CATHRO'S BRILLIANCE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 83, 4 October 1929, Page 10

CATHRO'S BRILLIANCE

WEAK ONLY ON GREENS

BLACK BEATS SDIE

(Special to "The Evening, Post.") (By "Chipshot.")

■ WANGANUI, -This Day

There were only the semi-finals of the amateur championship ou at Bclmemt yesterday, and there was only one game in them that was worth watching, but it constituted one of' the most highly exciting golf matches ever seen in tbis country, even from the closelycontested point of view, while the quality of t"ie golf was exceptionally good for semi-finals. Black, who had a lead of 0 up on Simo at the end of the morning round, finished up 5 and 4, but' long before that match was ended the gallery Was' all with Morpeth and Cathro, to watch the unusual spectacle of the No. 1 in the Kirk Windeyer Cup team defending himself, not with the most conspicuous success, against a player from a club only five years old, whose golf has been largely self taught. Cathro pressed Morpeth hard -in both rounds, making his challenge in. the first round when he was three1 down at Alma, and failing only because he could not putt at all well, and in the second round being two up at the second, one up at the turn, carrying tluit lead to the thirteenth, and, when Morpeth became 1 up for tho first time in the afternoon round, holding grimly to halves till tho bitter end at the eighteenth. Cathro drove a. long ball from the tee, iriore than once outdriving Morpeth, and every drive was straight down the middle. His iron work was beautiful to watch, almost every shot finding tho greens. J?or approaches he pinned his faith to a mashie niblick, with which he got a surprisingly long ball when necessary. Using a straight-faced putter ' which seemed to let him down, ho time and again missed wins through short, or wide fpur foot putts. Had he been able, to putt, Morpeth would have been beaten at the thirteenth in the afternoon. Morpeth seemed to sense the implacable nature of this opponent, and though ho never appears • perturbed, he certainly was more serious than usual. Anyone else would have cracked. The contrast in styles was marked. Cathro is slow swinging back, does not take tho club far back, and his downswing is particularly unhurried. He gets the ball away' with uo apparent effort, but it, is sweetly hit, and invariably flies straight. He is deliberate in taking his lino, and addresses ■ the ball several times, whether with iron or putter. Morpoth seems to switch back his club and with hardly any pause at the top of the swing, discharges all his force into a fiery, lightning swipe, lifting himself on tho toes as he follows through. Moreover, his drives aro anywhere but on the fairways as a rule. Ho wastes no time over his shots through the green, except perhaps in taking his lino, and plays the shot directly he has taken his stance. Tho splendid battle put up by the local man drew a huge gallery, which unethically applauded both golfers' good shots.

THE FIRST ROUND.

Cathro was tliroiigh the green with his second, and right up the bank and the back, but played a. well-judged shot dead, a' half resulting. Morpcth won the- .second with a long straight putt in 4-5. ' The third was halved. At tho-fourth Gathro's long approach putt loft him an egilit footer which lie failed to sink, and Morpeth was 2 up. Cathro landed a beautiful tee shot within four .feet of the-'can at Seaview, but missed the putt. Morpeth was down the bank and took 4, Catliro taking a, hole in 3 that should havo been a3l (Morpeth 1 up.) Perfect three's were got at Sedan, whore each sank a putt of fifteen feet. There was something of a tragedy for Catliro at'the seventh. Outdriven forty yards against the strong wind, Cathro's long second was within putting distance. Morpcth, putting from the near edge of the green, laid his dead, when Cathro putter! and missed, laying Morpcth what looked liko a stymie. The referco (Mr. F. G. Bouvcn), after measuring the b:ills, decided otlicrwi.su, and a half in 4 was carded. Morpcth's second lay well at the Quarries, while Catliro's was on the edge oC the green. Cathro approached short and'missed the putt, and Morpcth, though missing his eight footer, took the hole in 4-5. (Morpcth 2 up.)

A WILD HOLE,

At the ninth Morpcth gave a characteristic exhibition of wild driving, putting his first out of bounds, among the lupins, over the fence, and putting his second in the tough brown grass ou the other side ,of tho fairway. Cathro, as he was almost without exception throughout the day, was straight down the middle of the fairway, and was nicely on the green with his second. He appeared to miss-hit' his medium approach putt, and seemed at sea on sloping putts, as he allowed too much borrow, besides which ho was short, with the result that he left himself too long a putt and took 5 to Morpeth's six, Morpeth playing too strong with his third, and running through tho green. (Morpeth 1 up.)

