GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 16

GOLF

(•v •■•AFFT"J

J. L. BLACK BEATS A. D, S. DUNCAN

NOTES ON THE bAME

HARD FIGHTS IN PROSPECT FOR WANGANUI

COMIHQ BVEKTS: seps;a P %«t' tow* 8"tor SeptnfS?eiT-6 to V^, ew ta<li«'' Ch«npionshipe, at Nelßon. September 7-Entrieß close, New Zealand Cham- . pionsbipg. ■•■ septsre er ßoß g i?r.rHu M t r orial <**»* ?° arSeptember U to IS-rManawatu Open TonrnaI'fSra^^'fcrSa^ brsK r rt M,£i w. z»i"«i Pl on.

w«h»re every chance of them doing so here this year. , The cards in the Black-Duncan match read as follow:— Bogey: Out-453345443 .... 35 In-435553355 "'."."."'. 38 Black: 73 Out-444245444 ... 35 , In-434563544 "!."'.".".".' 36 /: ' , Duncan: f ' Out-453444554 33' ' In-345444344 [".""[ 35..' ' 73 Here is a little to think about,:,A. G. Havers, the English open champion. Beemß to be driving further than evci. having apparently derived ,a ' newborn confidence from his success at Troon Ab was announced by cable at the time, he followed up his success at .Troon b\ winning the professional competition at Uleneagles, to which a handsome mone* prize was attached. One of his drive's in the second stage of the.match pla\ at Gleneagleg is described by Mr B Endersby Howard in the " Daily Mail" as the largest he has ever seen. It came •t the twelfth hole, which, according to the official measurement*, is 440 yards wng. _ The couple in front, Barnes and Ritchie, with their • crowd, were just walking on to the green when Havers drove. Like everybody else/he had noexpectation of reaching the green, but 1 he aid actually drive to the edge of it, the ball passing between Barnes and Ritchie. There was a strong following wind, and .perhaps a very slight fall in the ground, but' long hitting has truly come to an amazing pass when at a hole of 440 yards a'player drives from the tee into a couple who are on the green.' Assuming that the official length of-the hole is correct, this shot most have measured 410 yarde, for Havers was certainly within 30 yardi of the pin. Whatever their form, the leading pairs at Palmerston North on Saturday last put up a. very fine showing. The match wbb between Wanganni and Manawatu Cluba for the Wilson Cup, which wa.« held by the Palmerston North Club, and still is, for in the twelve matches each - side won five, and there were two halves. The,halves occurred in the Noe 1 and 2 pairs. Goss (Wanganui) and Ekstedt (Manawatu) finished all square, as did Findlay and Saunders. Goss and Esktedt, after, a great exhibition, finished all square at the eighteenth, with the total scores standing at 77 each, a very fine performance in match play, and against a bogey of 80.

The golf which J. L. Black produced at Hutt on Saturday lait" against A. D. S. Duncan proved not-only worth watching, but was too good for the champion, over whom Black registered his first win. Though the ■ scoring . was under bogey—and under bogey on the Hutt course mean first rate golf—it was by no means monotonously good, and each left undone those things which he ought to have done and did those things which he ought not to have done—as, for instance, when Black registered a four at the twelfth. It was, of course, the most important match of the local season to the present time, and was graced by the largest gallery that has followed any local event during the season. It was known that Duncan was not on his game—or has not been, lately, though he was good enough to do an 80 at Miramar on Saturday morning— whereas ; Black has not failed in any match this season. The only place where",there was anything wanting on Saturday was, however, on the greens. Through the fairways the play was uniform and distinctly good—in patches brilliant, in other patches not so brilliant—and there was some.particularly, fine-driving.. ; 'Black 1 .was most prominent in this department. At the second hole his drive was thirty or forty j'ards past Duncan's, and.was one of the longest ever seen at the hole. At most of the holes he outdrove Duncan, and he was: more on the line than usual. Duncan had the. better controlled ball, however, and'was straight for the pin all the way, his attractive style and clean hitting pleasing the gallery, as it has so "often done, before. By th> time the green was reached there was seldom anything between the player*, and .it was on the greens that the game was won and lost," and it was' here that Black gained his advantage.'Both missed putts of under two feet. If Black was ten feet from the hole he putted confidently, and he sunk several of this or a greater length. With short putts he seemed to have no confidence; and he failed with a number. Duncan just :putted badly. He had also the misfortune to have to try and negotiate two very bad stymies. The first was oh the eighth green. His tee shot was halftopped, but luckily it ran up the bank, and he had a chance to put his second on the green, but overran with an otherwise perfect iron shot. Black chipped on to the .edge of the green from just short of the stone bank. Duncan's approach was rather, woeful, and Black, putting down-hill, overran the hole by a few inches. The only way to'come at it was for'Duncan to play for a cut, and bounce with a niblick, and he lipped. Black took the hole in par. The next was at the short hole by the river. Duncan's tee, shot was. weft past the .pin, and he overran the hole on the return. Black narrowly missed a two, 'and Duncan was in much the same position as on the eighth—with a shot to execute that would be gained but once in a while. The uncertainty of the game was demonstrated, at the twelfth of 400 yards. Black pulled his tee shot badly, go* a poor lie in a depression and had a poor second, being still a full mashie shot from the green. Duncan had a beautiful drive but heeled his second. He had a much shorter approach, and finished wide, some 25 feet from the pin. Blade put his some dozen feet from the pin, and promptly sunk it for par figures. . Duncan took a five. In the finish Black must be considered to;have had hard luck to go over 7.0. At the fourteenth (465 yards) he drove over the bank—some 230 yards. Now it does not pay to drive over this bank—unless one drives say 260 yards—for, thongh teeing up is allowed within one club's length, it is difficult to get a decent stance. Black found this, vand the result was that his second was pulled away into the rough of a hazard. Duncan tent his second just short of the green, and laid it dead with hk approach, while Black got on in three, but on one of the three poor greens on the course took ■ three putU and spoilt his card with a six. The eighteenth, which wag played out saw two really magnificent approaches of different varieties. Duncan was short with his second, and ran up to within six inches. Black was in the-hazard to the side, chipped up with a niblick, and would have holed out but that a piece of mud attached to his ball stopped it ' and it rolled back a. couple of, inches from the edge. So ended a fine fight and a very enjoyable exhibition, and we are left wondering just what i s jojag to happen in Wanganui when these'two come into contact with tlio New Zealand championship competitors; Duncan will have-to look to his "game to retain the amateur title, for the 'fight will be we of the hardest in the history of the championships. Whether the- players will'be able to hold out is a question that only the championships will settle. Of those who aro going liard .for form there arc Duncan, BlacU, A Ekstedt (Palmerston). J. H. Drake (Miramar), Horton (Masterton), J C Bidwill (Wairarapa), Wright (AuckA nd) ,', B,° BB (P uned'n). C. Clements (Auckland;, and, just a few of the other or younger players, such as Morpetli, Eana Wagg, Xes Speedy, eto. In other countries these young golfers are the i ones who ire winning the honours, and

