On the Links

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 82, 5 April 1924, Page 19

On the Links

SPLENDID PLAY

PROFESSIONALS. AT NELSON

HOOD'S EEMARKABLE SCOBE.

COMING EVENTS.

Easter—Tournaments at Heretaunga, Kelson, ami New Plymouth. May 2U—British Amateur Championship, St. June 23—British Open Championship, HoySeptember 5-New Zealand Championships, at Jllddlemore. . r

(By " BAFrY.")

The reports from the professional tournament at Nelso% last week were somewhat sparse, and there is very little more available. The professionals had a very fine time, and there was no doubt that the Nelson Club went out of its way to .muke the tournament v success in every way. Of -the results, "that obtained by lluod. the Miramar professional, was outstanding, and,i indeed is one which is outstanding in golf in New Zealand, for he played the 72 holes in a score that was only seven over, fours'. This is scoring that would stand out anVwhere. There is little doubt that Hood plays better away from his own course, and his result at Nelson spoke for extremely steady play, and a nice execution of every variety of shot. Hood was the outstanding player of the tournament, for he not only won the championship, but took the Myers Cup from Shaw, and was in the first three of every other event. Last year at New Plymouth, Shaw won the championship with 303, but this was not-expeetfcd of him this year, 'for for some months prior to the Nelson tournament he practically did not have a club -in his hands. As it was, Shaw made a very good showing, and after the third .vouijd was second on the list. In the last roxmd, however, he was replaced by Moss, who went round in five strokes fewer than Shaw took. In the final round, chief interest was centred in Hood and Shaw, who went round together. Hood went out in 37 (one more than in his morning round)- and iShnw in 43. The next seven holes Hood, with five' threes, did in 24, and. he needed to do the last two long holes in nine to break the previous best round of 71 piit in by Shaw and M'lntosh. As in the morning round, however, he took a six at the 17th. ' His tee shot' left him a bad -lie, mid, taking an iron he half-topped the ball, and his, third left him too much to do to get 5.* It was the only hole during tho day he failed to do up to his form. At the last, he took a 4. which left him a tie, with the other two men for the special prize donated for the best gross medal round of the tournament. Shaw put in his worst card of the tournament with an 81. Ho was continually short with his approach shots, and his putting was weak. Hood's card read : Ouk-5 55 3 25 3 5 4—37. In—3 33 5 3 4 3 6 4—34--71.

• A 71 to finish oft four rounds "of the most trying modal play will,he admitted to be a very fine performance." Tho four rounds o£ the championship resulted :— *

Jaiuas did not compete.

Tho driving was not tho. success it might' have beeni owing to the fact that there, was heavy rain .'during the event. Several of the players drove very long balls, but'they did not keep on the course, and the honour finally wemVto Moss with 229 yards. The only drive that is talked about after tho tournament i§ one which Ritchie hit 31----yards past the pin at a hole of 270 yards. Moss liad the .distinction of holing out in. one at the eighth hole in the second rouud of tha championship. *

AT.MIRAMAR.

After finishing at. Nelson eight of the professionals took part in the one-day tournament at Miramar; and this provided a very pleasant day for them" and for the spectators, who, however, did not turn out in the numbers that might have been expected. The course was in excellent- ouder andl the greens were perfect. Hood managed to . finish second, but"he did not look comfortable at any stage, and tho honours went to Ritchie, his assistant. Ritchie had a phenomenal streak of putting in the morning, and at least half of the holes he put down puts that might reasonably Nhave been isxpected to take two. If he was within ton yards of tho hole down went/the ball. He wQuldj have put up .a . sensational round had it not been for the loss of half-a-do&en strokes at the commencement of the second half. This was probably because lie was trying to play too carefully, having niade a very-quod. showing on the first ■ half.. He 'played the tenth very weakly after having run' over a- bunker, and finally holed out in six, while Moss, who got' into the bunker, played a magnificent explosion shot, and laid dead to get a four. Ritchie then put his tee shot iiito the rough, and merely hacked it out to do the next hole in six against another four. The outcome of it was that Moss gained six strokes from Ritchie in four holes,' but Moss did every one of those holes in par, and he would have been even with Ritchie on the next green had" he not taken three putts.- Then Ritchie went mad, and per medium of one putt on each of, the last four greens he did the holes in one under par in each case. .The best ball of the pair worked out at 69, and it can be understood how exciting the golf was in the last half when it is realised that1 the best ball was. 33, and there were seven of the holes done in one under par, two in pay, and one in one over.

. This match provided tho only excitement of the morning,- but there were better/ displays in -'the afternoon. The general opinion was that Ritchie would not lie able to again- produce the putting -jf the morning, and most of the gallery went out to watch Hood and .the ikw man, M'lntosh, and-.they proved worth watching. M'lntosh had not done well in tlie^morning." but he had just arrived by the boat from Kelson. 'Apart from that he has not been in New Zealand long enough to -get acclimatised, and he would have done a very fine score but for the fact that he went for too much length with his wooden shots, and sliced in consequence at a number of holes. Ho paid the penalty. There was one hole'where he played a very nico constrained shot from the tee. That, was at. "The Crater," and he drove a perfectly timed ball to the top of the hill, and reaped a three on a par four. Strangely, M'lntosh uses two grips, or at least he uses the interlocking grip in two ways. With his wooden clubs he uses'- the palm-hold, and with his iron the finger-hold. His irons .are used with a_ very clean and sweeping'stroke, and his approaching is very nice to watch. Hb does not, however, play sufficiently within himself to get the best results from his wood, and lie hits a trrancndou'; bull, but an uncontrolled one. Ho pivots extremely well, and together wi^j. Shaw and "Mobs he was