NEARLY IN ONE,

Cathro had a narrow escape of a hoio in one at The Slope, the ball passing tho hole within an inch, and stopping just beyond it. It was described by many Belmont golfers as the best tee' shot ever seen there. Morpeth missed his ten footer, and Cathro took the hole in 2-3, squaring tho game. Morpeth played a fine iron out of the rough to the left of the eleventh fairway, and his mashie was short. He overran with his third, but sank his fourth. Cathro was down the middle as usual, and his mashie niblick was just short of the green, and he was short, taking 5. (Morpeth 1 up.) . Cathro missed a putt at the twelfth which Morpeth took in 3-4. ,i

Both found the fairway nt Alma, Cathro through a lucky kick off the ridge on tho left. Cathro's trusty mashie niblick here gave him a sliced shot to the right hand edge of the green, but he laid his next dead, imavailingly, as Morpoth sank a twenty footer for a 3. '

CATHRO'S STRONG BID.

Three down, the AVangauui man commenced to show his • true metal, playing a long game that would have won him a place in the final if he liad been able to sink four foot putts. His drive was a screamei", straight, of course. Morpeth was in the rough to the right, his second reached the green, but his putt was short. Cathro's fine iron second lay within three feet of the can. He 'missed the putt for a3, but took the hole 4-5. (Morpoth 2 up.) The fifteenth, through short approaches and missed putts, was halved in 4. Morpeth sliced into the fourteenth fairway at the sixteenth, but with Ms usual luck lay well, and his . second was outside the bunker to the right of tho green, and-his third ten feet from the- enp. From a beautiful drive and second Cathro put his inashie niblick chip four foot from Hie pin, and Morpeth, missing his putt, took the hole 4-5. (Morpeth 1 tip.)

GAME SQUARED AGAIN.

I Morpeth's second out of the rough mv (he 'left at- tJjE seventeenth ran

right through the green and nearly on to the road, where is was stymied by the direction post, and he lifted and dropped. He played a marvellous shot out of the tangle, and lay within putting distance. Cathro, who had made no geographical voyages of discovery, was' down in 4-5, and the game was all square again. Cathro sliced his drive a little, and it left him a long shot for which he took his wood, with which he reached the left of the green, and sank a four footer for a half, when Morpeth's third lay dead, the morning round ending all square.

The quality of the golf was rare for a semi-final. Morpeth's morning card road: 444443446—37, 343354554—36, 73. Cathro's was: 454533455—35, 254444444 —35, 73. All Wangunui folk, and everybody else, strung to the highest pitch of excitment by the game struggle of the Castleeliff player, thronged out to watch the second round, some 500 people following the match. The Black win was in progress,. Black having come in 6 up in the morning, but Sime's troubles in the bunkers had no interest.

TWO HOLES RUNNING.

Morpeth was short out of the rough at the first, while Cathro's second was within easy putting distance. Morpeth was so wide with his approach putt that the referee had to measure the putts, and Morpeth putted, missing. Cathro sank his twelve-footer for a 3 (Cathro 1 up). Both had nice seconds at the second, and Cathro was dead with his third. Morpeth overran the cup with his third and missed the eightfooter, Cathro's hole, 4-5 (Cathro 2 up). Cathro was only half-way up tho bank at Dress Circle with "his mashie-niblick, arid only just reached the edges of thegreen with his third, Morpeth taking a well-played hole in 4-5. (Cathro 1 up.)

IN TIGER LAND,

Catlii-o played one of tho few wild holes he did all day at the fourth. Playiiijj dead into the wind, he hooked his drive out into the tiger country, where he had a wretched stance, and hooked again into a better patch of rough green high, where at least he could stand on the' level. His mashie-hiblick put a nice ball on the far edge of the green, and although Morpeth'b second was hooked, and nearly, went over the green into the :rough, he put a forty-foot approach putt dead, and took his 4. (All square.) Morpeth was short fifteen yards of the green at Seaview, and his iron run up overran. Cathro'a beautiful pitch was nicely on, and he played safe, getting down in 3-4. (Cathro 1 up.) A nice half in 4. was recorded at Eedan. Forcing a long iron shot at tho seventh, where he could well have taken a brassie, Calhro found the bunker on the right, failed to get well out, and Morpeth took tho hole in ,4-6 (All square.)

A HEROIC IRON SHOT.

The eighth was heroic on Morpeth's part, and formally correct on the part of Cathro, who nearly holed his third. One grows accustomed to seeing Morpeth playing provisional balls, but this time his drive was hooked into a nest of horrors. It was a phenomenally long swipe, and the ball lay on tho tee side of the furthest bunker at Seaview. Between it and the eighth green lay tho yawning bunker, a twenty-foot high mound'eovored with marram grass, and eighty yards of real tiger rough. It was a 160-yard shot dead into the wind, but Morpeth played a magnificent iron to the green. Had he not been short with his third ho would have halved in 4. (Cathro 1 up.) Cathro was a littlo ( short of the green against the wind at the ninth, and his mashie-nibliek approach was wide. Morpeth hooked his second into the rough, and the hole was halved in 5, both missing nine-foot putts.

