GOLF

Evening Star, Issue 19776, 28 January 1928, Page 3

GOLF

CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNEY M ftOSS IN SEMI-FINAL KIRK-WIiiDEYER CUP ON MONDAY [Per United Peess Association.] WELLINGTON, January 27. The play in the championship and handicap golf tournament, arranged as a preliminary to the contest between Australia and New Zealand lor the Kirk-Windeyer Cup on Monday, was continued at Miramar to-day, when the first and second rounds of the tournament championships were decided, each round being over eighteen holes. Those to survive the day’s play were Sloan Morpeth (Titirangi), Donald Grant (Shirley), A. G. Siam (Westport), and Dr Kenneth Ross (Balraacewen). These golfers will meet in the semi-finals tomorrow morning, and the final will he played in the afternoon. Although the day was beautifully fine, players in the tournament found the wind decidedly tricky. First-class golf was played in the first round by the veteran New Zealand golfer, H. B. Lusk, in his match with J. L. Black, of the Hutt Club. Down the fairways and on and around the greens Lusk gave a brilliant display of his best form, and finished 4 up at the fifteenth green —one over fours for the round. With the exception of the first, he went out with par figures for eitch hole, and Lusk turned 3 up. The best gallery game of the morning was that between two “ colts,” L. Seifert, of Palmerston North, and the Eltham player, H, P, Dale, these players having a hole-and-holo struggle which finished 1 up in favor of Dale at the eighteenth. Dale won the first three holes, Seifert sank a 10ft putt for four at the ninth, and the players turned all square. Well-played fours halved the tenth, and bogey fives the eleventh. Tim thirteenth and fifteenth were halved for fours and fives respectively, Dale winning the twelfth and his opponent the fourteenth. The sixteenth was halved in f>, the seventeenth went to Dale in 4, and even fours at the eighteenth gave the match to Dale w'itb 1 up. H. A. Black (Hutt) and A. G. Simc (Westport) had a close game. The first hole went to Black in 5, the second was halved, while a long putt by Black on the third green halved the bole. Threes gave the next two holes to Sime, while the sixth and seventh went to Black. Sime turned for home 1 down, but from then on he came on to his game, and finished 3 up and 2 to play, Black being unable to take a hole oiice he was past tha turn. Coming in Sime was one under fours. Apart from the first three Holes, par golf was plaved by Donald Grant (Shirley) and A. E. Conway (Miramar) when they met in the morning round, but Grant’s figures were slightly too good for those of his opponent. _ What Grant himself described as villainous putting gave Ids opponent the first three Holes. Grant holed a long putt for four at the fifth after being in a bunker, and after that he did the next ten holes in one below fours, finishing the winner 5 and 4.

A keen contest was witnessed in the match between Sloan Morpeth (Titirangi) and J. Goss (Wanganui). Morpeth won the first in 4 and the next two holes were halved. Morpeth ivas 2 up at the fourth, but Goss took a hole off him at the fifth. Morpeth was 3up at the turn. At the eleventh Morpeth stood 4 up. Goss reduced the lead to 3up at the next hole. Morpeth was down at the fourteenth, and finished 3 up and 2. A. D. S. Duncan was mainly indebted to courageous and successful putting for his round against the Australian, Nigel Smith, whom he defeated by 6 and 5. Smith appeared to he somewhat off his game, and for the most part was nob handling His clubs with the same accuracy as on the first day of the tournament.