watched with much' interest by those players who get no other chance of seeing the outside professionals at work. M'lntosh commenced with a series of fours, and went out in 38, a sliced tee shot at "The Tjupins" costing him a stroke, and a topped drive at "Hillside" another. Hood meantime played out steadily, and reached the turn with 39 to iiis credit. On turning, however, Hood topped three balls in a row with his. wood, and opened with a six, while 'M'lntosh played two bad holes and put two sixes on his card, while Hood added a five. The last seven holes showed the-following figures:—Hood: 3335555; M'lntosh: 3433455. Hood's five at "The Crater" was due to a topped tee'shot, going into.the drain. At the eighteenth M'lntosh nearly struck trouble. He hit a tremendous tee shot, and was in two minds about taking wood and trying to carry the drain. However, he was advised to take an iron and play safe to the right. He took an iron, but played to the left, struck the' path leading to the bridge, and bounced over the drain. ■_ Not many players' can claim to have carried this ditch with a drive and an iron. • ,

"'■, Meantime, Ritchie had. been playing great golf. He opened with a three— two strokes under par—for the first hole, and followed with 55443. At "Hillside," however, he put his'tee shot into an almost unplayable position, and instead of picking up and losuig a stroke he elected to play the ball where it lay. The' outcome was tIM he played four more before lie was out of ' the rough, and'his sixth shot found the.side of the hill and could not be found. Finally he holed out in eleven, and naturally told his caddy to tear up his card. However, the caddy refused point blank,and Ritchie had to carry on. He did the next two holes in four and five, finishing the half in 44.' 0 On the second half he missed three putts of under five feet,'but he came home in 35, his card reading: 442434456. He missed a short putt for two at the "Lawn,", and the six at the last was caused through a socketed third. This very bright recovory gave him an 80, and with-his morning round this was sufficient to win the gross ag-. gregate. To finish two over bogey with au eleven on one's card is to play excellent golf—especially when it is Mira.mar's bogey that is being referred to;

TSAST-ER. TOURNAMENTS.

intending competitors are reminded that entries for the Wellington Golf Club's Easter tournament, to be held at Hurctauuga, close on Saturday nest. This will, of course, be the premier. event «o far as Wellington golfers ,ire\ concerned, and it is anticipated that\his year there will be a much; larger entry than usual. The programme is as follows:—Saturday: First and second qualifying rounds (16 to qualify), and 36 hole medal competition; Monday: First round championship and bogey competition, and second round champftmship and mudal round; Tuesday; Third round championship and bogey handicap, and final o{ championship and men's foursome, bogey. lfc is expected that as usual there.will bo a contingent of Wellington golfers at Nelson for their Easter tournament. This opens with the two' qualifying rounds for. tha championship, and a 36 hole medal competition. • On . the second day th'cro is a bogey handicap,, and the flight tournament, which is always -a feature of1 the Nelson "Easter Meeting, will also be commenced on the second day. In this .it will be remembered the'competitors are drawn into groups of eight, according to their handicaps, each group playing off for a trophy." On the Tuesday tho.championship will be concluded., and there will be a bogey and a men's 'f6ur : ball bogey, as. well as the finals of the flight tournament.. .

. For those golfers, who [eel like making their destination for. Easter a little iuiv ther away, New Plymouth is providing v. tournament that will attract One-or two Wellington golfers have decided to go. that way, and I can assure them that they will-have a pleasant time, for, of the country clubs, there is not one that is more attractive than the New Plymouth one. .•''Tlio i people are extremely nice,rand tho links are situated in ideal surroundings; They look like golf links from tho club-house, and they are found to be just that when one gets oil them. New Plymouth opens on Saturday with the two qualifying rounds, and a medal competition, and m addition will provide trophies for a teams' match. , On the Monday , the first and second rounds of the championship will be played, as well as a four-ball bogoy, and a medal handicap. * On tho Tuesday the -championship will he conducted, and there will be a, four-ball bogey in the morning, and .a bogey handicap in-the afternoon. ' LONG DRIVING. -

An amateuiVW. G. Bucher, of Kansas City;-outdrove some of the hardest hitters of the professional golf world at Brackenridge Park (Texas) in winning a driving contest for distance, first organised competition of the Texas open golf championship tournament. Bucher ;sent'tlie ball 289 yards from the fifth tee, off which the contest was held. This was a yard longer than the best drives of Jim Barnes, the New York professional and former national open champion, who was second. Mac Donald Smith,, of San Francisco,-,was 'fifth, with 284. Thirty of ,the longest' drivers1 entered in the Texas open. meeting. Each -contestant was allowed four, drives, with the.best'to count.' A prize of 50 dollars was up for the professional who won^ but since an amateur finished first, a medal, will be made for 'him. Next to Barnes Came Arthur Gladstone Havers, the British open champion, with a drive of 285.

Phil Hessler, of ,I'ulsa, Oklahoma, a "dark horse," was next, just half :i yard behind Havers. Joe Kh'kwood, Australian star, registered 283, None of these drives compare" very favourably with 'the remarkable results .obta-ined by the New Zaaland hitter Kapi 'Car'oha.

Hood ... 76—73-^75—71—295 Moss . . 76-rHA —80—75—306 Shaw ...* 71—80—77—81—309 M'Intosh ■ 81—81—71—81—314 Galloway 79—79—81—76—315 KitcUie 77—77—80—82—316 Macviie ... 79—80—84—83—326 WaUa ... ■ 88—83—80—80—331