GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 79, 2 April 1924, Page 4

GOLF

PROFESSIONAL MATCHES

,' good' play at-, miramar.

The play in the professionals' tournament, which was concluded at Miramar last evening, was of a very much improved standard in the afternoon, compared with the displays given in the morning, when only one of the competitors broke 80, and that was only by means.of phenomenal putting." There was a very good attendance of golfing spectators,'and they enjoyed the play. Taken in every way, the one-day tournament was a decided success, and the play was good, considering that the players were practically strangers to the coiu'se.

The club managed to present over £45 in prize money for the day. The-honours of the day rested with Q. W. Ritchie, the assistant professional at Sliramar, who carried off all the prize money for the first positions in 1 the moi'ning, and with four strokes •to spare,-won the aggregate on the .day's play. In the afternoon he .did not need the phenomenal putting which- characterised his morning play, as his- approaching very seldom left him anything to do. As it was, he missed three very short putts on the last few holes, and finished with an 30, after having'taken an eleven at Hill side, where lie first got into an almost unplayable position, and then lost a ball. At the last hole he took a six through socketting his mashie approach, but for the other-16 holes his card was an extremely good one. He started out with a three on the 475 yard first, but had taken 44 to reach the turn-, then, coming home in three under bogey. His card for the second half read : 442434456. His 80 with the 76 in the morning gave Ritchie the gross aggregate prize >vitb 156^ ■

Hood.came second oh tho aggregate with rounds of 81 and 79. In the afternoon he went out with the new professional of the Hutt Club' .(M'lntosh), who is a big hitter, plays his iron clubs very well, and putts only medium. M'Intosh's trouble is a big tendency to overhitting, and sliced, wooden shots at several stages landed him.in trouble that cost him at least three strokes in his round, which was done in 77, the best gross score in the afternoon, and a score which easily won the medal competition, he having boen allotted three strokes handicap. Hood was playing a very steady game, and was using his mashie with much more mastery than he displayed in the morning, but he struck a. patch of topping at the tenth, and later at the sixteenth, tins' spoiling his score. M'lntosh did the round in one under bogey, and his card read :' Out 444453644—38; In; 663433455—39; total, 77. Hood's card read: Out,-554344545 —39; In, 653335555—40; total, 79. None of the others broke 80. The best scores in the gross aggregate were as follow :— . „ . .

Ritchie, with net' 73, won the prize for the medal round as well as the prize for the best" gross score in the afternoon. Hood, -with .79, and Ritchie, with 80, weie second and' third. '

The prizes were presented by Mr. K. C."-Kirk, president of the New. Zealand Golf Council. •'. . „■_. "...

Bitchie (Miramar) .... 76 80 156 Hood (Miramar) 81 79 160 Shaw (unattached) ... 80 82 162 M'lntosh (HuttV .:...,. 86 77 163 Moss (Auckland). ....1. • 82 83 165 Galloway (Palmerston North) •.. 84 85 169