TITLE TO SMITH

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 302, 19 November 1938, Page 10

TITLE TO SMITH

AMATEUR GOLF FINAL. A DOUR CONTEST. Per Press Association, DUNEDIN, Nov. 18. The 20-year-old Akarana player, P. G. F. Smith, the youngest member of a golfing family with a fine record in New Zealand golf, won the amateur championship of the Dominion to-day. His opponent was W. B. Reilly, of the Shandon Club, Wellington, and former Otago player. Smith played fine golf to win 4 and 3. Both of the finalists were born' in Dunedin.

Smith is the second 20-year-old player to annex a major event at the tournament. Locke, the South African champion, -who won the open from Smith’s older brother Basil Smith, junr., and A. J. Shaw, has his 21st birthday next week. The championships have largely been a triumph for youth. There was a big gallery to follow Smith and Reilly round their 36 hole match to-day. Conditions in the morning were perfect, but rain began to fall soon after lunch, and the first half of the second round was played in a steady downpour. This final concluded a tournament which has been a great success. Locke was the centre of attraction in the open, but the New Zealand players have shown that their game compares favourably with that of top-rank players overseas. There were some brilliant scoring and fighting finishes, and none of the winners had an easy road to his title. BATTLE FOR HONOURS. Reilly started the day with a good drive down the middle of the fairway. Smith went a little further to be close to the pin with his second. He missed his putt, and the honours were even. Smith pitched up nicely at the second to within 10ft from the pin. He had a good chance for a win when Reilly was six yards from the pin, but he missed his putt to halve in fours. A slight draw on Reilly’s tee shot at the third saw him land in a bunker. He recovered nicely and was laid a partial stymie when Smith missed his putt from twelve feet. He cut it to halve in three.

, Reilly played a lucky shot at the short fourth. It caught the mound of a hunker in front of the green and ran well on. Smith’s ball jumped over the bunker. He laid his approach putt dead and when Reilly failed to find the cup with a tricky six-footer they halved in threes.

Smith hit a better drive at the fifth, and both pushed their brassie seconds out a little. Smith caught a bunker, but Reilly was too strong with his third, and when Smith ran the ball up to four feet from the pin with his putter, Reilly was well short with his chip and could not sink a fifteen footer. Smith had two putts for a win. It was his hole in five to six, and made him one up. There were two long tee shots at the sixth, Reilly being 25 yards short of the green and Smith just down to the right of it. Reilly ran his ball up to 12ft. from’ the pin and Smith was too strong with his chip, but came back to a foot from the pin. Reilly had his putt for a win, but just missed and the hole was halved in four. The tee shots at the seventh were together, and lieilly’s pitch and run was well on, followed by Smith’s full pitch. Smith laid his 30ft approach putt alongside the cup, and Reilly’s fifteen-footer for a win bumped out of the cup. The eighth, too, was halved in fours. Smith had the better drive, but Reilly pitched well on and Smith’s approach caught the sighting trap at the back of the green. Reilly’s long putt nearly went in, but when Smith ran the ball down to a foot from the cup he had to be satisfied with a half.

Reilly was only a yard inside the fence with liis tee shot at the ninth, and the second bounced into a bunker. Smith was nicely on, and when Reilly came out of the bunker too strongly the Aucklander’s four was a win and enabled him to turn two up. He was out in 35 and Reilly out in 37. THE JOURNEY BACK. The short tenth was well-halved. Smith found a bunker and played a great explosion shot which all but went in, and Reilly ran the ball up from the front edge of the green to a foot from the cup. Reilly was just short at the eleventh green with his third, while Smith was beautifully on. The Wellington player had bad luck that this cliiii did not go down, and Smith had an awkw'ard 10ft putt for a win. He missed, but stymied Reilly, giving him a chance to provide the highlight of the round. It was a perfect stymie, and Reilly played a perfect chip over it, the ball going down from the back of the cup for Ills half in five. Reilly was very lucky to be allowed to halve McGlashan's in five. He skied his tee shot and put his second well down to the right of the green. Smith was beautifully on, and seemed to have the hole won, when Reilly chipped up too strongly and finished up back on the opposite side. His approach was a beauty, and Smith missed an eightfooter for three and then a two-footer for his win in four. It was a bad lapse and brought bis lead down to one up. The thirteenth was well played, although both were lucky to avoid trouble with their seconds, and it was halved in a “birdie” four, both sinking putts of about 12ft. Reilly got a hole back to the fourteenth, sinking an awkward ten-footer after being short with his tee shot and Smith having to come back to within 3ft from the cup and then missing the putt. The fifteenth was halved in five, Reilly nearly sinking a twelve-footer for a win. Reilly’s putting at the short sixteenth was bad, his second being only a two-footer, and Smith made no mistake with a two-footer to be two up again. After a good tee shot at the seventeenth, Reilly duffed his second, but Smith was through the back and they halved it in five.

