GOLF TOURNEY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 85, 20 October 1928, Page 10

GOLF TOURNEY

VICTORY FOR SHAW AMATEUR SEMI-FINALS MEMORABLE ENCOUNTER (By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") DUNEDIN, This Day. After 36 hours of cold rain, the course was really sodden on Friday morning when Shaw and Macintosh drove off from the first tee in the final of tho Professional Championship. It was still raining aud the hills near the course were white with fresh snow. Despite these conditions Shaw reeled off the first six holes in four 4's and two 3's. He reached the turn in 37, and so did Macintosh. The latter, however, was struggling, and his long game was not so smooth aud powerful as it usuaily is. These two facts are cause and effect. They are related to the fact that Shaw was attacking and making the patfe all the time. At the third, 265 yards downhill, but against a touch of wind, Shaw drove tho greeu and just niissed a 12-foot putt for a

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2. At the tenth, 175 yards, Shaw holed a chip shot out of a shallow bunker for a 2. This made him 2 up, for he led Macintosh by 1 at the turn. Three halves followed, and Shaw took the fourteenth (238 yards), where he put his cleek shot 10 yards from the pin. Macintosh lost the sixteenth, but won the last and went into lunch 3 down. Shaw's figures were:— Out: 443344654—37. In: 254535435—36. In the afternoon' Shaw continued his par golf, playing superbly. Macintosh played more easily now and reached the turn in 37, but he could not keep pace "with Shaw, who won by 6 aud 5. Shaw:— Out: 543354344—30. ■ In:. 3545. AMATEUR SEMI-FINAL. Like .their fellows, J. L. Black and J. G. D. Duncan started off in rain on a waterlogged course. Duncan's ball at the third was deep in the ground, where it-fell, but a local rule allowed him to pick it up and drop without penalty. The others had the same experience during the forenoon. Black drew first blood with a fine three at the third. Duncan won the fourth, and atfer two halves Black holed an eightfeet putt for a 4 at the seventh. Duncan won the eighth and halved the ninth. Both were out in 39 and all square. / At the 600 yards long eleventh Black achieved a brilliant recovery out o£ a waterlogged bunker to within IS inches of the cup, and holed that for a hard halt in 5. He won the twelfth, thanks to a fine iron shot to the green, and to the fact that Duncan missed an 18-inch putt for a four. Mediocre halves at the thirteenth in 6 were followed by a fine 3 to Black at the next, where he sank a 7-feet putt. He he was 2 up. At the fifteenth Black had two poor wooden club shots and Duncan pitched over a stymie on the green to win in 4. Three halves left Black leading by 1 hole at the eighteenth. Iv the afternoon Black gradually forged ahead. He reached the turn in 38, and was 2 up. At the ninth Duncan lost a ball. Finally Black was dormie 2, and then Duncan put his drive 10 feet from the' pin, 270 yards away, and holed a brilliant 2, to be 1 down. At - the last hole he tried hard to sink another putt of the same length, but just failed. HORTON VERSUS ROSS. There is no more satisfying shot in golf than the crisp, accurate iron shot to the green. Both the player and the spectator enjoys such a shot thoroughly. ■ Three such shots were seen to-day, one after the other, not to the green but up to the pin, all of them dead. To add variety a brassie shot in a cross wind was interspersed with them also to within 12 feet of the pin. All these were served up by the master iron player, T. H. Hortou, exhilarating to watch*. In, spite of these magnificent strokes, beautifully played, in spite of the fact that lie put the three iron shots quite dead and needed two putts only after the brassie, iv spite of. the fact that he went out in 35 and was one below fours at the long eleventh, Horton there was 1 down to Dr. Ross. That is some indication of the quality of the golf produced by tin's pair iv adverse conditions. Dr. Ross, with five 4's and a 3, was 3 up at the sixth, somewhat disconcerting for Horton. At the seventh, 400 yards, Hor- , ton played the shot which gave him the inspiration that changed the whole day's play for him. From the top of the slope he played a perfect iron shot to the green. The ball bit into the turf and pulled up twelve inches from the cup. He Tiad a birdie 3, which Ross, in spite of n fine iron shot, could not' equal. THRILLS FOR SPECTATORS. At the next, in a stiff opposing wind, Horton put a sweet brassie shot near the pin, and holed in 4 for a win. He played a firm, perfectly timed mashie to the ninth green, the ball coming to rest three feet from the cup. Another 3, and all square. Ross chipped dead at the tenth, and Horton, from a trap, failed to get a 3. At the long eleventh it was the turn of Ross to delight the crowd with an accurate iron shot to the green, the ball lying ouly twelve feet from the hole. Hortou followed. •He played the ball as crisply as usual, bigh and dropping. It flew, pitched, and pulled up 18 inches from the hole. A perfect 4 waited him Ross responded by holing his 12-foot putt for a half, to retain his lead of one hole. It was great golf and a great' game to watch. Ross was playing par golf, better than par in tlio heavy conditions. He won the twelfth, took the thirteenth, where Horton had three putts, and Look the fourteenth, which Hortou lwnl reached with a picture of a cleek shot. At this time the North Islander was 4 down, hard yoinjr- Horlon now turned on two shots which again changed the aspect of (lie jiainu. Al'tev being short with his third at the 15th lie holed ;i 20ft putt for a win in 4. At the loth, from (ill' the green, he chipped up accurately from 25 yards, took the curve- of the slope, and went dow/n for a o. Ross got his 3 at the 270 yards seventeenth, to

