WOMEN’S GOLF

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 186, 4 May 1933, Page 6

WOMEN’S GOLF

Miss Barns-Graham’s Win PROVINCIAL CHAMPION Final Taken to 20th MISS FLEMING’S BATTLE A now golfing star arose at llere(unga yesterday, when the youthful Poverty Bay player, Miss Winnie JBarns-Grahani. annexed the Wellington ladies’ provincial championship by defeating Miss Hanson (Miramar) by 7 up and 0 to go in the semi-final, and then, fighting a splendid uphill battle, taking the title by beating Miss V. Fleming, the Christchurch provincial champion, at. the 20th holo in the final, Rain fell almost, throughout the day, rendering fairways nud greens heavy, and causing grip and stance to be uncertain. The final was started in drenching rain, which caused casual water to lie on several of the greens. The following are the results of the concluding day’s play : — Provincial Championship. ■ >uuii-liuals. Miss v. Fleming (Christchurch) beat Miss Betty Rutherford (Hawarden) at the 19th. Miss W. Barns-GraTiam (Poverty _ Bay) beat Miss Hanson (Miramar), 7 and 6. Final. Miss Barns-Graham beat Miss Fleming at the 20th. Playing almost faultlessly, Miss BurnsGraham, in the semi-final against Miss Hanson, won the first two holes in bogey, figures, and drew 3 up with a birdie ~ at the short third. A bogey -1 at the fourth made Miss Barns-Graham *1 up. Miss Hanson got one back at the fifth (103 yards), which she took in 3 to 4. The Gisborne girl hits a long bail, and she was in her element at the sixth, seventh, and eighth, all of which she won, to stand 6 up. She was op the edge of the eighth green (-19 S yards) with three booming wooden shots. Miss BarnsGraham sliced her drive oil the ninth tee behind the hobiria trees, and hit the branches in lofting over, the hole going to Miss Hanson in -1 to 5. , , , Miss Barns-Graham thus headed for home with the commanding lead of 5 up. She took 41 for the out journey to Miss Hanson’s 46. Miss Hanson found a bunker with her mashie approach to the tenth green, hut chipped cleverly out, and halved the bole in 4. Two splendid wooden shots saw Miss Barns-Graham on the eleventh green (346 yards), and, making no mistakes, the Poverty Bay player drew 6 up again by taking the hdle in 4 to o. Miss Barns-Graham was hitting fhein like a champion, and a drive and magnificent brassie second landed her ball almost on (he twelfth green (374 yards). She took this hole in 4 to 5, which gave her the match by 7 and 6. She took oo strokes for the twelve holes played. Letter golf had not been seen at the tournament. Miss Hanson was palpably tired after her hard fights’on Tuesday, and was not hitting her wooden shots with anything like her usual snap. Miss Barns-Graham’s card read: — Out: 452446565 —41. In : 441 Christchurch Duel. The two Christchurch players, Miss Betty Rutherford (Hawarden) and Miss Valmai Fleming (Christchurch and Russley) had a battle royal in the other semifinal. Miss Fleming went out in 42 to Miss Rutherford’s 44, trnd was 1 up as they headed for home. Miss Rutherford squared the game by sinking a long putt for a 3 at the tenth. Miss Rutherford took the eleventh ni 5 to 6, but Miss Fleming squared the game again by taking the twelfth in ;> to 6. Miss Rutherford got into sad trouble among the frees going to the thirteenth, and Miss Fleming took the hole in 6 to S, to stand 1 up. Miss Rutherford made a nice pitch off the fourteenth lee. but good short play by- Miss Fleming saw a half in 3. ~ Miss Rutherford failed to get up the bank off the fifteenth tee. and Miss Fleming drgw 2 up by faking the hole in 4 to 6. Miss Rutherford is a great lighter, and she hit a booming drive off the sixteenth tee. Miss Fleming was short with her drive, and her spoon second ran through the green into the bunker. Miss Rutherford was nicely on' in two. and took the hole in 4 to 6. They halved the seventeenth in s's, and Miss RutliciToro squared the game by faking the eighteenth in 5 to 6, Miss Fleming finding a bmikv with her mashie third. Both took 45 for the run home. Miss Rutherford outdrove her opponent bv 40 vards going to the nineteenth, but Miss Fleming landed her second nicely on the green. Miss Rutherford’s approach was a trifle strong, and Miss Fleming laid her opponent a partial _ stymie, which Miss Rutherford just failed Io negotiate, and a thrilling fight ended, m a victory for Miss Fleming at the nineteenth. A Aloist Final. Some twenty valiant souls followed Miss Fleming and Miss Barns-Graham when they set out at 1 o'clock in drenching rain to contest (lie final, with Air. T. A. Hunter as referee. ’I here .was a sensation at the first hole. Tim Gisborne girl outdrove her opponent by' forty yards, and landed her second about four yards from the pin. Miss Fleming took four shots before Miss Barns-Graham had to play her third. Here inexperience cost the Gisborne player dearly. She attempted to putt through casual water, instead ot lifting her ball clear, and actually took four putts to go four yards, the bole going to Miss Fleming in sto 6. This appeared to rattle the Gisborne player, win; could do nothing right for a while, and the Christchurch player won the next three holes in a row in 6,3, o. being -1 up in as many holes. They halved the fifth in bogey o. but Miss Barns-Graham was more at borne at the sixth (410 yards), which she took in sto 6. She also hit long balls going to the seventh (431 yards), which she won in bogey 5 to (>♦ reducing the leeway to 2 down. They halved the long eighth in 6's, and Miss Barns-Graham took the ninth in 4 to 5. Miss Fleming took. 45 for the out journey to Miss Bnrns-Gra-ham’s 46, and the Chrisichureh provincial champion headed for home 1. up.. A beautiful mashie pitch by Miss Fleming laid her ball dead at the tenth, but the Gisborne player got a half in 3 by running down a 15ft. putt. They halved the eleventh in s’s, and faulty play by both saw Miss Fleming draw 2 up again by taking'the twelfth in 6 to 7. Miss Barns-Graham hit two beauties with the wood going to the thirteenth (455 yards), which she took in bogey 5 to 6. A better pitch by Miss Fleming gave her the short fourteenth, in 3 to 4. and she was 2up again. They halved the short fifteenth in bogey 3’s, and the Gisborne girl caused a sensation by running down a 45ft. pull to win the sixteenth in 3 to 4. Miss Barns-Graham was now playing with the brilliance she had displayed in the morning. A good drive and a nice pitch gave her the seventeenth in 4 to 5. and the game was all square. . . Exciting I'inish. Miss Barns-Graham had the advantage after they bad phiyi-d their third shots at the home hole, but she missed jin Sit. putt, and the hole was halved in 5. By this time the gallery had swelled to about 150, nud there was great excitement as they set out for the nineteenth. Miss BarnsGraham made the better drive, but Miss Fleming evened up by placing her second on the green with a bold spoon shot. Miss Barns-Graham scuffled her approach, ami a weak putt by Miss Fleming saw a half in 5. Neither were on the twentieth green with their thirds, but Miss Rarim-Gra-ham made a perfect mashie clip which laid her ball on the lip of the hole. Mies Fleming was short with her approach,