At the eighteenth both drives were well up, Reilly’s coming to rest 30 yards ahead of Smith's, who found the right-hand blinker with his second. Reilly pulled his second slightly to the left, where it lay a few inches outside the green. Smith exploded out with almost uncanny precision to within four feet, but he missed with a pitch over Reilly’s third. Reilly holed his three-footer to win the hole and finished the round one down. The final round began shortly after 2 p.m., when there was a large number of keenly interested spectators. Judged ori their morning showing, Smith and Reilly were evenly matched, and it appeared to be anybody’s game. A light shower of rain fell at 1 o’clock, and a gentle breeze sprang up from the north-east.

AFTERNOON ROUND. Starting off tho afternoon round, both got well up with their seconds after Smith had found the rough to the left of the fairway with, his brassie. They missed their putts by a couple of feet for bogey fours. Reilly was nicely placed with his first well up on the hill with an open view of the green. His second stopped 30ft short, while Smith’s second over-car-ried by 12ft. The Shandon man’s putt was inches short, but Smith went into a two-hole lead by sinking his. Smith appeared to be playing well within himself. A noticeable feature of his game is his flair for making quick decisions. Once he has studied a lie and has chosen the club to use, he stands to his ball and hits it truly and without any further deliberation. His tee shot at the third could hardly have been bettered, but he spoiled his chances for a “birdie,” or even an “eagle,” by missing his second putt oi four feet. Reilly succeeded in halving, although he should have won. He, too, found the green from the tee. Smith went ahead at the short fourth through Reilly missing his second putt. The Akarana player nearly caught the right-hand bunker with his tee shot to lie six yards from the pin. Reilly’s first bounced on to the extreme front edge. Smith got away another splendid drive at the long fifth. He was unprotected against the heavy rain that started at the fourth, and before long lie was thoroughly soaked. Reilly was wearing a cap and overalls, but he, too received a drenching. The fehaiidon man was fighting hard. Smith had had him on the defensive almost since the first hole in the morning round and this advantage, so valuable in match play, and especially in a championship final, never allowed Reilly ever to square. Reilly s third down the other side of the lull finished in tho right-hand bunker, and he was still short with his recovery. His putt rested a foot away. Smith could have no excuse for being short, hut finished with a bogey of five to Reilly s six. Smith now led by four holes, but Reilly’s putter was to blame. He had the advantage for the first time at the sixth, where Smith pushed a bmp drive out to the edge of the seventh fairway. Reilly had to play a ‘ stopper” to carry over the bunker at the front. He could not clinch his victory, however. Smith hooked his second slightly, only the sodden state of the ground saving it from rolling down into a bunker. The hole was halved in bogey fours. Reilly found a difficult lie in the rough to the left at Camel’s Back. His second off the brow of the hill finished on the left-hand side of the green. He again failed with his putter to halve in five, one over bogey. Smith, too, should have done better, but lie missed an easy putt. He got away a goodlength drive at the eighth. It was just into the rough, but left the green nicely open. However, he was still in the rough with his second, while his third stopped ten yards short. Reilly played a brilliant second irom the rise to land directly on the green. He missed his first putt, but-made no mistake with his second to reduce Smith’s lead to three. FOUR UP AT TURN. Both were on with their seconds at the Glen. On measuring up, Reilly took first putt, which stopped two feet short. Smith caused a sensation by holing a ten-yarder to regain his commanding lead and to turn four up. He was out in 36 to Reilly’s 39. Smith was almost pin-high at the first of the homeward nine holes. Reilly topped badly to get only halfway up. His second saved him, but after missing his putt he conceded to Smith, who thus led by five. Smith was bunkered at the left of the green on Long Tipperary (586 yards) after playing safely off the tee. He got out with a neatly-played shot to within a few feet, of the cup. Reilly, who was well on in three, over-ran by a fraction and a half resulted in bogey fives.