Horton's 4. They halved tho eighteenth in 5, and Eoss was 3 up. Both went round in.74. Koss's figure were: — Out: 4434445(54—37. In: 341535535—37. Horton's figures were: Out: 454255343—35. In: 445044345—30. These figures rein'esent quite first-class golf in tho conditions. THE AFTERNOON STRUGGLE. After an hour for lunch they went out again. The rain had ceased, the air was clearer, and the course still heavy. The crowd had increased and presently numbered 200. What mattered wet feet, the bite of cold winds, the drenching by heavy showers? Here was golf to inspire and to thrill. Horton picked up a hole. at the third, haired the fourth, lost the fifth, won the sixth, and still faced a deficit of two holes. Now came another thrill! Horton's iron shot finished 20 yards from the cup, and ho holed' out gallantly for his second 3 at. that hole. He was only 1 down. Good drives at the eighth left them both facing the green, which invited them through a cross contrary wind. Here Horton played a picture of a brassie, a low ball which never left tho line of the pin, and finished 15ft from the cup. That shot won the hole. At the ninth Eoss almost got a 3, but halved in 4. The match was all square. Eoss was holing out well all day, but he missed 3ft for a 5 at the long 11th and Horton was 1 up. , CROWD WORKED UP. Excitement increased. It looked now as if Horton might beat the favourite, ! for ho had a grip of the game, with complete control of all his shots save an occasional run-up and an occasional short putt. Few even at this stage, however, were so bold as to say that Horton would win. Rosa is known as a stayer. His play from the teo and through the green is quite first class; he chips up.to the hole well, and holes out as accurately and confidently as any leading golfer. He played up to that expectation, at the next hole. He was just over the green with his second while Horton was 15ft below the pin. Ross played a perfect run-up to the hole —a run-down it really was, for it was downhill and delicate to play—and it dropped into the cup for a 3—all square again. A difficult place in .a hollow confronted Ross going to tho 13th, and he had to play his third out of it too, taking 4 to reach the green. He lost the hole. Both played great shots to the 240 yards 14th, the balls lying 8 yards from the pin. Both went close for 2 and halved in 3. Still 1 down, Ross hit a fine brassie second to the high 15th. Horton got inside him, but presently had to hole a 9ft putt for a hard half in 4. Horton's chip shot went through the 16th green,. but Ross was short, and his beautiful 10-foot putt, perfectly played and taking the slope plumb for the back of the hole, stopped half an inch short—a blow, still 1 down. ROSS'S FINAL CHANCE. Flawless drives to the 270 yards 17th left them 8 yards on either side of the pin, and the hole was halved. At the 18th Hortou lay dead for a s,.and Ross had a 10ft putt for the. hole to square this terrific semi-final match. He took his time, and played it well. It failed. Horton was 1 up after one of the best 36-hole