“GAME OF HER LIFE”

Evening Star, Issue 23093, 20 October 1938, Page 16

“GAME OF HER LIFE”

BRILLIANT WOMEN'S GOLF FINAL MISS COLLINS LEADS ON MORNING ROUND UNOFFICIAL COURSE RECORD [Pee United Press Association.] NEW PLYMOUTH, October 20. The sensations that have bee*n experienced at the New Plymouth golf course during the ladies’ national championship tournament paled into insignificance to-day when the young Wellington player, Miss S. Collins, unofficially broke the course record over the first 18 holes of the championship final, and established a lead of two up on Miss J. Horwell (Timaru). It was golf at its best, and the large gallery could sense the strain under which the contestants were producing such form. Conditions were again ideal, and the course retained the splendid order it has been in throughout the tournament.

From the outset Miss Collins showed that she was not daunted by Miss Horwell’s sensational form yesterday and the greater experience of her opponent, and set out to play the game of her life. She was even above the form that carried her through several hard matches to the final, while Miss Horwell, on the other hand, could not, in the face of such tense competition, produce the marvellous golf that enabled her to record par figures yesterday. However, the Timaru player was right up to championship standard. Her stroke score outward was 40, Miss Collins’s 39. On the way home Miss Collins took 40, for a total of 79, and Miss Honvell 41, for a total of 81. To-day there was no department of golf in which Miss Collins showed weakness. At all times she matched Miss Honvell off the tees, and often outdrove her opponent. Her seconds were long and accurate when they were required; and she generally was well up to the pm with her approach shots. On the green she was deadly at reasonably close range, and was remarkably accurate with longer shots. Miss Horwell’s long game suffered a little by comparison with Miss Collins, but her weakness was with her approach shots, which often pitched short, leaving her with putts that were too far from the pin to be played confidently. There was nothing wrong with her putting, but she found many of the long shots too much for her, several times- falling only inches short when she needed the shot. Both drives carried almost to the first green, but Miss Horwell duffed her second, and Miss Collins took the hole. ' Two fine shots carried Miss Collins almost to the pin at the second hole, but she was stymied, and the hole was Halved in birdie 4’s. Miss ■ Horwell was bunkered at the third, but the hole was halved. ’

Miss Collins’s lead was threatened at the fourth when she sliced her second, but Miss Horwell was short, and another half was recorded. At the fifth Miss Horwell sank a good putt ;to take the hole and square the game, and the sixth was halved in 3’s.

The lead swung-back to Miss Collins at the, seventh, where she stymied Miss Horwell, and the eighth’was halved in regulation s’s, when Miss Collins fell inches short with a long putt. - ■ The ninth was also halved in bogey figures, and Miss Collins turned 1 up. The figures out were:— Bogey 4,5, 4,5, 4, 3, 5,5, 3 —38. Miss Collins 4,4, 5,5, 5,3, 5,5, 3 39 Miss Horwell 5,4, 5,5, 4,3, 6, 5. 3 —4O. ~

Miss Collins increased her leadl at the tenth, but failed to capitalise an opportunity at Sampson’s, where she putted weakly. There was a thrill at the twelfth, when Miss Horwell’s long putt ran around the edge of the hole and just failed to stop, but she still won the hole• and reduced her deficit. The nest' was halved, as was the fourteenth, Miss Collins was bunkered.

Both ran through the green at the fifteenth, and Miss Horwell required 3 putts, which cost her the hole, and put Miss Collins 2 up again. The next two were halved in s’s. Miss Collins was on beautifully at the eighteenth, and had) a chance for a birdie, but her putt just failed, and the hole was halved in*s’s, to give Miss Collins an unofficial record stroke score for the course of 79. The figures in were:— ; Bogey 5,4, 3,4, 3,4, 4,5, 6—37. Miss Collins 4,5, 4,4, 4,4, 5,6, 5 40. Miss Horwell 5,5, 3, c 4, 4,5, 5, 5, 5 —4l.