With the strain on and every stroke becoming a potential match winner, both men were playing dourly. The gallery, whose interest not even the rain could spoil, watched in breathless silence. It was a stern battle in spite of Reilly’s handicap. He studied every lie with deep concentration, and even drew three clubs from his bag at one bunker before eventually deciding on the right one. Smith waited in the bunker at Tipperary before playing so that the crowd would settle down round the green. Going round to McGlashan’s, Smith was in the rough with his brassie shot from the tee and just short of the ditch. Reilly’s drive left him with a good run down to the green and he was well on in two to sink a brilliant putt for a “birdie” three. Smith’s second landed below the hunkers to the right.

Smith got well behind his drive at the thirteenth and the ball soared over the hill a good fifty yards past Reilly’s. Although Smith was short with his second, he managed to halve in “birdie” fours. REILLY’S STRUGGLE.

Reilly made a valiant effort to pull the match out of the fire at Roy’s. Smith might have won this hole and the match but for finding a bunker. Reilly, despite one missed putt, sank his third and took the hole to Smith’s four. Smith missed a dead easy one and they went to the fifteenth, with Smith holding a lead of three holes. He had been playing impeccable golf and it would have taken a genius to outplay him. He won the last hole in four, after chippng up liis second to be pin high. Reilly was well on the way with his tee-shot, but found the left-hand bunker witli his second, liis mashie shot finishing a good four yards past the pin. He failed with the deciding putt. Smith’s putt from a foot away gave him the hole and the match, with 4 up and 3 to play. Smith had won at the same hole as Fuller in the professional match, and with the same number of holes up on his opponent, LINKS PRAISED. NEXT TOURNEY AT MIDDLEMORE. Per Press Associattion. DUNEDIN, Nov. 18. Praise for Balmacewan was the keynote of the speeches made at the presentation of trophies after the amateur foursomes championship: J. P. liornabrook (Masterton) summed up tho general opinion of visiting players when he described the course as a really championship one - and “very sporting.” The trophies were presented by Mrs G. R. Ritchie, wife of the president of the club. Before this fixture the golfers in the North Island had heard many reports on the condition of the course, but now they were all of the one mind—that it was a real championship one, said B. M. Silk (Wanganui), who spoke for the visiting competitors. It had all the dualities that contributed to what was termed “very sporting.” What had been said about the course was deeply appreciated, said Mr A. N. Haggitt, captain of tlie club. It had not been easy to have the championships decided here, and the club

would be quite content to have them played here once every 10 years. He hoped that the laudatory sentiments would be spread throughout the Dominion. “What he himself had heard about Balmacewan in the north was a little disheartening. This course lias been described as the cradle of golf in the Dominion, and visiting players at the “nineteenth” must have been impressed with the fact that the honours board for club championships dated back to 1872, he remarked. It was decided that the next championships be played at Middlemore, Auckland.

EXHIBITION MATCH. LOCKE BEATS MOSS. Per Press Association. ROTORUA, Nov. 18. In an exhibition golf match played in Rotorua this afternon, A. D. Locke, South Africa heat E. J. Moss, of Auckland, 3 and 2, doing the round in bogey figures. Though his play was not faultless. Locke gave a good display. He twice drove slightly more than 300 yards. He did the round in 69 against Moss’s 73.

Smith’s card read : — Out: 4 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 4—35 In: 3554453 5 5—39 Reilly’s card read : — Out: 4 4 3 3 6 4 4 4 5—37 In: 3554354 5 4—38