Dramatic End To North island Golf Champs

Northern Advocate, 9 April 1947, Page 2

Dramatic End To North island Golf Champs

(Special) AUCKLAND, This Day. THERE was a dramatic end to the North Island amateur golf championship at Titirangi yesterday.

By striking the- bali of his opponent, R. H. Glading (Titirangi), into the cup from a dead stymie on the 36th and last hole, A. R. Kitto (Wanganui), the defending title-holder, lost the championship.

Glading’s ball lay only an inch or so from the cup and Kitto’s was about a foot behind it.

Kitto played a follow-through billiard shot, striking Glading’s ball full and firmly. For a moment after the impact, it seemed that Kitto’s shot had succeeded, for his own ball followed through and dropped into the hole; but the shot was not quite firm enough, for Glading’s ball dropped a little as it cleared the gap, struck the further edge of the hole and spun upward and back to drop cleanly down.

SQUARE AT 35th It was a dramatic and exciting ending. Kitto had wrestled with his own inaccuracies and poor putting as much as with Glading and the long road grew less hard and rough for him as, cn the 35th hole, he at last squared the match.

Playing the 22nd hole, he had been five down. At the last hole. Kitto hit an enormous tee shot almost to the green and when Glading's second rested on the middle of the three terraces of the green—the pin was on the top,terrace —Kitto’s opportunity seemed to have come.

But he, too, failed to reach the top terrace. From their first putts, Kitto was sft short and Glading 4ft beyond.

Kitto missed with his next and went past, and Glading's quiet little dribble on the fast green just failed to go far enough.

Kitto studied his fateful putt for a long time before he played it. The shot was beautifully planned and executed and much too good to be spoiled by the loss of the match. For the first 18 holes Kitto took 81 tc Glading’s 74. Kitto’s afternoon round was 76 and Glading's 81.

KITTO’S PUTTING On the day, Glading deserved to win. for Kitto’s putting was bad. Glading, too, was the bolder player. When his putts missed, they rolled past the pin. Kitto’s by' contrast often [ailed by two or three feet to reach ihe hole.

Glading obviously was not quite in touch with his seconds and sometimes he hurried his shots, particularly on the green. But he did not commit Kitto's error of consistently under-clubbing'. Both men obtained excellent length on many drives, with Kitto's usually a shade the longer.

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