AMATEUR GOLF

Evening Star, Issue 20139, 2 April 1929, Page 5

AMATEUR GOLF

CHAMPIONSHIP CUP TO WRIGHT FINAL ENDS ON FIFTEENTH GREEN There are strong grounds for tho popular belief that championships, golf championships, of course, included, are each year becoming harder to win. The Otago amateur championship tourney concluded yesterday afternoon on the Otago Golf Club’s course at Balmacewen has proved itself no exception to tho trend of the game’s standard, for in the course of the matches played many excellent displays have been given, and in the majority of cases very close struggles were witnessed. Played in bright sunshine, with just a gentle breeze to modify the heat, the final was followed by some hundreds of spectators, to whom the opportunity was given to hail a new champion—B. V, Wright, of Timaru. His opponent, Dr G. F. Barnett (Otago) hardly played up to his best form, particularly during tho last few holes, but Wright could not afford to relax for an instant his accurate control of club and ball; otherwise the Otago man might easily have slipped into a lead. Wright is a player whose neatness of stylo has attracted favourable comment throughout the tournament. Taking a comparatively short swing, ho always has his stroke well under control. When the club-head carves round on to tho ball the impact is dynamic, and tho follow through is an action full of grace and power. With iron and mashie he is crisp, and usually straight, but las putting is inconsistent. In tho (inal yesterday afternoon, however, he could have pleaded not guilty without fear of contradiction to any criticism of his putting, for in large measure his success was due to a series of phenomenally long putts. A -semi-finalist who has attracted considerable attention is J. A. M‘Lennan, of Roxburgh. He is a native of Roslyn, but for the hist four years has been living in Roxburgh. He won tho Goldfields and open championships played there two years ago, and, besides winning the Goldfields Championship last year, he took the Central Otago Championship at Wnnaka in October* In tho course of his address before the presentation of prizes, Mr James Evans (captain'-of the Otago Club) expressed the hope that some day Air M'Lennan would see his way clear to bring a Central Otago team to play in Dunedin- _ The prizes won in the tournament were presented by Airs Barnett. CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL. The amateur championship finalists (B. V. Wright and Dr Barnett) had a big following when they commenced their match at 2 p.m. Both players hud good drives at the first hole, but through faulty putting a half in 5 resulted. Splendid drives at the second again - gave them a good start, but Wright, after a promising approach, ran through tho green into the hunker, and he failed to recover. Barnett won the hole with a 4 to his opponent’s G. Barnett 1 up. At tho third each player once more got well away from the tee, and Wright, after running up close to tho pin with his second, holed out with the next stroke, and won with 3 to Barnett’s 4. All square. Tho short fourth fell to Barnett after both had found tho green from the tee. A birdie 3 for Wright at the fifth saw tho'Timaru inan pull himself up again. It was a good effort, the result of a long putt. This was one of tho best holes of the outward journey, for each man got in particularly good drives. Wright also won the sixth with a capital 3. Wright found the seventh green with Ins second, but Barnett pushed his out into the rough, failing to get out with his third, and losing the hole 5 to 4. Tho eighth was an orthodox half in 4, both players finding the green with their seconds. Good drives at the ninth gave them another excellent start, and a steady half in 4 resulted. Wright,

with - a score of 36 to his opponent’s 37, was 2 up at this point, Barnett commenced tho homeward journey with a splendid 2. Wright went out to tho right with his drive, and his second, a fairly lengthy putt, overran tho hole a trifle. Barnett, who was syds past the pin with his drive, sank a long putt, and pulled his opponent back to only 1 up. Wright drove a screamer from the tee at Tipperary, and was rather unfairly handicapped by having a slightly downhill lie on tho brow of the hill past tho direction post. After _ hesitating between an iron and a brassie, he took the latter, and was rewarded with a long, low ball which carried'him close to the line of manuka trees. Barnett had only a fair drive, because at this particular stage of the game ho tyas showing a tendency to, heel with his wood. His second, however, took him within striking distance for his third, but after he had played it he was lying short. Wright was hole high, but unfortunately he had had to play slightly to the right to avoid striking a tree. Barnett ran up too far with his next, and Wright was short. Barnett was too wide with his putt, and Wright also missed, the hole being halved in 6. Wright still 1 up. Two powerful drives, if anything rather dangerously near the gull}', saw tho players well on the way to M'Glashau’s. Barnett pitched nicely on the edge of the green and rolled a few yards off to the right of the pin, and Wright, with a low shot from a downhill He, ran too far. Barnett then left himself a 3ft putt, and Wright came through to lay him a stymie. However, the lie of the green was in Barnett’s favour, and with the aid of a a nicely-judged cut he ran around his opponent’s ball and dropped in. A half in 4. Wright 1 up. Wright, still driving with tremendous power, ran over the hill at Manuka down to the near side of the ditch. Barnett lay on thovtop of the hill, and with his brassie landed a little too far to the right, Wright pitching about 20yds from the pin. Barnett’s third ran wide, and amid applause Wright sank his putt for a 3. Wright 2 up. After a good iron shot from the fourteenth tee Wright was lying a few yards from the hole, but Barnett, who used the wood, got the turf too heavily, and lofted his bail into the rough Just over the flax bushes. From a had lie he picked up nicely, hut, considering tiie way Wright was playing, it was too much to expect that lie woiild pull off the hole. Wright settled the matter with another long putt, giving him a 2. Wright 3up and 4to play. When Barnett topped his drive at tho fifteenth it seemed that all was over, but in a fighting effort against adversity tho Otago man got in a splendid brassie shot, and chipped nicely on to tho green with his third. Wright was 2yds past the pin with his putt, but eventually ran down in 4, Barnett having missed a difficult putt. And so the match ended with Wright 4 up and 3 to play.

LIST OF CHAMPIONS. 1903- D. Meldrum. 1904- —G. H. M'Ewan, 1905- J. Harold. 1906- B. J. Smith. 1907- H. C. Smith, 1908- 31. C. Smith. 1809-10—B. C. Rutherford. 1910- B. J. Smith. 1911- —B. J. Smith. 1912- A. L. Marshall. 1913- —Dr K. Ross. 1914- —War period. 1919- Dr K. Ross. 1920- C. B. Wight. 1921- M. W. Horton. 1922- C. B. Wight. 1923.24—C. B. Wight. 1924- K. Boss, 1925- Dr K. Boss. 1926- Dr K. Boss. 1927- Dr G. F. Barnett, 1928- B. V. Wright. MEDAL HANDICAP. A medal handicap, played in the morning, was won by A. L. Shield, with R. S. Passmore as runner-up. The best scores were

BOGEY HANDICAP. In tlig afternoon a bogey handicap was played, the winner being M. H. Yock, 3 up, with D. Ramsay, 2 up, as the runner-up.

AUCKLAND CHAMPIONSHIP The Auckland provincial championship was continued yesterday. The semi-finalists are: S. Morpeth and E. L. Bartleet; C. Western and J. L. Black, In the second round yesterday, Morpeth defeated H. B. Lusk, the present champion, 4 and 3.

Gross. Hep. Not. A. L. Shield ... ... 81 14 67 H. S. Passmore ... 5)2 24 68 F. Throp ... 86 16 70 1). Cochrane ... 85 12 73 M. H. Yock ... ... 96 23 73