AMATEUR CHAMPION

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 85, 7 October 1929, Page 15

AMATEUR CHAMPION

BLACK RUNNER-UP

A WORKED-UP CEOWD

: (By Chip-Shot.) ' I ;. Though the quality of the golf in the final for the amateur championship of New Zealand between Sloan Morpeth and J. L. Black on Saturday at Belniont was good only in patches, it was sensational enough; taking into account tho frequent reversals of position as the match progressed, to satisfy anybody. It was the best weather of the tourney, balmy, sunny, and warm. Fairways were fast, and greens were just becoming fiery after the soaking of the previous week. % EVERYBODY RUNNING. *»The crowd that assembled, if not a record for New Zealand golf, was certainly the nibst worked-up yet seen. P-eople behaved very well, considering the excitement, and neither player suffered either through crowding or chatter, but the handling of the gallery of . over 1000 people was quite beyond the officials. Belmont is a course that lends itself to perfect views of the greens from various vantage points, but nobody was content to let the finalists out of sight, and the hilly ground over which the stampedes took place, and narrow gorse-fringed pathways, made, control by means of ropes impossible. -AT rope made its appearance early in the day, but after it had wound itself round the legs of the multitude to everybody's amusement, it was discarded, ancl "bamboos, in the hands of a faithful few, w,ho made a fence of their wands, took its place. Towards the close only the elderly and apathetic walked after the players. Everyone else, anxious to secure positions that would give a close view of the closing seen«s, ran. The sight of eight hundred men, women, and boys- racing down the hill from Encampment tee will long fee remembered. Even those carrying the placards bearing "Stop: Silence," had to run to keep ahead of the crowd. One gentleman who tried to take a leading part in controlling the people gradually became more and more earnest, until he was almost reminiscent of a xunholder working his dogs. Another raised a general laugh when) all his admonitions to a party of boys ineffective, he yelled "I'll warm you." It was a -remarkable sight, and showed what a hold ihe game is getting in the Dominion, as, with the idea of. limiting the crowd to reasonable dimensions, a 2s gate charge had been made. Quite a large gallery followed the players in the morning, but it was in the afternoon that the crowd became unmanageable. . , *,'..',: THE MORNING ROUND. Morpeth started off with a characteristic hook into the rough, and for once failed to get away a clean shot, being fifty yards short. His approach was wide. 'Black's second was high to the right, luckily missing the bunkers, but he was short with his chip... With equidistants putts to sink, Black got his, 4-5. (Black 1 up.) Both drove long balls at the second, but Morpeth's was sliced into the rough. He got well out with his niblick, just past the pin. Two fine shots put Black on the green, and the hole was halved in 4. Both were through the green at the Dress Circle. With his third Black stymied Morpeth, who failed to. loft it, Black winning 4-5. (Black 2 upj) BLACK'S WORST HOLE. V Black's drive was cupped in tough grass at, Exodus, and taking a midiron, he merely reached tho fairway. His next waj.hpqked, and just ran over the green down, into the rough to the left. He was across the green'into tho spectators with his next. Morpeth was ten feet up the hill at tho back with' his long second, and both picked up. (Black 1 up.) The next was halved in 3. Both playingl out of the -rough at Eedan, Black eut;his mashie shot, and stopped on the lip": of the bunker, while Morpeth 's lay" eight feet from the pin. Black's twenty-five yard run1' up ran over the hole, and Morpeth, sinking his putt for Sythe game was all square. MORPETH SPECTACULAR. Morpeth, playing out from well in the rough to the right, got only 50yds, while Elack, off \the fairway, put his second on the green. Morpeth's third from 100 yards away, what looked like a misshit shot, was dead, striking the green to take the best advantage .of the slope and trickling in a tantalising manner to within a foot of the hole. Black missed his, four-footer, and Morpeth ■cook the hole, despite his bad start, in i-o. (Morpeth 1 up.) Morpeth, playing out of a cupped sandy he on the edge of the Quarries tairway, put his mashie nicely on, while Black was just short of the green playing from the fairway. Black laid his dead, and Morpeth, though it was not a tull stymie, had to play his long third round it, over-running tho hole and missing the putt, Black taking the hole m 4-o. (All square.) Both were on Land's End fairway. Morpeth topped his mashie, and was short. .Black hooked his second, and narrowly missed the bunker, reaching the green. Tho hole was halved in 4 -Uorpeth sinking a five-foot putt fAll square at the turn.) ' - BLACK MISSES A CHANCE. Black had^ seven foot putt to sink -for a 2 at The Slope, while Morpeth was away up the bank in the rough. -Uorpeth, however, after spending some Time on the line of his chip, played a beautiful shot, the ball following his line perfectly and popping into the hole and out again, just a little too lively m the legs. Black missed.his putt, taking a half in 3. Morpeth-was nicely, down the fairway, 290 yards, and nearly to: the edge ot tTie plateau at Long Tom, while Black was m the rough, and duffed his mashie into the rough again, taking three to reach the green. Morpeth from his perfect drive, found the rushy rough to the right of the green with his mashie, but laid his third dead, and Black, failing to sink his twenty footer Morpeth was down in 4/5 (Morpeth 1 up).

