WOMEN’S GOLF

Evening Star, Issue 23093, 20 October 1938, Page 5

WOMEN’S GOLF

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP YESTERDAY'S PLAY IH SEMI-FINALS [Per United Press Association.] NEW PLYMOUTH, Oct. 19. There were two sensations in today’s semi-finals f the women s national golf championship. The first was when Miss S. Collins, the youthful Wellington player, gave Mrs Fullerton-Smith (Marton), twice holder of the title, a tremendous fight all the way and defeated her on the final green. Then Miss J. Horwell (Timaru) capped her previous fine exhibitions by playing par golf ; n the best women’s game ever seen at New Plymouth to defeat Miss Duncan (Wanganui) Miss Horwell is favoured for the final tomorrow, but she will have a very hard fight. MISS COLLINS v. MRS FULLER-TON-SMITH. From the outset i. was obvious that Mrs Fullerton-Smith had her hands full with Miss Collins, who dominated the first half. Mrs Fullerto .-Smith improved in the second half, but Miss Collins staged a great recovery when t’..e pressure was on and carried the day. Miss Collins drove and putted perfectly, lout her approach shots were erratic, and when bunkered she found it difficult to play out, and this cost her holes. Mrs Fullerton-Smith was not as steady as her opponent, particularly in her long game. A beautiful drive carried Miss Collins almost to the first green, and when Mrs Fullerton-Smith ran right through Miss Collins took the hole and the lead. Mrs Fullerton-Smith drove int the trees at the second and put her third shot into a bunker, from which she failed to get out, to put Miss Collins two up. It was Miss Collins’s turn to be bunkered at the next, and Mrs Fullerton-Smith took the hole, only for Miss Collins to be two up again at the fourth. Mrs Fullerton-Smith fell into a bunker at the fifth, but played out to hole a shot sensationally for a bogey four and halved the hole. Failure to sink a putt cost Miss Collins the sixth and reduced her lead to one up. Mrs Fullerton-Smith was in a good position to square the game at the seventh till Miss Collins played a dead stymie, and then the hole was halved in fives. Mrs Ful-lerton-Smith was erratic at the eighth and put her drive out of bounds. Mrs Fullerton-Smith provided another thrill at the ninth, when she chipped over a deaid stymie for a half. Miss Collins turned two up, but she dropped the tenth when a long putt lipped the cup. The game was squared at the eleventh, where Miss Collins was twice bunkered. A bogey three at the next gave Miss Collins the lead again till the fourteenth, where she was bunkered once more. A sensational 30-foot putt for a birdie three put Miss Collins in front again at the sixteenth, but the game was squared again at the seventeenth, where she just failed with another long putt. She lipped the cup with a 25-footer on the eighteenth green, but still had a stroke in hand to give her the match.

MISS HORWELL v. MISS DUNCAN

Machine-like precision marked Miss Horwell’s game when she defeated Miss Duncan, although the latter was at the peak of her form. Miss Horwell did not make a single mistake on the whole round and covered the first 15 holes in the par figure of 61. She had only to play the last three hples in 4. 5, 5 to complete the round in a par 75 and break the course record, which now stands at 80, but she decided not to tire herself. She was down for bogey figures at 11 holes, and, although she dropped one stroke cm two others, she compensated with two beautiful birdies. In fact, she had a chance of a third birdie with a short putt on the fifteenth, but was conceded the hole and did not need to putt out The gallery was following Mrs Fullerton-Smith’s match with Miss Collins, am many did not see Miss Horwell’s classic play. The first hole was halved in regulation fours, and Miss Horwell was unlucky to miss a long 'putt for a birdie at the second, but she took the lead at the third when Miss Duncan fell into a bunker Matching stroke for stroke the_ plavers halved the next three in birdie figures and then a pulled drive cost Miss Horwell the seventh hole, but a beautiful birdie with a dead approach at the eighth gave her the lead again. The ninth was halved in *hrees and Miss Horwell 1 up after being out in 38, while Miss Duncan required 'O. A birdie and a bogey at the eleventh and twelfth put Miss Horwell 3 up, and she was dormie four' when she won Moses, when Miss Duncan was again in a bunker. A dead approach j the green with her second gave Miss Horwell the fifteenth and the match. Miss Horwell’s card read:— Out: 4,5, 4,5, 4,3, 6,4, 3. In: 5. 3. 3. 5. 3, A SECOND BOGEY HANDICAP. The second bogey handicap, in c njunction with which the second round of the Rattray Cup was decided, was held in the afternoon The best score in the A division was that of Mrs W_ Toomey (Christchurch), who finished 3 down, while the B grade was won by Mrs B. H. Chapman (New Plymouth). 2 up. RATTRAY CUP. The Rattray Cup m the competitor returning the best aggregate in the two bogey matches was won by Miss B. Cochran (Marton). The leading scores were:— Miss Cochrane (Marton) —First round 1 up. second round 2 down, aggregate 1 down. Miss H Buchanan (Christchurch) --1 down, 1 down, 2 down. Mrs Clanville (Te Awamutu) —2 H o wn. all square, 2 down. Miss J Meuli 'Hawera)—3 down, 1 up, 2 down. Mrs J. Cliff ' ew Plymouth)—all square. 3 down, 3 down. Miss A. Pritchard (Dannevirke) — 4 down, 1 up, 3 down. Mrs W. Toomey ('Christchurch) — 4 down, 1 up, 3 down.