GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18192, 11 September 1922, Page 9

GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP.

THE DOMINION MEETING.

PRELIMINARY MATCHES.

AMATEURS V. PROFESSIONALS.

[By TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

•PALMERSTON NORTH. Sunday.

One of the greatest days in the history of golf in New Zealand was witnessed on Saturday, when the first fixture of the kind saw the amateurs defeat the professionals on hole play by 7 wins t» 3. The day dawned with scarcely a cloud in the sky. The greeus looked soft, but were firm and played truly, but were a trifle slow for most players. Although victory finally rested with the amateurs, the professionals put up a great fight. A. G. Sime (Groymouth) lost 1 dowu to J. A. Clements (Christchureh). He was erratic occasionally. Clements played solidly. The plavers were all square at the 17th. At the 18th Sime had a hard putt for a win. He took 3 putts and lost the hole and the match. S. Morpeth (Waihi) played a brilliant round of 74. E. J. Moss (Auckland) played -well, but his opponent was too good. He registered a splendid 2at the 17th, winning 3 and 1. Moss took 76, or 4 better than bogey. A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) and A. Brooks (Wellington) were fairly even. Duncan started putting execrably. He could not find the hole from 3ft. or evs**2ft. until it grew monotonous was the winner, 2 and, l?*?*** H. B. Lusk JJ* -ftXVan'd) beat A. Ham e}UtJ§ i up and 3 to play. Lusk and topped a few, but invariably ] made a brilliant recovery. Ham had a Kid lie on two and at the sth struck the telegraph wires. His putting was occasionaily weak. ■ T. L." Horton beat A. Shaw (Christchurch), 2 and 1. The professional was 3 down at the turn, but recovered well, only to putt badly at the 17th. Horton held by good golf to the advantage he gained at the earlier boles.

J. C. Bidwell (Featherston) plaved solid golf, but R, Butters (Christchureh) registered a brilliant 4—3—3—4—4 at the 6th. 7th. Bth. 9th, and 10th, and went round in 76, winning bv 4 and 3. C. B. Wight "(Dunodin) beat H. Blair (Auckland) with a good 76 to his opponent's 78. Blair was deceived by the greens and made a couple of bad putts, losing 3 and 2. N. Bell (Hamilton) beat ? J. McCormick (Gisborne) with a good 76. The Gisborne man was at sea on the greens, losing 4 and 3.

H. E. Crosse (Napier) was driving weakly, but went on by better short work to win 4 and 2 from J. Watt (Auckland), who was patchy at times. A. Ekstedt (Palmereton) played well, running away from G. Forrest (Timaru), who was off his game, by 6 up and 5 to play. G. Martin (Auckland) was unable to play, Ji L. Black (Wellington) being slightly indisposed. In the afternoon the match was continued with foursomes, and the professionals won 5 games to 2. They displayed on the whole better judgment and team work. The standard of play is improving, and if the weather holds not much over bogey will qualify. A. G. Sime and S. Morpeth played well, getting back to form rapidly. Sime's real weakness is his short mashie approaches. Clements and Moss played well together, being dormy one and winning the last, Sime and Morpeth losing two down.

A. D. S. Duncan and H. B. Lusk found Ham and Brooks an unbeatable pair. All four played well. At the 7th Ham was short, but Brooks pitched dead on tho lip of the bole. A. Duncan surprised himself by sinking a 24ft. putt for 2-. The professionals were dormy 5, and beat H. B. Lusk and A. D. S. "Duncan 4 and 3, doing a 74. T. L. Horton and J. C. Bidwell played great golf, but were hard put to it by Shaw and Butters, who were right on their game. They halved the 11th of 330 yds. in 3 and were all square. At the" 16th Bidwell approached stone dead, the pair getting a 3 and becoming dormy 1. The last was halved, leaving them 1 up. C. B. Wight and N. Bell lost to Blair and McCormick, 2 and 1. The professionals became more at home on the greens and played solid golf, giving their opponents a hard road to hoe on the greens. A. Ekstedt and H. E. Crosse did a good round, but Watt and Forrest pulled up by good putting. The amateurs won their" holes on the fairways and were dormv one. By a stone-dead approach they halved the" last, finishing 1 up. To-morrow the qualifying .rounds of the open championship begin at nine o'clock, concurrently with which are held the qualifying rounds of the amateur and professional championships. The weather is becoming cloudy, but if fine it will take an 84 all its time to qualify.

TOURNAMENT OPENS TO-DAY.

MANY PROMINENT PLAYERS.

The New Zealand golf championship tournament of 1922 opens to-day at the Hokowhitu li*ks, Palmerston North. The links are in first-class order, and the greens true, although a trifle tricky. The leading players in New Zealand have entered for the open and amateur championships, including A. G. Sime, the present amateur champion, S. Morpeth, amateur champion of 1920, H. B. Lusk, ex-New Zealand amateur champion' of 1910, and A. D. S. Duncan, who, having won the title first in 1899 at Wellington, retained it at Dunedin in 1900, and at Auckland in 1901, winning again in the seasons of 1905 a.t Auckland, 1907 at Napier, 1909 at Auckland, 1911 at Wanganui, and last at Auckland in 1914. The Wellington champion has won the honour on no fewer then eight different occasions. S>. H. Gollan, of Napier, and B. B. Wood, of Christchurch, who have . two wins each to their credit, are the only other players who have won more than once. The golfers assembled at Palmerston North, have been practicing assiduously. The feature of a practice round on Fri dav was a fine 72 by J. L. Black, playinc against W. B. Colbeck, of Auckland, who registered 78, two under bogey, and the,, was 6 down. S. Morpeth did 77, while the majority of the other players were in the early eighties, bogey being on There is every indication that the meeting will be the most important and in-terests-g in many aspects that has yet been held. It is interesting to learn that there were 21 scratch (and better) players in the country; that being the number of Scratch players who have entered Until 'this discovery was made it was thought 'that players with a handicap <>f sir I strokel would be included in the 64 who are to pi av in the qualifying rounds So ' many good players were available, howlever that it was deeded that no man ! with a handicap of over 5 strokes would be eligible to play in the championship.

N.Z. LADIES' CHAMPIONSHIP. THE CHIEF CONTESTANTS. The Now Zealand ladies' golf championship to be held on Belmont, links, Wang* S commencing on Friday, September 22 1922, has brought forth entries from all' parts' of New Zealand. Among the players that have notified their attendance are Mrs. Guy Williams (Masterton), the holder of the New Zealand championship at present. Miss N. Wright (Tiniaru), Miss Gambnll (WellinSSn), Miss M. Payton (Auckland), Miss Cracroft -Wilson (Chmtchurch), Mrs. Orbell (Oamaru) Mrs. McCarthy, Mrs. Cook Mrs Dodgsbun (Dunedin). Miss Watson (Palmerston North). Mrs. Snodcrrass (Rotorua), Mrs. Murphy (Lower Hutt) Mrs. G. Brown (Napier j. I lie Wanganui Golf Club will be represented bv Mrs. Russell Grace. 'The links are in good condition, the players of the first rank, and, given fine weather, the 1922 championship should prove well worth following.