Daly Wins Open Title

Northern Advocate, 5 July 1947, Page 7

Daly Wins Open Title

GOLF

(Rec, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 4. The Irish champion, Fred Daly, won the British open golf championship today with an aggregate of 293 for 72 holes.

At the end of the third round Daly, von Nida, Cotton and A. Lees were all together, with a total of 221. Daly had an indifferent third round of 78, while the Australian, von Nida, with a grand 71, pulled up seven strokes to tie for the lead. In the final round Daly played sound golf under strain. Despite a two over par six at the 17th hole, he finished with a 72. Von Nida, Cotton and Lees, all late starters, struck the worst of the weather in the afternoon and were troubled by damp greens. Cotton looked a possibility when he was out in 36, but he made several costly mistakes with his irons to take 40 to come home. SCRAMBLING GALLERY The atmosphere at Hoylake was electrically charged as the competitors played the final round, with the leaders being constantly challenged. Cotton seemed undisturbed today by the bustling and wild scrambling of the gallery, which the army of stewards was inadequate to control.

Daly was the first of the joint leaders to go out on the final round. He had an indifferent first half and Horne (out in 35) held a stroke lead over him and Shankland (out in 34. had drawn level with him. Shankland had an amazing run of four successive threes, including two birdies, from the 10th to the 13th. He required a four at the last hole to equal the record of 69, but threeputted. Von Nida's chahces faded early in the final round. He was four over fours after playing five holes. ADAMS LAPSES Meanwhile, Cotton reached the turn in 36 and Lees in 37. Adams had an amazing run with 3, 3,5, 2,4, 4,3, but then lapsed into errors. On the last green Daly holed an eight-yarded for three and took the lead from Shankland.

The American amateur, Stranahan, with two splendid rounds of 72, today lifted himself into equal second place with Horne, who with isl at the end of the second round, looked right out of the picture. TENSE FINISH Sports writers are unanimous that the open golf championship has rarely produced such a keen finish as today’s contest over the Hoylake course, which the Daily Telegraph considers the greatest test of golfers in the world. Nineteen players were covered by five shots at the end of the third round, when von Nida, Cotton and Lees all caught the eventual winner, Daly. Reuter says the situation was even more tense when at the end of nine holes in the final round nine players were within three strokes of each other.

The Daily Telegraph says that Daly, a worthy winner, had a piece of luck in starting the final round early and avoiding the wind which later developed. The runners-up—Horne and Stranahan—gallantly kept up the pressure. Horne was three under fours to the 15th and cut a tee shot to the 17th cost him the championship. No amateur has approached Stanahan’s achievement in the championship since Bobby Jones won at Hoylake in 1930. DETAILED RESULTS

Leading scores (third and fourth rounds and aggregate): Daly 78, 72 —293; Stranahan 72, 72—294; Horne 72, 71—294; Shankland 75, 70—295; Burton 77, 71—29 G; Cotton 74, 7G—297; S. King 77, 73—297; A. Lees 72, 7G—297; C. Ward 7G, 72—297; von Nida 71, 7G—297; Bulla 74, 71—297; Adams 71, 75—299; R. A. Whitcombe 71, 77—800; Padgham 74, 76—300; Ghezzi 72, 79—804; van Donck 81, 75 —305.