GOLF TOURNEY

Evening Star, Issue 19775, 27 January 1928, Page 13

GOLF TOURNEY

KIRK-WINDEYER GUP QUALIFYING ROUNDS ' t [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, January 26. The presence of a number of Australian golfers, including the team that will meet New Zealand in the contest lor the Ivirk-Windcyer Cup on Monday, gives an almost national interest to the championship and handicap golf tournament which commenced at Miramar todav. The qualifying rounds in the tournament championship were decided to-day over 36 holes, the best aggregate being a 149 by the present amateur champion, Sloan Morpeth. A first and a second stroke handicap were also decided concurrently with each qualifying round. Members of the Australian team for the cup, emergency members of the team, and all Australian and New Zealand golfers whose club handicaps are not more than three were eligible for the championship, this restriction not applying to competitors in the stroke handicaps. With an aggregate of 149, the holder of the amateur title, Sloan Morpeth, _of Maungakiekie, headed the qualifying list, the next lowest score for the thirty-six holes being secured by W. R. Dobson, of the Concord Club, Australia. Business engagements, however, prevent Dobson from playing in the remaining rounds of match play to-morrow and Saturday, and this allowed the seventeenth man, J. Goss, of Wanganui, to qualify. The only members of the Australian team to qualify were Dr Nigel Smith, of the Australia Golf Club, and W. R. Smith, of Manly. Dobson, who played consistently during the morning and afternoon, is first reserve for the visiting team. The bonditions generally were ideal for golf. The course was in excellent order, while the greens were a carpet of grass. “Miramar is the best golf links I have played on in New Zealand so far,” said Dr Sydney Jones, president of the New South Wales Golf Association and captain of the Australia Golf Club team to meet N.Z, Bogey for Miramar is 78. Details of the holes with bogey figures in parenthesis are as follows:—47s yards (5), 320 (4), 495 (51, 209 (41, 280 (4), 306 (3), 415 (5), 280 (4), 430 (5), 360 (5), 400 (51, 175 (3), 380 (5), 160 (3), 346 (4), 325 (4), 470 (5), 490 (5). Total, 6,116 (78). The outstanding round of the day was a, 70 by the reigning amateur champion, Sloan Morpeth, in the morning, his performance equalling the official record for the course.' Playing a sterling game from tee to pin, Morpeth went out in 36, and took 34 on the homeward journey. He did hotter than bogey figures at the fifth and the tenth, taking 3’s for each hole, which have a bogey of 4 and 5 respectively. In the afternoon, however, he missed a number of putts and made excursions to _ bunkers on several occasions, this costing him a 79 for the round. Morpeth’s morning card read as follows : Out: 4,4, 5. 3. 3,3, 6,3, 5—36. In: 3,4, 4,4, 2,5, 4,5, 6-34. The second best morning round was a 75, comprising no less than six 3’s, by A. E. Conway, his card read; Out: 4,3, 5,3, 4,3, 7,3, 6—38. In: 5,4, 3,4, 3,4, 4,5, 5—37. For. the most part the players returned higher scores for the afternoon than the morning round the increasing strength of the wind no doubt being largely responsible for the general low score. Seventy-fives were returned by T. H. Horton, who was _ rnnner-up in the amateur championships last September, and W. R. Dobson during the afternoon, theirs being the two lowest scores. T. H. Horton’s card rend;—Out: 5, 5. 4,3, 3,4, 5,4, 4—37. In; 5,4, 3,4, 3,5, 4,5, 5—38. Dobson’s card was as follows : Out: 4,4, 5,3, 4,3, 5. 3, 5—36. In: 6,5, 4,4, 3,4, 3,5, 5—39. With his 36 for the outward journey Dobson equalled the morning performance of Morpeth on the outward journey Morpeth’s and Dobson’s being the two best over nine holes for the day. Both H. A. Black and his brother, j, L. Black, played consistently, and in the morning each of them returned 78’s. In the afternon the younger of the two, H. A. Black, did slightly better than his brother, and returned a 77, as against a, 79. A player who displaj-ed consistency was 'H. J. Shanks, who finished the 1 day with two Si’s. Details of the scores for the two qualifying rounds are as follows:

The first and second rounds of tho championships were to be decided today, each rouild to be over eighteen holes. The first round will commence at 9.30 a.m., to be followed by a bogey handicap. The draw for the first round is:—Sloan Morpeth plays J. Goss, Nigel Smith plays A. D. S. Duncan, J. L. Black plays H. B. Lusk, A, E. Conway plays Donald Grant, T. H. Horton plays W. R. Smith, Kenneth Ross plays H. J. Shanks, L. Seifert, jun., plays H. P. Dale, H. A. Black plays A. G. Sime.

Sloan Morpeth (Maungakiekie) 70-79-119 W. R. Dobson (Concord, N.S.W .) 78-75-163 II. A. Black (Hntt) . 78-77-155 T. H. Horton (Ma-sterton) . 81-75-156 ,t. E. Black (HuH) .. 78-79-157 A. B. Conway (Miramar) . 75-82-157 Kenneth Ross (Balmacewen) . . 78-80—158 L. Seifert, jun. (Manawalu) . . so-79-159 A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) . . 82-78—160 Ni t ;el Smith (Australia) ... . . 81-79-160 H. P. Dale (Eltham) . 84-78-162 H. J. Shanks (Mornington) . . 81-81—162 Donald Grant (Shirley) ... . . 81-82-165 W. R. Smith (Manly) . 81-83-164 H. B. Lusk (Middlemore) ... . . 82-83-165 A. G. Simc (Westport) ... , . 83—82—165 J. Goss (Wanganui) , 82-84-166 D. Pbarazyn (Napier) . 85-82-167 Morgan Duncan (Wellington) . . 84-84-168 J. Harold (Wanganui) ... . , 83-85—168 Ian Macewan (Wellington) . 80-89-169 J. A. Mangan (Invercargill) . . 89-81—170 P. G. Macdonald (Leura) . 89-81-170 J. H. Hutcheson (England) . . 84-85-170 Sydney Jones (Australia) . 88-83—171 A. A. Stitchbury (Miramar) . . 84—88—172 N. R, Jacobsen (Miramar) . 84-88-172 F. W. Huggins (Nelson) ... . . 88—86—174 J. T. Browness (Mornington) . . 89-86-175 T. S. Park (Westport) . 83-88-177