Apparently there are' sports'ln Australia which have a'much better backing than golf, for ttie; reports of the Australian - championships have „" been meagre indeed, and it'is difficult to understand just what Arthur Ham did there. This week's Australian mail failed to throw much light; .on the matter, and it. will be next'week'-before there wi3 be available ihy.thinj'. that will makij the position definite. .'!. Li. appears that the competition won .by Ham wag on* in which.the professiohals.indulged, upart from' the championship events pioper,> for his score of 161 was not nearly so good as that of 151 which he did in the first two rounds .of the open championship. The opening day competition at the championship was one in which the professionals played';** stroke competition over 36 h01e5. .. ,' The winner was B~ Stewart, an, Adelaide professionals, who did. some very ': fine scoring at the opening stages, but' difl not apparently finish ' well.. He' did, rounds of 74 and 75, as against which Arthur Ham finished fourth with rounds of 79 and 78. An Adelaide writer stated, at the time that Ham was fait getting, into form, and was probably the cleanest hitter, and the longest, in the competition. - Apparently Ham was. fast getting into form, for later he won aiir. other professionals' competition,', and was i-unner-up in the Australian open, a very. high honour indeed for a player who is unused to the.climate, and has,.like all the New Zealand players this year, hail very little practice. Ham is, of course, fortunate in that he is getting, very valuable practice for the New; Zealand championships next month, and this should give him the. little confidence that is required to put him in a leading position. T. E. Howard, who won-the open in Australia, is a New 'South. Wales professional of some note... The outstanding feature of -.the crHieisnui written 'before the championships commenced .was the fact that none of' the writers seemed to,consider that Howard or Ham had a chance. The men who were chosen by the' writers—and they are men who know the ..Australian players—were Iyo Whitton, the Victorian amateur,'who holds a very fine record, and was playing well before the tournament, and the two. professionals; Carnegie Clark and Stewart. How these people fared we will heir next week. ;:

ti }\ to read in Australiau '"Life" that Kirkwood-sayis in the course of some'interesting hints to players that ."the objective of practice is not so much to achieve correctness in making; a, shot as to acquire a sense of freedom fron>, worrying about how a stroke-is "made." This bears out the theory that confidence in ability to play correctly is one of v the secrets of good play. '.'The skilled player," he adds, "notes only the area-of the teeing ground- and then ,the: object tire." All ju between the too and t'm green he ignores in the main. • In other words,, lie plays for the pin. " i ■■ . 3. M. Gregory, the Auslraliau cricket; cv, has ; this year tinned his ;attcuUoh to golf, and at; Parranjatta. he has been «ighted .playing in 'mixed foursomes! and still smashing—for he has had. to renevy' quite a. number of his golfing clubß. Those .who saw,.'him;/in action swinging the bat in the Test's can >-«Il ißiagine how severely ho would, test the strongest golfing implements in 'going lot" I ti big drive. , « .