GOLF

Evening Star, Issue 20995, 8 January 1932, Page 4

GOLF

[By Sues.]

NEW YEAR TOURNAMENT. The Dunedin amateur championship and the Otago junior amateur championship were brought to a successful finish over last weekend, on the St,, Clair Links, at Corstorphine. The tournament was a most enjoyable one from every viewpoint, and proved to be most popular. Practically every player of note in the city, and a good sprinkling of visitors, combined to produce a good finish, but the absence of C. B. Wight, the present Otago champion, and J. E. Matheson, who has won a provincial title, is to be regretted, especially as both players are members of St. Clair, The Otago Club was very strongly represented by such players as J. A. Scoular, J. •H. Spence, W. G. Wight, N, G. Hay, J. H. M’Dougall, D. H. Butcher, R. W. Dick, and others of no mean calibre. The senior championship went to J. A. Scoular, of the Otago Club, and a member of St. Clair up to last year. Scoular' has been knocking at the door for some time, and has now won his first big title. He met W. W. Clayton in the final, and displayed golf of the highest order to defeat him on the eighteenth green. This is the third occasion on which he has met this redoubtable player, the other two being in the final of the St. Clair Club championship, on which occasions Clayton emerged the winner. Scoular has a nice, easy style, drives a very long ball, and is consistently accurate with his short game. There is no doubt that he will make his mark. in dominion golf one of these days, and, indeed, the last New Zealand championships, which were his first, by the way, saw him not so very far down the list, and the _ experience of that meeting stood him in good stead. P. Sheriff and K. Chalmer, two St. Clair players, fought out the final of the junior championship, the victory goiqg to the former player on the eighteenth, where he became 1 up. Sheriff’s victims on the way were G. Burnett, 2 and 1; Rawlinson (a fancied candidate) , 1 up; and H. A. B. Brabant, 2 and 1. Chalmer displayed consistently good golf right through the tournament, and he had the distinction of heading the qualifying list (junior) with 83-86—169, which was quite good scoring under the squally conditions. The conditions on the first day were not conducive to good golf, as was shown by the qualifying rounds. In almost every case, every playefr returned a higher score in the afternoon, and this is not surprising when one considers the half-gale which swept the course. One hears of a t«e shot finishing on Spion Kop green, a distance of 352yds, and almost en to the Home green, which is nearly 400yds. W. W. Clayton, as was expected, filled first place in the qualifying round, but his 73.76—149 was not expected to come in eight strokes ahead of the next player, in the person of J. A. Scouler. J. Spence had a consistent 78-79—157, but W. G. Wight, after leading the field in the morning with a fine 72, collapsed incredibly with an 87 in the afternoon. Givlen no wind, Wight might easily have qualified first, but a hard cross-wind and fast greens make an upsetting combination. Some sterling encounters took place oh the first day of match play, despite the sbu’-wester; and W. W. Clayton turned on the fireworks in his afternoon match, after defeating H. A. Gamble, his club mate, in the morning. He was out in 4 under fours, and his opponent, R. G. Hayward, had no chance. J. A. Scouler beat T. B. Ferguson on the twenty-first, and won 2 up in the afternoon against D. H. Butcher, who had survived 5 down and 7 to play against P. V. Drake in the morning. In the. semi-finals, Clayton beat Dick to the tune of 5 and 4, while Scouler defeated his elub mate, 6. Spence, by the substantial margin of 7 and 6. Scouler was in irresistible mood, his figures for the first nine holes reading: 4,2, 6,4, 3,3, 4,4, 3—32. This represents four under standard scratch, and superlative golf under the conditions. to say, a great deal of interest was evinced in the final, oyer eighteen holes, as this was the third time these players have met for championship honours. The chances, if any, favoured the St, Clair player on his own course but no one would care to predict who would, win. Scouler hit a splendid drive at the first, but Clayton started poorly. After pushing his drive out, he duffed his second, and the hole went to Scouler, 1 up. The second was nicely halved in 3, each putting for 2. At centre, Scouler drove magnificently, and was just short in 2, while Clayton was through with his third. A half in 5 resulted. At the fourth hole Scouler increased his lead to 2 up with a perfect 4, and the next three holes were halved with a like number. At the last .hole, the seventh, each just missed a birdie. At Spion Kop, the eighth, Clayton won in 4, a stymie giving him the hole. Llayton holed a nice 2 at Porridge Pot, and they turned for home with the match all square. Good drives, perfect seconds, and a half in birdie fours resulted at the tenth. Against the wind, at the eleventh, Scouler holed a 4 to win, thus becoming 1 up again. He was not to enjoy his lead long, however, because Clayton holed a beautiful birdie 4 at Promontory to square the match. The thirteenth was halved m indifferent fives, and the, next four holes were halved in bogey—4, 4,4, o. Each got good drives at the last hole, with Scouler having to play the odd. From his position he had to play a mashie niblick to ensure negotiating a bunker, and he pitched just short. Clayton then made a fatal mistakee,. ile socketed his second badly, and his third ran to the far edge of "the green. Scouler played his third to within 4ft, and made no mistake with his putt, Clayton having failed to hole his. The rounds approximately were 74-76. In all. it was a great finish to a highly successful tournament, and the scores, despite the vagaries of the wind, show that the course must have been in wonderful condition.