GOLF

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 88, 11 October 1920, Page 4

GOLF

Ji H. KIRKWOOD'S PLAY

FIXE EXHIBITION AT MIRAMAR. . GcSfitig enthusiasts, and there are many these days, journeyed out in large numbers to Miramar on Saturday afternoon to see' J. H. Kivkwood, the Now Zealand and Australian champion, plnjj the concluding round ot an exhibition 36-hole match with Douglas, the ex-yew Zealand champion. There must have been between tour and five hundred people—a thoroughly representative gathering of players and followers of the ai:cient game, who made the long round out and home at the respectful distance from the two protagonists enjoined by the traditions of the links. They; must have felt rewarded for their pilgrimage, for Kirkwood gave •an even better displr.y than ho did in the morning, while Douglas was a fair match for him, and hold his own on the outward journey, failing only fjt-the finish. Kirkwood won by 5 and 4, and completed the 13 holes in 70—36 ami 34. D'ouglas's score was 36 and 40 ; 76. ' The morning's play, briefly reported in Saturday's Post, left Kirkwood 2 up on the 18 holes. The strokes were: Kirkwood. 36 and 38—74; Douglas, 08 and 38—76. » Both men started, off—about I.3o—With excellent drives. KVkwood pulled his second slightly, and approached to within 8 feet of the hole.-.. Douglas, With an ex. cellent second, reached the edge of the green, and holed in 4 to Kirkwood's 5. Kirkwood 1 up;' Douglas also won the next hole. -.. Kirkwocfd outdrove • his opponent by 50 yards. Both were just off the giean with their thirds. Douglas approached within 7 inches of the hole. Kirkwood missed the hole by an inch, and also a short return. Douglas negotiated successfully what looked like a ; stymie, winning the hole.in 5. AH .' square. Kirkwood won the next hole in ! 4, Douglas missing an 8-foot putt. Kirk-! wood 1 up. Both players failed to.; reach the next hole with their tee shots. Douglas's approach was too 'strong and he missed his putt, Kirkwood winning in | '3. Kirkwood 2 up. At the sth hole Kirkwood outdrove Douglas by about 40 yards,' approached dead and holed, in 4 to Douglas's 5. Three up. Playing i with his astonishing accuracy, Kirkwood won the next hole also. with a dead stymie and was now 4 up. An excellent tnashie shot helped to give Douglas tho next hole in 3 to Kirkwood's 4. Kirkwood 3 up. At the\Bth hole Douglas reached the green with his second, after | getting a little in ths rough as in the morning, and holed with a longish putt in 3. Kirkwood 2 up. , The ninth, hole \ts@ halved- in 3.' The scores outward were—Kirkwood 36, Douglas 36. On thp return Kirkwood took the | tenth hole with a, long putit in 3. The j drive off found Douglas to the, right of the fairway,in the rushes, but he got out with a beautiful ;shot, and reached tho green. "He had hard lines with the putt, and halved the hole in 4. One of the best nutts of the day gave Kirkwood the twelfth hole in' 3 to Douglas's 4, and made him 4 up. At the thirteenth hole Douglas outdrove Kirkwood, and put the ball on the green with a nice iron shot. Kirkwood laid the ball dead. Douglas missed a long putt, and Kirkwood h6led in 3. doi'my 5. The next hole —the fourteenth—-was halved in three, and Kirkwood left with the match by 5 and 40. Ths remaining ' holes were. Splayed out. and Kirkwood!s -score worked out at 34 for the return, Douglas 40. Kirkwood throughout played with, i wonderful steadiness, and seldom deviated from..the straight- He was out driven by Bcuglas several times, but \va;! more consistent in his approaches. Hiu direction was perfect, and his judgment of distance on a course that was riew to him quite admirable. His mnshie shot:! to the green and his speciality, this "crash" shot," were also subject of comment by the onlookers. STROKES AND BOGEY. Details of the strokes in tjje. afternoon plays are;— '• Out. * Douglas—4, 5, 5, 4, 5, 4, 3, 3, ,3. Total, 36. Kirkwood—6, 6, 4, 3, 4. 3, 4, 4, I. Total, 36. ' In. Douglas—4, 4, 4, 5, 3, 4, 4, 6, 6. Total, 40. Kirkwood—3, 4, 3, 4, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6. Total, 34. ■ ■; Totals for 26 holes :—Kirkwood, 144; Douglas, 151. The bogey for the various halves was : Out—s, 5, 5;" 4, 5, 3, 4, 4, 3—38. In—s, 5, 3, 5, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5—41. After the match, Kirkwood gave aaexhibition of golf strokes, which was even better than the game. He showed remarkable control over club and ball, and demonstrated how stymies could be negotiated with ease. He placed three balls one above the other, and played the centre ball with his driver, leaving the other two practically as they. wen;. He laid his watch, glass upwards on the turf, and with his brassie drove the ball a. couple of hundred yards without touching the watch. He also gave a demonstration of the "boomerang" shot; laying the ball on the edge of.a bunker and turning his back to tho pin, he played the ball into .the air with his i niblick and brought it up .and back to the green. There were also .useful exhibitions with the various -dubs, pulling and'slicing, and play up and down hill. In a.ll he displayed remarkable control of the ball.

At Herelaunga a 36-hole match was played between J. H. Kirkwood and J. MacEwan (tho Wellington Club's professional) and Arthur Duncan, Kirkwood playing their best ball. The local players beat their opponent by-3 up acd 2 to play, being 2 up on the morning's round, and 1 up on the second round. Kirkwood's scores were 74 and 72, arid there is no doubt these scores would have been considerably lowered but for the fact that the. greens, usually so, good at Heretaunga, were very long and woolly, making^ it very difficult to gauge the strength. Kirkwood played his usual straight, sound game, and it was wonder fuj how he gauged distance without'having been <jn the course previously. His best shot "was a lifted mashie at the tenth, which he laid within 4in of tho hole, winningthe hole in 3. He repeated this performance in the afternoon, except that the putt was a longish. one. At tho fourth, he ■ pulled his tea shot into the river, but, through, bad putting of his opponents, halved the hole in 5.

The very big crowd also greatly enjoyed his trick shots afterwards.