GOLF SUPREMACY

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 164, 9 April 1934, Page 11

GOLF SUPREMACY

New Zealand Regains Kirk-Windeyer Cup N.S.W. SIDE BEATEN Hornabrook and Menzies Heroes of Day (By Telegraph—From “Niblick.”) Auckland, April 7. I’iay in the singles in the KirkWindeyer Cup golf contest between New Zaeland and New South Wales, on the Middlemore links to-day, was a complete triumph for the Dominion players, who won three matches to one and thus wrested tlie KirkWindeyer Cup from New Soutli Wales by four matches to two. a» each side had won one of the foursomes on Friday. The links were in perfect order. A gallery of upwards of two thousand people, including his Excellency tlie GovernorGeneral, Lord Bledlsloe, followed tlie players' and were naturally pleased with 'New Zealand’s sweeping victory. 'The success of the Dominion team •was largely due to the brilliant play of two of the younger members of the team J.- A. Hornabrook, of Masterton, and B. H. Menzies, of Auckland, the' latter making an auspicious first appearance as a New Zealand representative. Hornabrook showed that he is a front rank golfer by outplaying Eric Apperly, the New South Wales captain, by the wide margin of 9 up, while Menzies, who is a left-hander, justified the confidence reposed in him by the selectors by accounting for C. C. Ruwald by 7 up. _ T. H. Horton, of Masterton, the New Zealand captain, played in No. 1 position and had a regular battle royal with that able player W. R. Dobson, ot the Concord club, Sydney. They finished all square in the morning and the Masterton man just managed to win by 1 up on the thirty-sixth green, Dobson turning on two hot 3’s on the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth greens for wins. The only New Zealander to suffer defeat was B. V. Wright, amateur champion of the Dominion, who had to strike his colours to that fine match player P. F. Hughes, of Moore Park, who had a comfortable victory by 6 up. The No. I’s. Chief interest naturally centred in the battle between the No. l’s. A gallery of about 200 followed them in the morning, while fully 1000 closely watched them duel in the afternoon. They did not start off at all well, the first two holes being halved in s’s. They were all square at the fifth, but the Concord Club man then gave a taste of his quality by ringing on “birdie” figures at the next two holes to draw 2 up. He played a* beautiful mashie pitch to the green at the sixth and ran down an 18ft. putt for a 3. Dobson went one better at the seventh (155yds.), where he found the green from the tee and sank a 21-foot putt for a "birdie” 2, which placed him 2 up. They halved the eighth in bogey 4, but Horton got one back at the ninth (570yds.), where Dobson’s mashie third buried itself deeply in a bunker, Horton taking the hole in bogey 5 to 7. Dobson thus turned for home 1 up, both having taken 40 for the out journey. It was Horton’s turn to ring on a 2' at the 10 (120yds.), thus squaring the' match. They were square at the thirteenth but Horton here took the next two holes in bogey 4’B, but Dobson squared the match by taking the seventeenth with a "birdie” 4 and the eighteenth with a bogey 4. Both did the run in in 37, giving them 77 for the round. Better Golf. They started off strongly in the afternoon by halving the nineteenth in bogey 4 and the twentieth in “birdie” 4’s. Both were driving powerfully and keeping excellent direction. Horton made a spurt by taking the twentyfirst, twenty-second, and twenty-third in a row, to draw 3 up. Dobson got one back at the twenty-fifth, but the New Zealand captain drew 3 up again by taking the twentysixth in 4 to 5. They halved the long twenty-seventh in bogey s’s and Horton made the final turn for home with the comfortable lead of 3 up. The Masterton man went out in 38 to Dobson’s 41. They were now playing sterling golf. The Australian turned on a brilliant 3 at the thirtieth (380yds.) and got another one back by taking tlie thirtyfirst in 4 to 6, Horton here paying a visit to a bunker. The New Zealand captain was playing his irons in masterly fashion and his approach putting was brilliant. He drew 3 up again by winning the next two holes in 4 to 5, which placed him dormy 3. They halved the thirty-fourth in s’s, which gave Horton the match by 3 and 2. The Go-vernor-General here shook hands with both players, congratulating them upon the good fight they had put up. As all Kirk-Windeyer matches have to be played but to the home hole, .they went on. As if to show his Excellency something special, Dobson caused a sensation by running down a 45-foot putt for a win in 3 to 4 at the thirtyfifth, and sinking a 24-footer for a win in 3 to 4 at the home hole. Horton thus won a hard-fought match, in which some first-class golf had been revealed, by 1 up. Horton came home in 3® and Dobson in 35, giving Horton 77 for the round and Dobson 76. Champion’s Downfall. P. F. Hughes, the Moore Park representative, proved in the foursomes on Friday that he was an able golfer and he emphasised this fact again today, when he defeated B. V. Wright, New Zealand amateur champion, by 6 up. Wright went out in 39 to the Australian’s 40, and they turned for home all square. Both played well on the run home, but sterling golf by the Moore Park player saw him ring on 3 4 4 3 3 4 5 4 to go into lunch 2 up. Continuing to play very steadily in the afternoon, Hughes increased his lead towin the match by 6 up. Hughes possesses ideal temperament and has every shot i t his command. Youth Outplays Experience. J. P. Hornabrook, the tall Masterton colt, proved that he is one of the outstanding players of the Dominion by outplaying Eric Apperly, four times amateur champion of New South Wales, to the tune of 9 up. Out in 39, the Masterton youth was 2 up at the turn, but. handling his clubs jn brilliant fashion, he ran home in 34 to stand 6 up at the end of the morning round. This 73 was the best round of the match. Going on strongly in tlie afternoon, Hornabrook gave the veteran New South Wales captain few chances to get. any holes hack. Apperly could not finfi touch with his putter and Horua-

