GOLF.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 September 1924, Page 11

GOLF.

The championships are proceeding, though somewhat slowly, owing to some members being away. Most of the first rounds have been played, and results show fairly satisfactory play. Naturally, there are one or two surprises, players perhaps 'being caught on an off day.

One would have thought that the supposedly generally recognised rule, “Replace your divot,” had been preached so often, early and late, in season and out of season, that it was unnecessary to call attention thereto. But, as one goes round, holes are continually found where a player has made not the slightest attempt to replace, and sometimes the divot is found alongside. All players are asked once more to be most careful, for ..the sake of their fellow players. If the divot cannot be found, it is up to the player to stamp out the depression as carefully as possible, recollecting that some player—it might be himself—at the end of a long straight drive may find his ball in a perhaps almost unplayable position. It may possibly be the cause of bad and forcible language besides the spoiling of a shot, a round, and a player’s temper. All golfing eyes are fixed on Middlemore (Auckland), where the opening amateur and professional championships are ‘ being played. They will attract the keenest interest. Arrangements are made to get the leading scores sent each afternoon, and these, no doubt, will create much interest. A Hawera men’s team will travel to Patea next Saturday, and the following week-end will be spent in Wanganui, matches being played with both clubs.

In the championship of St, Andrews, Hamilton, played last week, N. Bell defeated H. T. Gillies 6 up and 4 to play, in the final of 36 holes. The scores indicate that neither player struck form, and with the exception of a few good holes by Bell towards the conclusion of the match, the golf was below the standard reasonably to be expected. It is not often that father and son fight out rounds of a championship, but such was the case at Pupuke this year. Stephen Hunter, ex-club champion, achieved a win over his son, J. Hunter, last year’s winner. Hunter senior held the commanding lead of 4 up at the Bth, but found himself square at the 16th. He made no mistake about the 17th, holing a three and laying the youthful one a perfect stymie on the 18th, gained a half in five, and the verdict. J. Hunter has been having a. strenuous time this season, several times recovering from well-nigh hopeless positions. He would be well advised not to develop a habit of emulating Tolley, as very often even the mighty fail to pull through from behind.

Arising out of the fact that a Scarborough Club member played the seventh hole of his home links in one, another member accepted odds of a hundred to one against his holing out from the tee once in 300 shots. The tee, which is 130 yards from the hole, is on a cliff above the green. The player failed in liis endeavour to get down in one. his nearest shot finishing about two feet from the hole. “That is Mrs. Jones’s third husband. isn’t it?” “Yes —two down and one to go.”

It is interesting to local players to note that at the Manawatu tournament the surprise of the second round was the defeat of D. G. Collins, of Wairarapa. by the veteran Wanganui player S. Powdrell. In the first round Collins heat A. Strang (Wellington) 7 and 6, and returned the second best card of the morning—78. He was generally regarded as being likely, with A. E. Ekstedt (Manawatu) and J. C. Bkhvill (Wairarapa) to reach the semi-final stages. Powdrell’s card in the second round reatY: Out,. 44; in, 42; total, 86. Collins’ score was-. Out, 44: in. 44; total, 88. Powdrell led at the fourteenth hole and halved the next four.

In a forecast of the chances of the professionals at Middlomore, “Sammy” (Truth) says:—Now we -home to the player “Sammy” is inclined to make favourite—E. J. Moss. Three years ago he was runner-up to Douglas at Christchurch, he finished well up at Palmerston, and at Wanganui lie. was ninth, but he was not too fit during those two days. Later on he proved himself by winning the pro. championship. At Nelson he was-runner-up to Hood. Playing over his own course is an advantage in one-way; he knows the oonre in its varying conditions, he can tell the distances to a fraction in every wind, while, the others are uncertain. This knowledge to a. good golfer would, I should think, he equal to two strokes a round in his favour. Again, it is one of the most difficult feats in golf to win an open tournament on your own course, but it has been done, and “Sammy” thinks Moss can do it. In recent scores Moss has returned a 70, a 71, and several other scores a fraction over the average of fours. I saw him play the 71 and he could have saved two strokes. His golf was not sensational; just- straight down the middle, then an uncanny judgment of shots right up to the pin. His golf is the type for Middlemore, low flying ball, and the pitch and run method of chipping up. to the pin. He is consistent and confident, and a playaaho is playing on fours is goin< r to win. “Sammy” thinks Moss has a great chance this year of winning the open if he plays the golf I’ve seen him do this last Aveek.

The lads Avho turn out on the putting green ivere all out in their plus fours at the coast. Without them you can’t really beat bogey.

NEW PLYMOUTH LADTES’ CLUB

.The senior champion this year is Miss Brewster, and she has Avon the championship on four occasions, A*iz in 1912. 1915, 1920 and 1921. Previous Aviuners haA*e been : 1905, Miss A. Stephenson; 1900, Miss A. Hoskin ; 1907, Miss E. Standish; 1908, Miss E. Standish; 1909, Miss A. Stephenson; 1910, Miss A. Stephenson; 1911. Miss A. Stephenson; 1912, Miss A. BreAvster; 1913. Miss A. Stephenson ; 1911, Miss A. Stephenson; 1915, Miss A. BreAvster; 191 G, Mrs. J. Glenn; 1919, Miss Bundle; 1920, Miss A. Brewster; 1921. Miss A. Brewster; 1922, Miss M. GaA*in; 1923, Miss Bundle.

BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

J. H. TAYLOR

J. H. Taylor, avlio is 53 years of ape, proved beyond doubt in the British Open Championship that he, Vardon and Braid occupy the same exalted position noAV as they did in their prime. Taylor Avas fifth, and would have won if the two qualifying and two

first rounds of the championship had been the four rounds. Further, he had by far the best aggregate of the six rounds played.—Referee.

