TWO SURPRISES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 95, 19 October 1938, Page 16

TWO SURPRISES

LADIES' GOLF TITLE

MRS. FULLERTON-SMITH BEATEN

(By Telegraph—Press Association.} NEW PLYMOUTH, This Day,

There were two sensations in toifiay's semi-finals in the ladies' national golf championship at New Plymouth. The first was that Miss S. Collins, the youthful Wellington player, gave the twice, past champion, Mrs. Fullerton Smith (Marton), a tremendous fight all the way and beat her on the final green. Then Miss Horwell (Timaru) capped her past fine exhibitions by playing par golf all round the course in the best ladies' game ever seen at New Plymouth to beat Miss Duncan (Wanganui) on the fifteenth green.

Miss Horwell is favoured for the final tomorrow, but it is certain that she will have a very hard fight. This afternoon a bogey handicap and the second round of the Rattray Cup were played.

Championship results were:—Miss Collins beat Mrs. Fullerton Smith, 1 up; Miss Horwell beat Miss Duncan, 5 and 3.

From the outset it was obvious that Mrs. Fullerton Smith had her hands full with Miss Collins, who dominated the first round. Mrs. Fullerton Smith improved in the second half, but Miss Collins staged a great come-back when the pressure was on, and carried the day. Miss Collins drove and putted perfectly, but her approach shots were erratic, and when bunkered she found it difficult to play out. This cost her holes. Mrs. Fullerton Smith was not -as steady as her opponent, particularly in the long game. A beautiful drive carried Miss Collins almost to the first green, and when Mrs. Fullerton Smith ran right through Miss Collins took the hole and the lead. Mrs. Fullerton Smith drove into the trees at j the, second, and put her third shot into | a bunker from which she failed to get out, It was Miss Collins's turn to. be bunkered at the next, and Mrs. Fullerton Smith took the hole only for Miss Collins to be 2 up again after the fourth. Mrs. Fullerton Smith found the bunker at the fifth, but played out to the hole for bogey 4. The hple was halved. Failure to sink a putt cost Miss Collins the sixth, and reduced her lead to 1 up. Mrs. Fullerton Smith was in a great position to square the game at the seventh until Miss Collins played a dead stymie, and then it was halved £n fives. Mrs. Fullerton Smith was erratic at the eighth and put her drive out of bounds. She provided another thrill at the ninth, however, when she ' chipped over a dead stymie for a half. Miss Collins was 2 up at the turn, but she dropped the tenth when a long putt lipped the cup. The game was squared- at the eleventh, where Miss Collins was twice bunkered. Bogey 3 at the next gave Miss Collins the lead again till the fourteenth, where ghe was bunkere.d once more. A sensational 30ft putt for a birdie 3 put Miss Collins in front again at the sixteenth, but the game was squared again at the seventeenth, where she just failed with another long putt. She lipped the cup ■wijth a 25-footer on the eighteenth green, but still had a stroke in hand to.give her the match. BRILLIANT PLAY. Machine-like was the only description of Miss Horwell's game when she defeated Miss Duncan. Although the latter was at.the peak of her form Miss Horwell'did not make a single mistake an the" Jwhole:r"6'uhd and covered fifteen holes in the par figure of 61. She had only to:play the last three holes in 4, 5, 5 to complete the round in par 75 and break the course record now standing at 80, but she decided not to tire'herself. She was down for bogey figures at eleven holes" and, although she dropped one stroke on two others, she compensated with two heautiful ■birdies. In fact, she had the chance of a third birdie with a short putt on the fifteenth, but was conceded the hole and did not need to putt out. The gallery was watching the Fullerton Smith-Collins struggle and many did not see'Miss Horwell's classic play. The first hole was halved in regulation 4's. Miss Horwell was unlucky to miss a long putt for a birdie at the second, but she took the lead at the third when Miss Duncan fell into a bunker; Matching stroke for stroke the players halved the next three in birdie figures, and then a pulled drive cost Miss Horwell the seventh hole. A beautiful birdie with a dead approach at the eighth gave her the lead again. The ninth was halved in 3's and Miss Horwell turned for home 1 up after being out in 38, while Miss Duncan required 40. A birdie and bogey at the eleventh and twelfth put her 3 up, and she was dormie 4 when she won the next when Miss Duncan was again in a bunker. A dead approach to the green with her second gave Miss Horwell the fifteenth and the snatch. Miss Horwell's card read:— Out, 454543643; in, 533534.