- Sains, -Saunders, .Shannon, 8.. J. Smith; 'H, 'C. Smith, 'R,: -J. ; Sniith, iTareha, Treweek,,Wood, H..E. Wright,. Barker,;,ahd'Xallender. .-,,.

y PLAYERS AND THE PLAY... ~':' .';..'■ DHNCANV GREAT;; COOLNESS.'. ■[{ . (By Tslegraph.—Press .'Association.) ', •wl .VI iol Christchurch,: September <j!..' Duncan's, performance was. marked., by great consistency, his,scores- for the four, rounds being .75, 74,' 73,;73i ...When lie returned 1 .'His .card ..Clements' required 68; to 'beat' him—an alrnost impossible and .'his ,-nnab sconfr was .80.- His ■' four 'scores we're 73, 78, 75, 80,.making a total of 306, or 11 riioro than. Duncans . J. C. .Bidwill;. (Wellington) secured, third place, with..a score of 308,. composed "of 73, -78, '79, 78. ' v.,,'., ;.,"■, >.;,..'■ ...-.,-' ; H. E. Wright, the Christchurch. champion,', fell from his high estate, of Mon,day, when he Was in the lead -.ivith Duncan, ■:.to,.fourth place, in: company' with,. B.f.C.y: Rutherford (Christchurch), "two; cards-^of. 80 . his, : chance. His score..consisted of .75,.74, 80, '80, a total of. 309. '-. , '■'.'■ ; ';, '.."•' ;'..' "•■', ~' ;.Rutherford's.total'was made up of 75, 81,' 76,'77.,-.D. .Hood (Hagley) • and' H. ■ B. Lusk .(Christchurch) came together .'sixth. witliMflres of 316, made up' of 80, 75,, 82, 79,; anil 79,-79, 77, 81 respectively,, and. D., 8.. W r ood (Christchurch) was eighth, with 317, composed-of ~79,.81, 77, 80....: . The conditions for play : were.'as' Marly perfect as any reasonable golfer,could ex-' pect, and,-on the whole,' the, general aver-, age form'shown was on-a, high level. 1 The two'.rounds of medal play.were' taken ! asqualifying ~ rounds" to ' decide who should be.; the. 32 players "to compete for the' amateur championship;-. The fact "that two rounds for- a gross,lßß. (or;an average of; 89, for th'3'lß holes) was made . the standard shows,.that tho,play was .very creditable., .A good, deal,..of speculation, had .for ;some days been; rife as to .what, score would' qualify, and.some very .good judges .had .placed, the-figure as high. as' 92, and even' 94..; As it ..was;''mors-than the actual 32 players did qualify, as there were several on • the 89.■ mark: ■ -." .„.-.

The/Champion at/Work. As '-. the' open championship drew towards its closing stages,. the excitement, both of: players and onlookers, grew quite keen. There can be no better test of the golfing temptram'eht on golf • nerve than, four rounds of, medal play. Undoubtedly, oho/of the Reasons for A. Duncan's extraordinary success, is the fact that he ,pos/ sesses exactly the right' temperament. He can concentrate his mind on the slightest detail of • his game without : paralysing himself, and .nothing on/earth "gets, him "rattled,".though he may. have a run; of a few bad holes. -Though the. eager spec-' t'ators may crowd_ on his' heels, and stand exactly behind him as, he plays, though even . the camera : man- stand , almost in front, .and', snap off,,his- machino at, /the -. precise. -moment that the downward swing of the/drive is in its ',' most /critical stage—though. all these . things happen, / they make no difference to Duncan. That, combined with the. fact 'that, with: him, golf has/ become an accurate science, and that' he is gifted with a splendid/poise and swing, and what .someone has described as "perfect muscular, strategy," .make; him invincible. ■'.; Some reference was made yesterday to- his failing. to strike quito his. true form, and, a.fewdays ago,.itiwas so; but now, there canbe absolutely no.doubt as to his being .still (especially as regards other amateurs) in a class by nimself. . Anyone who' watched his second /'round to-day saw perfect golf, with only one weak patch, and even thnt, perhaps, vis too strong a term. Five, consecutivo holes cost him 5. each, when, with a little more, luck, they-would have cost only i. In f act,' the. .4 were there, only-he failed to putt'out. If he -had : done, so, ■ his round would have been 69. Clements, the runner-up, put up . a performance of a highly creditable nature ,and his play on the whole,was exceedingly fine. ' , ■ : ' ', Bidwil] • plajfed a. rather in-and-out game..; . His figures, for "the morning's round ranged from 7. to 1. The 1 was obtained at the upshot; and was the fruit o£ a beautiful mid-iron' shot. Ho, also: had a 2 in tmvsame round. He was. occasionally deceived by distances, and played shots /which -ho judged rto bo well pitched up, but which landed him in bad places.

Whether Duncan wins the amateur championship or not, his 'performances in the open championship of 72.h01es in 21)5—only slightly over 4" for each holeis a ■ wonderful one. Of course, it is absurd to comoarc St. Andrew's with Shirby as regards its difficulty, but, allowing that St. Andrew's is a good deal larger, ' and yet remembering that the amatour record for 72 holes on St. Andrew's is 2!)!), one appreciates the splendid golf which Duncan can play. At 9 o'clock to-morrow morning will be played th"b professionals' match, for which there are ten onirics and, in-tho afternoon, the Bogey handicap match, which has no fewer than 113 entrants,