New Peaks In British Champs

Northern Advocate, 8 July 1938, Page 5

New Peaks In British Champs

Golf

(Received 1.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 7

The highest standard in the history of the event for competitors who were left to contest the final two rounds of the British open golf championship was set today. Owing to the new principle of eliminating ties for 40th place, 37 players remained to contest the final 36 holes, and they were required to card 148 or better. The weather was overcast with, a strong wind against which most of the holes were played. Despite the conditions, three players broke 70, the par of the course being 73, and the scratch score 76. The best round of the day was that of Cyril Tolley, the British amateur, whose 68 equalled the amateur course record. The length of the course, Royal St. George, is 6728 yards. All the three Australians who survived. the preliminary qualifying play have been eliminated. H. W. Hattersley, with an aggregate of 150, was the best of the three.

T. S. McKay, another Australian, put three balls out of bounds at the 14th hole, and he carded a 14. This score for a hole has only once previously been equalled in the open championship. Twenty-seven players equalled or beat the par for the course, which is 73. Irish Youth Fails. One of the sensational failures was James Bruen, the young Irish professional, who was one of the six leaders in the first round. He took 80 in the next round and was thus eliminated. Three British professionals, J. JBusson, R. Burton, and W. J. Cox, none of whom have previously taken a hand in the vital stages of the event, are leading the field with aggregates of 140, but only eight strokes separate the leaders from the tail-enders.

Cotton Well Behind,

The winners in the last four years, T. H. Cotton (twice), A. Perry and A. H. Padgham, are in the running, but. Cotton is conceding the leaders seven strokes. Sharing the fifth place with five others Cotton’s chance of retaining the championship is very remote. He admits that he played badly and considers that he is too far behind to catch the leaders. Last year, when 47 players qualified for the final 36 holes, an aggregate of 153 sufficed. The year before it was 156. and in 1935 it was 153.

The only amateur in last year’s final 47 was A. D. Locke, the South African, now a professional, who is five strokes behind the leaders. This year there are at least three amateurs to carry a challenge to the professionals—C. Tolley, J. J. Pennink and Hector Thomson. The last-named won the British amateur in 1936, defeating J. Ferrier, of Australia. Leading Aggregates. The leading aggregate scores, second round in parenthesis, were: —J. J. Busson (69). R. Burton (69). W. J. Cox (70), 140; B. Gadd (70). J. Adams (71). 141; R. A. Whitcombe (71), 142; French (71), 143; M. Dallemange (74),

J. Black (72), 144; C. Tolley (68), A. D. Locke (72). A. Dailey (72). J. Fallon (75), D. J. Rees (72), A. Perry (74), 145; Pemberton (72). S. F. Brews (70). C. Shankland (72), A. J. Lacey (72), J. McLean (74), J. J. Pennink (72), A. H. Padgham (72), C. A. Whitcombe (75), T. B. Haliburton (74). 146; T. H. Cotton (73), Bulloch (74), P. Mahon (74). G. King (73), E. R. Whitcombe (77), W. Sutton (75), 147; Kenyon (71). Storey (71), A. G. Beck (72), Hector Thomson (71). W. Hastings (74), J. E. Ballingall (72), Greenhalgh (73), 148,