PROVINCIAL TOURNEY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 90, 13 October 1937, Page 18

PROVINCIAL TOURNEY

MISS FLEMING LEADS FIELD

AUSTRALIANS NEXT

The perfection of course conditions for the opening day's play yesterday of the Wellington women's provincial golf tournament at Herctaunga was an important factor in the development of good scoring. The fairways carried a* good soie of grass and the greens were fast and true. The overhead conditions were almost perfect, and everything conspired to first-class golf. Unhappily, the difficulties of golf are so great that the contribution of good conditions, though helpful, is not the be-all of low scoring, There is the essential personal equation, and the equation yesterday had differing values. So much so, that though there were some very good scores there were others not so good, and a considerable number of players returned scores well above their handicaps. One of the most experienced competitors of recent years in New Zealand, Miss V. Fleming, of Christchurch, headed the individual scoring of the day with a fine 75, one over par, in the afternoor.. By two strokes, it was the best round of the day, heading the very good 77 of Miss B. Cheney, of the Australian team, in the morning. Miss Fleming has the reputation, deserved or otherwise, of being a better medal player than match. And 'the concentration necessary to good scoring in stroke competitions was marked in her attitude yesterday. She generally kept to the middle of the fairways, and showed accuracy with the pitch and run approach shots essential in the present hardening condition of the course. Moreover, she was capable of goou recoveries from indifferent lies, and her putting was mostly accurate. Her afternoon card was as follows: Out, 453435562, 37; in, 445542455, 38. The birdie 2's at the ninth and fifteenth-were b-th obtained by excellent tee shots and putts. The fifteenth is a hole of 120 yards, but that bald statement contains no suggestion of the mental and actual difficulties of a hole played across a running creek lined with-bushes and trees to a high green, bunkered, and guarded by a steep face fifteen to twenty feet high. The difficulties of the hole are increased by a green which requires careful judgment for stopping shots. At any rate, Miss E. M. Hutton, the Australian, took a 7 there. AUSTRALIANS SHINE. The Australian team, comprising Miss L. Wray (captain), Mrs. Sloan Morpeth, and Misses S. Tolhurst, B. Kernot, E. M. Hutton, and B. Cheney, had the tournament experience to finish well up in the qualifying competitions. The most consistent of them were Mrs. Morpeth, with 81 and 82, and Miss Wray, with two 85's. Miss Wray's morning round actually was a couple of strokes lower; unfortunately, she played -the wrong ball at one hole, discovered the error and incurred a penalty of two strokes. There were one or.two other instances during the day of infringements of rules, one of them, when two players, in an excess of zeal, played from the men's tee.

Of the Australians, Miss Hutton appears to have about the best style. Her transference of weight on to the left foot sends the clubhead whipping through and produces, in consequence, a rather longer shot than the others of the team. Miss Hutton began the day majestically with an outward half to the morning round of 34, three strokes below par, and pretty good going at any time. Possibly the excitement of a potential record caused reaction over the inward half, but the 44 represented poor form. A 7 and two inglorious 6's to finish the round spoiled her highly promising card. The Tolhurst sisters, Mrs. Morpeth and Miss Tolhurst, have likenesses in both features and strokes. Both are

content to sacrifice length for control. With more knowledge of the course, both will be capable of producing excellent figures. The pride of Geelong, Miss Kernot, not yet into her twenties, and small, quick, and purposeful, revealed in hei second round the talent which took her to success in the recent Austrahar women's 'championship. For so small a person she gives the ball a hcart> clout, and if, as during her morning round, she is inclined in the fierce' ness of her hitting to stray from tin line, in touch with the clubs she reap; benefits. Her 79 in the afternoon was excellent going and achieved despit( f.'s at the eighth, twelfth, and thtr teenth. All the Australians expressed fip prcciation of the condition of the