ONE UP ON WAY HOME,

Turning for home 1 up the Castlecliff player played far tlio better golf all the way, straight and sure- from the tee, on the green with his iron, in good position with his chips, and failing only with Ms putter, a straight-faced affair, that seemed to let him down. Morpeth was serious, and with good reason. Both wero above tlio hole with their tee shots, and Cathro putted first. Ho misjudged oither the strength of the shot or the allowance for the slope, and played a wild wide putt downhill that not only overran tho hole, but never looked like the right idea. He failed to sink tlio resultant three-footer, and Morpeth, given a good lead as to (lie shot, played safe and took the hole, 3-4, squaring the game, but not for long, from a fine drive, for once in the fairway, Morputh duffed his second, and was short with his third, was past the pin with his fourth ten feet, and missed tho putt. Cathro, who had pushed his second out into the rough, played a fine shot out of the rushes to within 6 feet of the pin, and got his.six-footer'down. (Cathro 1 up.)

BOTH IN TROUBLE,

C'nlhro was in a miserable position at Terawhiti, his ball wretchedly refusing to fall into tlio bunker after running along its far edge. He had an unenvi" ablo stance, but was only a yard short with his second, and holed in 3, halving with Morpeth, who played a fine, clean shot out of the bunker,'and sank a ninefooter. From fine seconds, both were about i) feet from the cup at the thirteenth. Morpeth sank his for ao, again squaring the game. Morpeth was in the rough to the.right at tho fourteenth, apparently his favourite position, but readied the green with hie second. , Cathro, from a beautiful and very long drive, sliced his second into the bunker, exploded unsatisfactorily with his mashie-niblick, and placed his fourth dead too late to avert a loss, Morpeth, who reached the green with his second, taking a nice 4. (Morpeth 1 up.) Morpeth was short at French Pass, and Cathro, with a sweetly hit iron was just through. Morpeth was well, up with his approach, but missed the'putt, and Cathro, who was short with his approach aud missod the next, took a half, in 4.

AN UNLIFTBD PIN.

Cathro's second at Bunker's Hill was in the centre of the green, 15 feet from the pin, while Morpeth was in the rough to the left. Here Cathro was either too generous, or dia not see the possibilities, for ho allowed the pin to be left in, whereas he could havo demanded its removal. Morpeth's strong chip out of the rough hit the pin dead from fifty yards away, and the ball stopped there stymieing Cathro, who, playing past it, from a position where he could not havo missed his putt, merely took a half. Morpeth was in the rough to the left of the. seventeenth fairway He took a walk of fifty yards to spy out tho land, and then played his second through the green into a dusty tangle of grass near the road past tho green Cathro, from a fine drive, playod a beautiful cut shot; the shot which 'Douglas tried unsuccessfully to play from ■the same position the day before. Cathro's ball just cleared the left hand edge of the bunker, and drew in towards the pin. Then he missed a great chance and disappointed all his friends by playing a half-hearted approach that left him a putt he could not sink, and a miserable half resulted in 5, where Cathro fully deserved the hole. This proved the end, in reality. Otherwise the match would have gone on to the nineteenth. At the eighteenth Morpeth sliced his drive so much that long hitter though he is, he had to take his wood for his second. Cathro hit a beautiful long, low ball into the wind but hooked his second into the rough to the left amongst tho monkey puzzle bushes. His trusty mashic-niblick pnt him on the green with his third, but he missed the long putt for a win. and Morpeth, who laid his third over tho blinker past the pin, and missed the return, got all he wanted, a half in 5. The golf in tho afternoon- was not quite so good. . Cathro wag out in 34553-1545—38,.and vi in 443454455—38.

total 76. Morpeth was out in 554444455 —40, and in in 353344455—36, total 76.

BLACK WINS ALL THE WAY.

Sinie, who suffered the same fate in the semi-finals last year, was beaten this year most of the way. While Black played almost perfect golf, Sime could do nothing right. Six up at the end of the morning round, Black outdriving Sime most of the time, was 8 up at Kedan in the afternoon, and went on to win, 5 and 4. Sime seemed to be unable to get out of what bunkers he visited, and when he did, he was too strong, except at Terawhiti, where he laid an explosion shot dead. Black had one undeserved stroke of luck in .the morning at the seventh. He played a long approach too strong, but struck Sime's stone-dead ball ou the green, and eannoued off it into the hole. Black did a 72 in the morning.

AMATEUR BOGEY.

J. Goss, who was round in 70, won the amateur bogey, 7 up. He missed three four-foot putts on the last three greens f.-.r 4's.

PROFESSIONAL BOGEY.

L. Ross, Nelson, won the professional 'bogey event, 3 up, a creditable performance, considering that a fallen arch in his foot is still under medical treatment.