Golf Championship

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 232, 13 September 1922, Page 2

Golf Championship

HEAVY RAIN ON FIRST DAY. GOOD SCORES REGISTERED. (Special to “Tribune?’) Palmerston N., Sept. 12. The steady road of torrential rain has become a familiar sound in Palmerston North during the last 24 hours. Coming after five weeks of hot, dry weather, the rain is more than unfortunate for the New Zealand golf championship players. On Saturday and Sunday tne days were perfect; but, as a resident pointed out, the yellow kowhais are in flower in the Square, and these are the “kowhai rains,” since it always rains heavily when the yellow blooms first appear. Despite the drenchings they have received, and the slipping, sloppy state of the course, the players are cheerful, and their play remarkably good under the circumstances. “What’s a drop of water.” said one of them, “so long as you have a niblick to fish for the ball with.” That is the spirit of the tournament. Today is the testing day, and with a leaden sky, drizzling rain, and wet links to encourage them. 75 players are setting out blithely to tempt fortune once more. The practice play indulged in on Sunday caused hope to burn high in more than one heart. Morpeth, for instance, did the round in 73, while yesterday his scores were 79 and 80. A remarkable feat was accomplished by A. A. Stichbury, of Wellington, on Sunday, when playing in a private challenge game with his brother, V. Stichbury, against A. Siefert and J. Lewis, of Palmerston. The latter were 2 up and 3 to go. The bogies for the 16th, 17th. and 18th holes are 3-4-5. These were won by A. A. Stichbury in 2-2-3, a record for the course. Though these individual scores had been done at these holes, they had not been done consecutively. Yesterday Stichbury got 90 and 89. These are examples of a difference in play which cannot be accounted for by the weather ; probably it could veiy well be attributed to over-practice and staleness. The disappointment of the day was A. Duncan’s failure at his short putts. Despite his protestations to the contrary, he had some bad luck, too; and though not in the first flight on the day’s scores Duncan is by no means out of the running. His strong point is calmness in the excitement of the last round. He is a good gallery

player, whereas Black, of Lower Hutt, who has a substantial lead, while a slow', deliberate player, usually becomes perturbed when he has an audience. The slow’ players in the Open Championship contest are Black and Bid will. One difficulty with a field of 64 players is to keep them moving. Some inexplicable delays occurred yesterday, probably attributable to the weather. For example, the last two players in the first round started at 11.28 a.m. The second pair in the second round, Duncan and Butters, went out at 12.14. when normally the 11.28 men should have reached the 7th hole. Yet they were overtaken bv Duncan and Butters at the 10th. This close sequence of competitors on the widespread links has an advantage in the spectacular sense, and before the rain started the links made a fine picture—brilliantly green, undulating land, intersected by clumps of trees, which made darker green masses of colour, the whole framed in the curving cliffs on the far side of the Manawatu River, w’hile bright green willows fringed the nearer bank . Scattered over the 4| miles of fairways were the players and spectators, and overshadowing all, despite the struggling sunlight, were the piled masses of cloud, reaching away south-westward over the plains. These clouds gradually closed in overhead. and with volleys of lighthearted thunder, the rain stormed down. Then up went the umbrellas. The golfer’s shelter in such weather is the umbrella. It is, in fact, the only logical form of shelter, and the ginghams had their outing yesterday, though there were still scores of men who were drenched through and through. The effect of the rain on the greens and tees was disastrous. Every footmark was deep and permanent, making putting a gamble, while on th. tees it was impossible to get a good stance. The leather grips of the clubs, too, became slippery and hard to hold, and. altogether, those unfortunate last men of the day deserved some acknowledgment for their heroic and almost stoical devotion to golf which kept them doggedly at their game, as national training grounds, the playing fields of Eton could scarcely have excelled the flooded links at Hokowitu yesterday evening, w’hen six inches of water on a green was only a circumstance. The players go out to it this morning with Black, an amateur, four strokes ahead of Brooks, a professional. both hailing from Lower Hutt. Crosse is five strokes behind Black and Clements, a professional, is the samfc.

Duncan and Morpeth are on the game mark, nine strokes behind the " leader. Yet there is a strong concensus of opinion that the victory lies between Duncan. Morpeth and Clements. with Brooks and Moss well in the running. In the meantime Black has a big leg in, and on the other side of the equation is Sime, the present amateur champion, 10 points behind Black. Sime’s play yesterday was. Morning, out, 444554345—38; in 443655234—36, a total of 74; and afternoon. out, 455435344—37, and in 443745444—39; a total of 76. He is not yet out of the running; but no one really knows until the numbers go up. For later reports of the play see page 5. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. WON BY BROOKS. [Per Press AssoaiatianJ Palmerston North, Sept. 12. Continual rain throughout the day spoilt any enjoyment that may have accrued to players or spectators in the second and deciding, day of the New Zealand open golf championship. The veteran Duncan did a splendid round—out 40, in 35, total 75. Black went out in 40 and returned in 39, being one up on bogey. Brooks, third in the open championship last year, played well for 39 and 37, total 76. This gave Black ft one stroke lead from Brooks, with Duncan five strokes behind, third. In the faternoon Brooks went round in 78, making his total for the four rounds 308. Black returned with 30, this placing him second with a total of 309. Clements, with two rounds of 81, made his total 317. T)iis figure was also attained by Eckstedt. ■' Those who qualified for the amateur championship, to be played to-morrow, are:—Black, Duncan, Morpeth, Templer, Capt. Conway, Balneais, Wilson, Sime, Horton, Bidwell, Wight, Crosse | Collins, Eckstedt, Dr. Williams, Wright. The O’Rourke Vase, for club teams of four, was won by Lower Hutt, with Wellington No. 1 and Wanganui equal for second, Manawatu third, and Miramar fourth. In the evening the arjiual meeting of delegates was presided over by Mr R. C. Kirk, who stated that sufficient guarantees for a tour by Kirkwood and Hagen had been practically assured.

The whole council was re-elected with '‘the exception that Mr W. Horton (Dunedin) fills the place vacated by Mr M. C. Barnett. It was decided to recommend to the council that Wanganui be selected as the championship course next year. WHAT IS GOLF? PLEASURE OR PAIN? Courts in Virginia, U.S.A., are trying to decide whether golf is an amusement. an exercise, or a diversion. Under the child labour law in that State it is contended that boys under 16 cannot be employed as caddies. The claim is that a golf course is a place of amusement. Any man who can play 18 holes and drive the ball into the rough from each and every one of the 18 tees, and will admit that he is amused, should be presented with a sitver cup. This is plainly an instance where the player is performing labour and the , caddie is being treated to a whole afternoon of amusement. Golf itself is nqt funny. That is, ’ not to the man who is playing. It may or may not bo funny to the onlooker. That depends on how far he is from the player when he laughs. To stand by and watch a full-grown, able-bodied citizen take a wallop at a golf ball and miss it is legitimate oc- ■ cation for a giggle or two, hut only I behind the player’s back. . If the player happens to turn round ’ 1 and catches you snickering, then golf | becomes an exercise, and the one who I | run the fastest gets the most exerBut as for caddying cossipg under I the jurisdiction of labour, that would appear to he rather far-fetched. Judging simply on the expressions on the » faces of caddies, the game is a circus.