brook, plavlng great golf, ran out a winner by the wide margin of 9 up. A Worthy Aucklander. B. H. Menzies,, the Auckland lefthander, made an auspicious first appearance in Kirk-Windeyer Cup matches by outplaying C. C. Ruwald by 7 up. Out in 39, the New Zealander was 1 up at the turn, but he came back in one under 4's to stand 7 up. Playing steady golf in the afternoon, Menzies covered the course in 77. The Sydney player did better in the afternoon, holding the Aucklander’s lead down to the morning margin. Menzies fully justified his place in the New Zealand team as he handled every club in his bag well. COMMENT ON PLAY Improvement in Standard PUTTING UNIMPRESSIVE By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, April 7. For the Kirk-Windeyer Cup contest the weather was overcast but fine in the morning, while real summerlike conditions with a hot sun prevailed in the' afternoon. A light north-easterly wind was blowing. The course was in wonderful order, and the greens, although a little faster, offered a perfect putting surThe attendance of the public was the largest ever seen on the course. The various matches each commanded a large following. Visitors were present from as far south as Dunedin and Christchurch, while almost every centre in the North Island was represented, also many enthusiasts from Australia. The standard of golf displayed was a big improvement upon that shown in the foursomes the previous day, although the putting generally speaking was unimpresSl The two younger members of the New Zealand team. Menzies and Hornabroo.;, covered themselves with glory, as at no time did they leave their supporters in doubt as to the results of their matches. Menzies on his first appearance in such a match was naturally a little shaky m the early stages, but once settled down he made full use of his local knowledge and was unbeatable on the day. Hornabrook gave a fine exhibition wi-.h the exception perhaps of a few lapses on the greens. . Wright played finely up to the greens, but his putting was not of the same standard as when he annexed the Dominion title at Titirangi in October last. Horton played well and was at times brilliant, but he hooked a few tee shots which made his approaches difficult. His putting was excellent, although under strain he failed at times to .hole short the Australians, Dobson played some beautiful golf, but again as on the previous day he failed occasionally wit high approach shots, pushing them slightly off the line into the sand traps, due manner in which he recovered from the bunkers was at times almost uncanny and won him frequent applause from the large gallery. His putting, however, was well below tlie high standard for which he is noted, as he developed a fatal cut with holing out putts. Hughes drove magnificently and showed the onlookers that it was possible to play high iron shots on to hard greens. He thoroughly deserved the only success that when the way of the visitors. Apperly played well to the greens, but displayed his old uncertainty with the putter and seemed quit? unable to gauge the strength of the greens. Ruwald outdrove Menzies by a wide margin, but occasionally hooked into trouble. In the middle of the afternoon he gave a fine exhibition, but it was too late to affect the result. “BETTER TEAM WON” Comment by Apperly By Telegraph. —Press Association. Auckland, April 8. “We have thoroughly enjoyed our games, and, I am quite satisfied, the better team won. That is about all I can say in regard) to the contest.” Such were the brief remarks of Apperly, captain of tne New South Wales team, when asked tor his opinion regarding the result of the Kirk-Windeyer Cup competition. “Conditions at Middlemore are different from those to which we are accustomed in Australia,” he said. Our courses are mostly of a sandy nature. However, we found the Middlemore course a fine test of golf.’’