Against the stiff wind at Terawhiti Morpeth was too strong, and found the ground under repair at the- back of the green, while Black was short of the first bunkers. Lifting and dropping casually, Morpeth played his second out of rushes, and was through the green. Black overran the pin six. feet with his approach, and his putt stopped on the lip, halving in 4. MORPETH 2 UP. Morpeth was short and Black through with their seconds at Alma. Black cut his iron out of the rough, and was ten feet wide. Morpeth's approach was dead. Black fs putt was short, Morpeth taking the hole 4-5 (Morpetb 2 up). Morpeth's drive at Encampment was on the edge of the rough, and he did not reach, the green. Black's 310 yard drive gave him an easy mashie, but ho was a trifle short. Morpeth :'s chip overran, and he missed the putt. Black missed his two fotter, a half in •s's being carded. Black was at the foot of the bank behind the/green at French Pass, Morpeth nearer the pin, and the hole was halved in 3. BLACK GETS HOLES BACK. Black lay well with his drive at Bunker's Hill, ,-nul, taking his wood

against the wind, pushed out his shot short right of the.' green. Morpeth V drive landed on the hill to the left, and standing badly and playing out of a hard lie, duffed his iron. He put the next within putting distance, as did Black, who won this scrambled hole with a nine footer in 4-5 (Morpeth 1 up). Both were too strong with their mashie pitches at Cabbage Tree, Morpeth up the bank. He was short I with his chip and Black "s twenty footer stymied him. MORPETH LEADS AT LUNCH. Taking his niblick, Morpeth missed the loft, and Black squaretl the game with 4to his o. A wild hook into j the wind at the Home hole put Morpeth in a good lie near the bunker on the first fairway. His next was in the bunker to the left 'of the green, where Black, from the fairway with his second, was awaiting him. Morpeth was dead out of the bunker, but Black was short and Morpeth took the hole in 4-5, and finished the round 1 up. IN THE AFTERNOON. Black was wide from the right-hand rough with his second at the first in the afternoon, round, while Morpeth was right over the bank at the back of the green and down the other side. His approach left him a ten footer, which he missed. Black sank his yarder for a 4, squaring the match. ,' Morpeth was straight at Balgownie, but not so far as usual, and his iron against the wind was wide. Black pushed' his drive out a little, and hooked the next into the rough, overrunning the pin out. Morpeth also overran the hole with his third. Black's sixteen footer was short, and Morpeth's nine footer hung on the lip, a half in 5 resulting..

Morpeth took two putts on Dress Circle, and Black, screwing cleverly round a dead stymie, took the hole in 4-5. (Black 1 up.) A SENSATIONAL HALF.

From the Exoflus tee, Morpeth sliced on to the sixth fairway, but put his next on the green, a strong iron, and only just on. Black, in two fine shots, was also just on the green. Morpeth's wonderful approach putt stopped, hanging on the very lip of the hole, stymieing Black. The latter walked cautiously up to the holey and, treading gingerly to avoid shaking the ball in, had a good look at it. There was no playing round.it, or he would have lost the hole. He walked back, took- a long scrutiny of the twenty-foot line, and patted firmly. The ball followed the line he had picked out, and, knocking Morpeth in for a 3, fell in for a sensational half, amidst the wildest .excitement from the gallery, who watched from the hill over Seaview. •'•

Black was in the far I left-hand bunker at Seaview against the wind, and Morpeth on the near left-hand side, in the rough. Both missed long putts after approaching, halving in 4.