and failed to sink her putt, and Miss Barns-Graham took the holo in 5 to 6, and the championship by 1 up at the twentieth. i Both players came in for hearty congratulations for the golf they had played under adverse conditions. Miss BarnsGraham did the home journey in 39, which gave her 85 for Hie round. Aliss Fleming came home in 40, which also gave her S 5 for the full course. Herctaunga Trophy. The Hcretaunga trophy was won by Miss Chrystall (Christchurch), who beat Miss A r incent (Alastertou), in the final by 2 and 1. The following are the results: — Semi-finals. Miss Chrystall (Christchurch) beat Miss Robinson (AVaiwetu), 2 and J. Miss Vincent (Masterton) beat Miss Hunt (Wellington), 3 and 2. Final. Miss Cbr.vstal boat Aliss Vincent, 2 and L Medal Foursome. The medal foursome played yesterday saw Miss Culling and Aliss Kathboue (Auckland) take the. trophy for gross score with a card reading SO-i-i*. Mrs. Parkin and Mrs. Hanson took the prize for the best net score. .103-24-1 J, though Mrs. J. AVilson nnd Airs. Buttle (Auckland) also had a card showing 10 There wits a largo .gathering nt the i-lub-Imtisc after (Im tournament, when the prizes were presented by Miss Dunean. president of the AVelluigton Ladies Golf Club. ____________