TITLES ELSEWHERE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 55, 2 September 1937, Page 24

TITLES ELSEWHERE

A ROTORUA FINAL

BRINSDEN'S .FINE.WIN

A brilliant round in par figures during the morning by H. D. Brinsden, of Titirangi, 'in which .he gained the commanding lead of 7 up for the final eighteen holes in the afternoon and the game struggle against almost impossible odds by W. Kusabs, of Rotorua, provided one of the most interesting finals of the Rotorua open amateur golf championship witnessed for many years (says the "Herald"). ,

Even if disappointment was felt that the young Rotorua player was so thoroughly beaten it was he and not Brinsden, who on several occasions provided the thrills, particularly in the afternoon.' When dormy 10 he sank a putt from beyond the green to be down in birdie two and gain a temporary respite. 'Brinsden won 10 and 8 and although he has previously won the title he has never been seen tp better advantage on the Rotorua course.

It is also doubtful if a more impressive display of accurate golf has ever been witnessed on the course than that given by Brinsden in the morning. Going out in this round he never once deviated from the straight and his approaching and putting were beyond reproach to give him the exceptionally fine figures of 33 at the turn, seven holes being done in bogey and the remaining two with birdies at the Crossing and the Drop.

Facing such devastating opposition in his first such championship appearance the inexperienced Rotorua contender for the title was completely unnerved and on the outward journey in the morning his play was not a semblance of the excellent form which he had shown on the previous day. Although he had visited most of the bunkers on the course and was 6 down at the turn he fought back gamely.

Hopes that Kusabs had now overcome his nervousness were soon dashed when he again commenced the afternoon round very shakily, although lie managed' to square the nineteenth with another brilliant 20ft putt. "A weak approach which landed him in: a bunker at the twentieth, and an almost inexcusable putting lapse on the twenty-first, cost him the next two holes, but the twenty-second was squared in 4's. Since the commencement of the afternoon round Brinsden had not been playing with the same' uncanny accuracy that during the morning and he gave a poor display on the twentythird green, taking a virtual 7 for the hole against a good 5 by Kusabs.. At the Drop he played his iron tee shot into the bunker, but made a good recovery to secure a half in 4's. At the next it was Kusabs's turn to experience trouble, and Brinsden was

again 9 up. ' Kusabs went to pieces on the next tee, and after badly pulling his drive, topped his second into the rough again. However, he gave the gallery a thrill when, with his iron, from a distance of over 200 yards, he played a beautiful ball, which sailed straight for and hit the pin, but he missed a one-foot putt when wanting a 4 for a half. The position was now dormy 10 and, as the crowd watched Kusabs.play his tee shot short of the green, with Brinsden lying in a handy position five feet away from the pin, yet another tbrill was in store. To the amazement of all, Kusabs holed out in two to Brinsden's three, making the game now dormy nine!. Both had a good drive at the 28th, but an inaccurate second and a weak attempt to clear a bunker with the third gave Brinsden the game and the title.