Though Morpeth found the rough at Redan from the tee, his ball was a tremendously long one, and taking his mashie, he played a short, stiff-armed shot, a beautiful run up, that laid the ball within six "feet of the pin. Black was through the green with his second, and his approach struck Morpeth's ball, and knocked it on a foot or two, but the latter missed the putt, and tho hole was halved. A SCRAMBLED HOLE. Outlook was a peculiar hole. Black sliced, his drive into the rough, and, pushing out a brassie shot, was green high beyond the .eighth tee. Morpeth, from the fairway, hooked his second into tho rough. The ball lay in loose sand, with a flaunting marram tussock in front of it, and Morpeth, to ensure getting out,, had to play short, and-his next was little better, but his fifth was dead. Black, from 100 (yards away, was on the green in 3, and sank his putt to take- tho holo in 4-6. (Black 2 up-) ■ . . :.

Black was short of the Quarries green and in mild rough with his see^ ond, while Morpeth was only just on. Black, from a bad position, was wide with his'third, and missed his ten foot putt, Morpeth taking the hole in a perfect 4. (Black 1 up.)

Morpeth. played a splendid drive into the .wind's eye at Land's End, while Black found tho thick tough rough on tho right-hand bank of the fairway, and was short, and in tho rough on tho other side of the fairway with his second. Morpoth was sweetly on tho green in 2, with a putt for a 3, and Black, whose run. up was too strong, and who missed his long putt, gave him the hole. (All square.) Black's tee shot at The Slope was lying handy, and though he missed vthe ,putt, Morpeth, who was in tho bunker below tho green, exploded only just out, overran with his third, and missing his fourth conceded the hole. (Black 1 up.):.. ... -

Both were a trifle short of the green at the eleventh, Black from the rough. Their chips left them five foot putts, Black sinking his for 4-5. (Black 2 up.) Terawhiti was halved in 3. Fine drives and seconds at Alma, and good approaches, sa.w Black with a four footer to sink and Morpeth with a short one, and Morpoth won the hole 4-5. (Black 1 up.) ALL SQUARE, FOUR TO GO. Morpeth drove 280 yards at Encampment, and BlacltTa couple of yards less. Black's mashie was too strong, climbing the bank at .the back of the green.1 Morpeth's mashie was nicely on tho green. Black played a pretty chip over the bank to within a yard of tho hole. Morpeth missed his fifteen footer, and Blfick his putt, and Morpeth sinking, his next took tho holo 4-5, and squared the match.

French Pass was halved in 4, Black's high pitch being short, and Morpeth'b running into the long grass beyond the green. Black ovorran the hole badly, and Morpeth by six feet. Black stymied him eight inches from the hole. : Morpeth was in the rough to the left at Bunker's Hill, and his iron was short. Black topped a wooden second, and.the ball popped in and out of a cross bunker, lying in long grass on the edge. Black's third was in the rough pin high. Morpeth's third was ten feet short, and Black's five feet away, a half in 5 resulting. ANOTHER CHANCE MISSED. , All square and 2 to go, the excitement was intense, and the' seventeenth did not tend to allay it. Black'a drive finished in the rough to the right, and Morpeth, straight down the middle, was thirty yards further, but Black's mashie, a perfect high pitch, was six feet only from the cup. Morpeth played a run up, aiid was sixteen feet past. Morpeth, studying the line of his putt intently for a minute or two, played a wonderful curly putt that stopped just short, and would have gone in. Black either miss-hit a plain putt or allowed for slopes which did not exist, for his open putt was wide, and he missed a splendid chance, only halving in 4.

All square and one to go. Morpeth sliced his tee shot badly, and the wind intensifying the error, left him a shot of quite 300 yards to the green against the wind. Black duffed his second from a bad lie on to the top of a mound, but put his third well on the green. Morpeth's tremendous brassie shot found the rough, but ho also was on in 3, playing over the bunker, to lie in the rough-above the green. Both were dead with their long approaches, and went on to the thirty-seventh. END AT 37th. Here disaster befell Black. Ho sliced his drive over the road, where those who saw it said that the ball hit the radiator of a car and camo back, instead of going out of bounds. At any rate, the ball lay in gravel^ He was fortunate in playing it at all from such a lie, and it went only 100 yards or so, and into the rough again. His third, a. beauty from the lie, was on

the green, eighteen feet from the pin. Morpeth's second from tho best drive of the day, perhaps of the tournament, was through the green, but he was dead in 3, and though Black made a gallant attempt to carry the battle to the thirty-eighth by holing his eighteen footer, the ball was short, and Morpeth was amateur champion for 1929. ■