THE GOLF CUP

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 24, 30 January 1928, Page 11

THE GOLF CUP

FOURSOMES A TIE MORPETH'S LONG PUTTS KEEN CONTESTS The weather was excellent for the foursomes played in the Kirk-AYin-deyer Cup contest this morning, dull and warm, with a light southerly breeze which died away at times. Galleries followed both games closely. Morpeth and Boss held their own against Nigel Smith and AY. R. Smith, winning 1 up, but Horton and Grant went down to Dobson and Lee Brown, 3 clown. The game between Nigel Smith and W. E. Smith, for Australia, and S. Morpeth and K. Ross, for New Zealand, was a keen struggle, the result being in doubt to the last hole. Nigel Smith was hitting a tremendous ball, while W. Smith showed a marvellous gift of getting out of troubles well. Neither struck really good putting form. Morpeth and Eoss played steadily, but both showed the effects of strain. Australia won the first hole in 4-5. Eoss put his second in the bunker at the second, Australia taking that also in 4-5. Eoss laid the New Zealander's third shot three feet from the third hole, and Morpeth sunk the putt for a 4. Wally Smith's shot was in the rough, and N. Smith played' a fine brassio shot, which gave the opportunity for ;i 4, but the putt did not go down. Australia 1 up. Morpeth, using his wood rather unnecessarily at the short fourth, pushed the shot out, after which Eoss was short. W. Smith was nicely on the green from the tee, and Australia took the hole, 3-4. The fifth was halved in 4's, and the sixth in o's. Boss had a hanging lie for the second shot at the seventh, and was short, but put the next three feet from the pin. W. K. Smith's second from N. Smith's fine drive was pushed out into the bunker, and N. Smith, trying to play a clean chip, failed to get it out. W. Smith laid the ball almost dead, and N. Smith missed the putt, and, in doing so, "laid the New Zealanders a stymie, New Zealand winning the hole, 5-6. Morpeth hit a beautiful drive at the eighth, just past tho dip in front of the green, 270 yards against the light southerly. Both were nicely on with their seconds, but Morpeth sank a twelve-footer for a 3. All square. N. Smith out drove Eoss at the ninth by thirty yards, but W. E. Smith pushed out his brassie second into the rough, and N. Smith was short out. W. Smith nearly holed a thirtyfoot putt, Morpeth's second was short of the green to the right, but Eoss's thirty-yard chip struck the pin firmly, and stopped three feet away. Morpth missed the three-foot putt, halving in 5. All square at the turn, both seconds were on opposite edges of tho tenth .green, and-the hole was halved in 4. W. Smith's second was through the green into the bunker at the eleventh. Morpeth sank a long putt for a 4. (New Zealand 1 up.) Morpeth was to the left of the green and too strong with his tee shot at the twelfth, while W. Smith's iron was dead ou the pin, and stopped five feet away. Nigel Smith missed the putt, but W. Smith sank the next, and as Morpeth had missed a short putt after Eoss's neat approach, Australia took the hole in -3-4. Tho thirteenth was halved in 4's. Nigel Smith's long drive finished in a rough hollow, where the ball was half hidden by thick grass. After looking at it, W. Smith discarded his niashie, and played a magnificent iron dead on the pin, undoubtedly saving his side. Tho fourteenth was halved in 4's. Nigel Smith was lucky at the fifteenth, where his drive struck the left bank, and kicked on to the fairway. Boss's drive landed in the heavy sand to the right of the fairway, and Morpeth could get it out only fifty yards. Eoss was too strong with the next, which over-ran the green, and Morpeth, though near the cup with tho recovery, gave the hole to the Australians, whose third shot was all but holed. (Australia 1 up.) N. Smith's drive was only thirty feet short of the sixteenth green. Morpeth, however, missed a nine-foot putt for a 3, and N. Smith, missing a short putt for a 4, New Zealand was again square. The seventeenth was the most spectacular hole of the morning. W. Smith had played a magnificent iron shot from the left side of the fairway, but it kicked into the bunker hole high on the left. N. Smith, with a mighty explosion shot, placed it three feet from the pin, but Morpeth, from a ball nicely placed by Eoss out of the marram grass, holed a twenty-footer for a birdie 3, making New Zealand 1 up. Morpeth's drive was bunkered at tho eighteenth, and Boss was unable to get it out more than a few yards. N. Smith's tremendous brassie second found tha bunker to tho left of the green, but Wally Smith laid the ball almost dead. Nigel Smith found the strain too much, and missed tho putt, the hole being halved in 5, New Zealand winning 1 up. The golf was singularly matched as regards tho cards, each taking 38 out and 39 back. The Australians' card read: 445343645 —38; 453444555, 39. Tho New Zealanders' figures w.ere: 554443535 —38; 444446445—39. AUSTRALIA'S WIN. With the exception of one or two holes sterling golf was played between the New Zealand representatives, T. H. Horton and Donald Grant, and the Australians, W. E. Dobson and Dr. Lee Brown. A start was made with ordinary drives, but a good second from Horton's iron followed by Grant's mashie niblick shot, which landed the ball close to the pin, New Zealand took the first hole in sto 7. There were good drives at the second, but Horton and Grant were each in a bunker, and the Australians won in 4to 5. Equal distance from the tee was secured by each team at the third. Lee Brown smothered his second, but with the third Dobson placed the ball handy, and the hole was halved for 5. Horton was unlucky at the fourth. Ho had a good long putt for a win and the ball hit the lip of the cup, ran around the edge and then off sideways. Lee Brown w%s in tho bunker on the right of the green. The hole was halved in 4's. The fifth was characterised with a great second by Lee Brown, who put his iron shot about a foot from the pin, Australia winning the hole in 3 to 5. At the sixth Lee Brown and Horton were both on the left of the pin with iron shots from the tee, but Grant sank a long putt to win in 2, the second by Dobson running around the edge of the cup. Horton missed a three-foot putt at the seventh, and Australia advanced again to 1 up, winning in 4 to 5, steady golf being played b ythe two both down the fairway and on the green. Horton sliced his drive at the eighth across on to the fourteenth fairway, but a fine second by Grant landed on the edge of the green. Lee Brown was in the rough. Dobson's pitch from a bunker ran through the green. The hole was halved in 4's. A ten-foot putt sunk by Lee Brown at the ninth gavo the Australians the hole, and they turned for home 2 up. Another long putt by Lee Brown at the tenth and tho fact that Grant's second ran into the rough at tho side of the green, and that Horton was too strong with the third, overrunning the pin by many feet, gave tho Australians this hole in 3. They were equi-distant and abreast down the fairway at the eleventh, while a fine iron

shot by Lee Brown placed tho ball on the green. The second played by Horton was on the edege of the green. Playing a diflicult shot Dobson sank a twenty-foot putt for a win in 3, giving tho Australians a lead of 4 up. New Zealand took back the next three holes. The twelfth saw Horton sink a fourfoot putt, bunker trouble proving disastrous to Australia. At the thirteenth Dobson's tee shot was in tho creek on the right of the fairway. From a bad stance Lee Brown got excellent results with his second. Hovton was well on in 2, and New Zealand won in 4to 5. At the fourteenth Lee Brown stymied the New Zealand pair, but Horton played a beautiful pitch shot over, the ball landing into the cup. Grant got slightly longer length at the fifteenth, where Brown sank an eight-foot putt for a half in 4. Horton put his tee shot into a hollow at the sixteenth, and the best that Grant could do was to play to a better lie. Grant overran the green, and Dobson, sinking a nice putt for a 3, won the hole. The seventeenth was halved in 4's, and Australia winning the eightteenth in 5-7, stood 3 up.