Another close game was provided by the young Australian player, W. R. Smith, and T. H. Horton (Masterton). Smith was a hole to the good at the turn, and added another at the tenth, thus making him 2 up. Horton won the eleventh, and Smith the next, while halves were recorded for the next four holes. Both were in difficulties at the seventeenth, but Smith won tljc hole, and with it the match, 2 and 1. Consistency was a feature of the play of Kenneth Ross (Balmacewen). who was matched against H. J. Shanks (Mornington). At two holes the South Islander carded 2’s, and ho finished 3 up and 4 to play. Tho game between the holder of the amateur title, Sloan Morpeth, and the “ grand old man of New Zealand goll,” Arthur Duncan, who met in the second round, attracted a large gallery. Duncan obtained length with his drive from the first tee, (ho hole being halved in 4. A 25ffc putt gave the second hole to Duncan in 3. while sound 3’s and 4’s halved the third and fourth holes respectively. With a fine mashio shot, Morpeth was within 30in of the pin at the fifth, but, as he missed the putt, tbe hole went for halves in 4. At the sixth hole of 106yds, Morpeth was on the green in 1, and sank for 2—l under bogey—this bringing the game back to all square. Duncan was 1 up at tho seventh, but the game was again all square at the eighth, which Morpeth won in 3 to 4. Morpeth made a good recovery from a bunker which lie found with his tee shot at the ninth, and the hole was halved in 4’s, leaving the game square at the turn. Morpeth obtained a great second to land just short of the green at the tenth, while his opponent’s second was pulled into a hollow below the green, Morpeth taking the hole. Duncan missed a 24ft putt athe next, and laid Morpeth a half stymie. Morpeth overran the hole, but sank with his return, and the hole was halved in 4’s. From then on Duncan seemed unable to stand up to his younger rival, and Morpeth, taking the twelfth, with a-half at the next three, won the match, 4 up and 3 to play. - Some idea of the quality of the golf played by these two golfers can be cleaned from the fact that Morpeth was 8 under bogey at tho finish and Duncan 4 under bogey. Never more than a couple of holes j separated H. R. Dale and A. G. Shne, who both played excellent golf. They missed chances for 3’s at the first, and halved the hole. The second was colorless, and resulted in another half, while Sime took the honors at the third in 4 to 5. Both were on in 2 and down in 3 at the next, and at the fifth Dale sank a 10ft putt for a half in 4, being unlucky not to win the hole, as bis third lipped the tin. After a-hole-and-liole tussle to the turn they went to the tenth hole with the game all square. Each missed putts at the tenth, and 6’s halved it, while Sime got into a had position at the eleventh, and Dale won in 5 to 6. An excellentlyplayed 2 gave the twelfth to Sime, while. Dale pulled his tee shot at the fourteenth, and Sime won in 3 to 4, the intervening hole being halved. Dale putted weakly at the fifteenth, and Sime won it. The sixteenth was halved. Dale kept the game alive by the putting for 4 at the seventeenth. At the eighteenth Dale was shorrt with bis second, and, the hole being halved, Sime won the match, 1 up.

Between Donald Grant and H. B. Lusk there was an exceedingly close go, the fortune of the game favoring first the one and then the other. As in the morning, Lusk started well, and at the fifth he was 3 up. They turned all square, and from then on both

golfed at a high standard on equal tenns, tbe tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth being halved. Lusk was short with his second at Hie sixteenth, and Grant won in 4. Both got away good drives at the seventeenth. Grant drove his iron shot below the green, while Lusk got by the hole with his brassie. The hole was halved in 4, making Grant dorray 1. With his second, and again with his third, Lusk was short approaching the last green. Grant found a bunker, but chipped out to within Ift of the hole. Lusk missed a 7yd putt for 4, the hall just creeping past the hole. The hole was halved in 5, Grant winning, 1 up Playing a steady game, as he had done during his morning round, Kenneth Ross gradually wore down his opponent, W. R. Smith, and finished 5 np at the fourteenth. Details are as follows —First Round.— A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) beat Nigel Smith (Australia), G and 5. H B. Lusk (Middlemore) beat J. L. Black (Hutt), 4 and 3. Donald Grant (Shirley) beat A. itConway (Minima?), 5 and 4. W. R. Smith (Manly) beat T. HHorton (Masterton), 2 and 1. Kenneth Ross (Balmacewen) beat H. J Shanks (Mornington), 5 and 4. H. P. Dale (Eltham) beat L. Seifert, jiin. (Manawatu), 1 up. 5 A. G. Sime (Westport) beat H. A. Black (Hutt), 3 and 2. Sloan Morpeth (Titirangi) bent J. Goss (Wanganui), 3 and 2. —Second Round.— Sloan Morpeth beat A. D. S. Duncan, 4 and 3. Kenneth Ross beat W. R. Smith, 0 and 4. Donald Grant beat H. B. Lusk, 1 up. A. G. Sime heat H. R. Dale, 1 up. The draw for the semi-final is;— Morpeth plays Grant, Sime plays Ross.