PADGHAM IN FORM

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 19, 22 July 1933, Page 20

PADGHAM IN FORM

EASTERBROOK'S EXPERIENCE

References in British files to the contests preceding the Ryder Cup contest show that the quality of Britain's representatives was probably never better, and that all were hovering closely round their best form. That long hitter A. Padgham, in the early stages of the Yorkshire "Evening News" tournament at Temple Newsam (Leeds) was evidently playing marvellous golf. With a glorious display of effortless hitting, Padgham equalled the record %f 67 accomplished by Mitchell on the previous day, his figures being:— Out: 433344354, 33; in", 444244444, 34 —or. But for three putts at the eighth and a teo shot at a short hole, which finished on the wrong side of the green, Padgham's golf was flawless. A wonderful drive by Perry, a',lashing hitter, saved him from relegation. The seventeenth is a hole of 402 yards, all down hill, with a moderate gradient. Ho lashed out, reaching the edge of the green, and then holed a putt of fifteen yards for a 2. Cotton —who obviously had the sympathy of the crowd with him, several of his shots being loudly cheered — played a serviceable round of 70. lv tho course of compiling his splendid score of 68, J. Easterbrook (Bristol) met with an extraordinary experience —one probably unique in first-class golf. Playing the ninth, a hole of 354 yards, cut through a wood, he sliced his drive into a bed of bracken. Thinking that the ball might be unplayable, Easterbrook played a provisional ball, which was hooked out of bounds.- He then played another from tho tee, and found the fairway. Going in search of the first ball, one was found in a hollow, which Easterbrook proceeded to play, and in doing so collided with some trees. A spectator then saw another ball, which, on examination, was found to be the proper one. Easterbrook crashed a full mashie shot on to tho green, and holed out for a four, having actually played seven shots with four separate balls without incurring disquali^ fication. This was not all, for at the next hole Easterbrook, after hitting a rather wild second shot, found the ball on an adjoining green, thirty yards from the one at which he was aiming. Easterbrook was allowed to play the ball from the wrong green, and, putting over the intervening distance, again accomplished a 4. Analysing the round, ho had only thirty putts, a clear saving of six shots on the basis at two putts per green. This is tfio first time for a couple of years that I have putted reasonably well," said Easterbrook. ''I went out today determined to hit the ball straight at the back of the hole. 1 suddenly found that my confidence had returned, and I seemed unable to miss the hole." Mitchell started none too well, taking a 5 at the first hole, where he attempted to pick up a spoon shot from a badly hanging lie. This cost him a shot, but he got it back at the short third, where, from the edge of the green, he holed his chip shot for a 2. Mitchell was not only driving colossal distances, but, more important still, was constantly covering the flag with his iron shots. There was one spectacular, hole, tho twelfth (450 yards), played against the wind and uphill, where Mitchell, with a controlled spoon shot, placed the ball practically dead. Ho had only to tap the ball into the hole for a 3. He followed this with another 2 at the thirteenth, where he holed a putt of five yards. At tho seventeenth he hit a drive well over 300 yards, and put a mashie shot a couple of inches from the flag for a 'A. Mitchell's homeward half of 32 represented glorious golf. The details of his score are:—Out, 542544344, 35; in, 543243434,32. In the thirty-six-hole final Padgham was beaten by Lacey, who was 5 up at the end of the first round. Padgham was not feeling well owing to neuralgia, but won the first two holes of the second round. On tho next three greens he was stymied, but lofted one of them successfully. Lacey was 2 up and 8 to go, and was eventually dormie-3. Padgham won the sixteenth, with a glorious iron shot, in 3. At tho seventeenth green he played a shot that will long be remembered. The green is on a plateau, and Padgham's ball ran down the bank, across a path into long, tough grass. The hole was 10ft above him, and he had to pitch within a yard if the ball wero to finish near the hole. He played a wonderful shot with a heavy niblick that soared almost straight 'up and trickled to rest near the hole, but Lacey easily got his half. NET SCORE OF 57 Frequently hard things are said about the handicaps of some New Zealand golfers, but the English North Surrey Golf Club's handieappers must have jumped with surprise when Dr. R. J. Rossborough, playing in the junior division of the monthly medal, won with a record net score of 57. Dr. Rossborough had a handicap of 20, and he went round ,in 77. He was promptly lopped six strokes —no wonder. MATCH RECORD AT OTAHUHU In winning the medal at Otahuhu Levy put up a match record for tho course 'with an excellent 69 gross. This score included an out-of-bounds shot at the twelfth and a six at the tenth, so it can be seen that Levy can certainly handle his home course.