course and particularly of the fad that they could take divots from theii irons without nervousness. One oi them said that at Napier, when the New Zealand championships were held the fairways were so hard they started flinching on their iron shots. NEW ZEALAND SHOWINGS. Among the New Zealanders capital performances were achieved by-Miss Buchanan, of Christenurch, who returned an 81 in the afternoon in spite of a rather terrifying start with twe 6's, Mrs. E. M. Hunt, whose 80 off s 12 handicap was excellent going, and altogether too good for the afternoon medal, Miss J. Williams, handicap 15 : who came in justifiably excited with a morning round of 82 off the stick, Mrs A. D. Latham, whose 81 in the morning off the stick brought her handicap tumbling, Mrs. .Slater, with two 84's, and Mrs. Guy Williams, who began each round badly and came rattling home in very, good figures. Less triumphant was the perform ance of Miss J. Hornabrook, two oi three years ago the best prospect ir New Zealand women's golf and yes terday completely out of touch, witl scores of 93 and 103. The day, as mentioned, was pleasan for golf; and it was made considerably more pleasant by the manner ir which the competitors played theii rounds without delay. In the recen ', men's national tournament, some o: the players took so much trouble abou ; the line of a putt of the carry to i green that watchers wearied of th< waiting; yesterday, the ladies took ; quick glance at the line. Then it wai , stance, address and play. [. The following are the results of th< day's play:— \ WELLINGTON CHAMPIONSHIP. '■■ Miss V. Fleming (Chrlstchurch) . 81 75—15< Miss B. Cheney (Australia) 77 84—16 Mrs. S. Morpeth (Australia) .. 81 82—161 1 Miss E. Hutton (Australia) 78 Sj— 16: , Miss H. Buchanan (Chrlstchurch) 82 81—16: : Miss B. Kernot (Australia) 83 "o—l6 . Mrs. Latham (Hutt) 81 84—16 ' Miss S. Tolhurst (Australia) .... SO 86—10 ■ Mrs. Slater (Hutt) 84 84—lb, t Miss Wray (Australia) »a Ba—l7 . Mrs. Guy Williams. (Wellington) 88 82—1<_( , Mrs. McKlllop (Chrlstchurch) .. 87 84—1. ' Miss J. Williams (Wellington) .. 82 00—17. • Mrs. Welton-Hogg (Wellington) .. 88 85-17; , Mrs. A. Martin . (Martinborough) i 87 Bb— ln 1 Mrs. Hunt (Wellington) 0i SO—IT - HERETAUNGA TROPHY. Miss Nutf f* I}~}t Mrs. Treadwell 8° »l 1 1 • - Miss J. Brodie 9J »*—" !. Mrs. Whatley .. 84 91—1.. e Miss S. Collins 9J M~Vr , Miss White-Parsons 84 S3—", ? Mrs. Godby »« f-\ 7 \ '■, Mrs. Turnbull «? 86—17. S Miss Wheeler »•? i-V-', B Mrs. Blackley Sf' sSZis! J Mrs. Foreman ..... »1 89-181 1 Mrs. Lewis f »2 ~ » e Mrs. Harman »* »;—™. 1 Miss Griffin »» h,l . Miss C. Voting : " ' "9 —}°, , Mrs.' Russell _ ;. 8b oj—lsl I TEAMS' MATCH. i Christchurch (Misses V.'Fleming 4 75, H. Buchanan 81, E. WhiteParsons 93, Mrs. McKillop 84) 33c ti Wellington B (Mrs. Welton-Hogg ti 85, Mrs. T. Turnbull 86, Miss e Wheeler 94, Mrs. Hunt 80) ... 34E

Hutt (Mrs. Latham 84, Mrs. Slater 84, Mrs. Lewis 93, Mrs. Harman 87) 348 Wellington A (Mrs. Weston 92, Mrs. Spiers 96, Mrs. G. Williams 82, Miss J. Brodie 84) . 354 Wellington C (Miss Whalley 91, Miss S. Collins 87, Mrs. Treadwell 87, Mrs. Brodie 99) ... 364 Miramar (Mrs. Foreman 89, Miss Petrie 93, Mrs. Russell 95, Mrs. Pearce 94) 371 MORNING MEDAL. Senior.—Miss Cheney, 77, 5—72; Mrs. Latham, 81, 8—73. Junior.—Miss Williams, 82, 15—67. AFTERNOON MEDAL. Senior.—Mrs. Guy Williams, 82, 10— ?2. Junior.-Mrs. Hunt, 80, 12-68.

PAR FOB THE COURSE. Hole. Yds. Par. Hole. Yds. Par. No. 1 330 4 No. 10 324 4 No. 2 350 S No. 11 346 4 No. 3 157 3 No. 12 425 5 No. 4 315 4 No. 13 455 5 No. 5 «876 3 No. 14 180 3 No. 6 410 5 No. 15 120 3 No. 7 444 5 No. 16 286 4 No. 8 498 5 No. 17 294 4 No. 9 125 3 No. 18 413 5 2805 37 2843 37 Total yards: 5648. Scratch score: 74.