The British open championship had many interesting points. Taylor showed what a magnificent player he still is. He put up a new record for the course; headed the qualifying section ; headed the field at the end of these two, and the first two rounds of the championship; came fifth in the championship proper, five strokes worse than the winner, Walter Hagen; had the best aggregate score for the two qualifying rounds, and the four championship rounds, six in all, with 449, the next best being 452, by E. Whitcombe, and 452 by Frank Ball. The former was second with 302, Frank Ball tieing for third place with Macdonald Smith with 304, Taylor coming next with 307, Is this not a'wonderful feat for a man of Taylor’s age? R l . E. Howard says that he veri 7 v believed that Taylor,‘if there had only been one round a day, would have walked away from everybody. In the long iron shots and mashie pitches, as well as in the drives, he was the one man, while his strength held out, who seemed to keep the ball consistently on the line. He proved “hat the old band of champions were masters of direction in a degree of which the new generation has hardly ever thought possible.

WALTER. HAGEN

To Hagen belongs the distinction of being the first inland player to win the British open championship in its history of well over half a century. Lessons From Great Golfers says: “Hagen does not first find his stance, and then address the ball, as most players do —often with the result that the club face lies at a wrong angle. He puts the club down at the right angle, and then adjusts his stance to it.” (E. L. Apperly does the same thing.) And he stands absolutely square. His swing is little more than threequarter. He has shortened it since he visited Britain in 1920, and, as a result, secures greater control over his club.

It is an upright swing, conducted at just that happy medium pace which Ray exhibits. As he hits the left side, he istiffens perceptibly. There is no falling back, but .there is no lurching forward —as there was in. 1920. With this stiffening of the left side, he applies power to the blow and preserves a perfect balance. At one time his poise was anything but steady. His follow'through with the. body was like a batsman playing forward to a cricket ball. He is a noteworthy example of the player who has risen from the good to the great by abandoning the principle of investing his shots with draw spin and substituting the method that cuts the ball up into the air. Hagen decided on the bold game. He selected his mashie iron, placed the face of it beyond the ball, and then adjusted his stance to it—a methodical manner which he has of making sure that the club head is in the correct position before settling into his stance. It was plain to see that he meant to make a death or glory shot. He hit a beauty. It covered the pin all the way, and came to rest less than three yards beyond the hole. The ball just slipped past the hole with the third shot, and he holed in 4. At the last, requiring a. 4 to win, he hit a superb shot down the centre of the fairway, stated to he quite 300 yards. The second was just through the green, leaving a difficult chip instead of a putt. The third left him a three-foot putt, which was holed without batting an eyelid.

WATER. HAZARD

I har*e had my own experience of the psychological effect of water (says Harry Vardon). During my first tour in the United States I arrived at Boston one morning to play an exhibition match, and opening a newspaper saw a paragraph headed in large letters, “Vardon Here: Confident of Winning and Beating Record.” As a matter of fact, I had not expressed any confidence about anything. Nor did I feel particularly like heating records, because I had been traA r elling during the greater part of the night. The first thing I saAV on reaching the teeing ground Avas a pond far away on the left. For some reason I felt that I was certain to get into it, and I remember reflecting all the Avhile how foolish that would look after the appearance of this statement announcing—though not by my authority—the AA*onderful things that T was going to do. The green could be reached Avith a cleek, and I aimed well out to the right with the object of SA r oiding the pond at all costs. But there must haA r e b'een a lot too much right hand in the shot, for the ball developed an alarming hook and dropped with a mighty splash into the middle’ of the water. Somehow, J kneAv'it would do so, although I struggled to master the feeling. Such is the curious effect of a water hazard.

BRITAIN v. AMERICA

It is announced by the RoA 7 al and Ancient Club of St. Andr’eAvs that the folloAving players have been selected to represent Great Britain in the match against the United States for the “Walker” International Cup:—C. J. H. Tolley (Royal and Ancient); Captain O. C-. BristoAve (Stoke Pogesj; Major O. 0. Hezlet (Royal Portnish) ; W.*L. Hope (Turnberry) ; D. H. Kyle (Rcehamptou); W. A. Murray (Romford); Robert Scott, junr. (GlaseoAv); Hon. Michael Scott (Royal North DeA*on) ; E. F. Storey (Cambridge University); T. ’ A. Torrance (Edinburgh Burgess). Mr. Henry Gullane, the secretary of the Royal and Ancient Club, will accompany the. team and act as manager. The match will take nlaoe on the Garden City course, Neiv York, and the tenatiA*e date arranged for the match is September 12th and 13th, just prior to the National Amateur Oil am pi on ship of America. The match is decided by four foursomes games on the first day and eight singles on the second. This is the fourth occasion on which the match is being played. Twice Ampric-a has beaten Britain in this country, while the team Avhich Avas sent to America in 1922 was also heavily defeated, so that Great Britain has yet to Avin the trophy. Tolley is the only member of the present team Avho has preA Tiously represented this country in America. He has played in each of the previous matches. W. L. Hone and \V. A. Murray played for Britain against America at St. AntlreAvs last year, hut the remaining members of the team are entirely new selections. Since he is not included in the side is to be presumed that Roger We the red Avas unable to accept the invitation to take part in the match. His absence decidedly Aveakens the strength of the side, and is the more regrettable because the British Champion, E. W. E. Holderness, is also unable to make the journey. Scotland

is particularly strongly represented in the selected side, for five players of the ten come from the home of the game. Tolley, Bristowe, Hon. Michael Scott and Storey represent England, while ■ Ireland has a representative for the first time in Major Hezlet.