GOLF TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19625, 2 May 1927, Page 12

GOLF TOPICS.

THE EASTER TOURNAMENTS.

PROMISING YOUNG TALENT. NOTES FROM OTHER LANDS. BY I,i in WAV. Easter-time saw a general mobilisation of New Zealand golfers. There were tournaments everywhere. Local and provincial championships were played across tho land from Auckland to Invorcargill. Fine weather favoured practically all these events and, if there were no really outstanding achievement so far as play is concerned, the general standard was , quite good. Two factors must be rememlered in estimating the standard of golf in these events. Firstly, tho fact that- for most players this period is still the beginning of the season, and they have not vet come right into their golfing stride; secondly, the burned condition of most of the courses, coupled with the glaring light of an unusually brilliant sun for the season of the year, made it easier than usual to drop a stroke here and there. As a matter of fact, however, the lack of practice is not an excuse likely to bo available for the majority of the better golfers, for they are more and more forming the goor 5 habit of pursuing the game right throughout tho summer months.

I should say the courses upon which the principal events were played were very much alike as a test of golf, with Shirley possibly a shade longer than the others. On that basis, the best single rounds were a 73 by 11. D. Wright, at Middlemore, and a 73 by Arthur Duncan and a 74 by A. E. Conway, at Heretaunga. The best scoring was at Heretaunga, where six players had aggregates of 156 or under. The last aggregate to qualify at Heretaunga for tho best 16 was 164; at Middlemore it was 168 and at Shirley the 14th was 168. At Heretaunga, however, there was a larger number of scratch and plus men than was present at any of 'the other tournaments. Young Players' Performances. • A very fine performance wan put up by a boy golfer at Manawatu. L. Seifert, junr., who is not yet 14 years of age, returned scores of 78 and 77, making an aggregate of 155. Sloan Morpeth, a former Dominion champion, with a 72 and an 82, had an aggregate of only one stroke less and led the field with that.

A boy of 16 yeai's of age qualified among tho best 16 in the Dunedin provincial championship. This was N. G. Hay, a high school boy, who returned scores of 84 and 89. Hay has an easy swing without much pivoting, so that he does not yet get a great Jength off his drives. But he seems to know how to play the game. It is good thus to see very young golfers cqming to the fore.

Naturally, the Wellington tournament stands out as more important than the others, for there was a better representation of first-class players engaged, including two members of the KirkWjndeyer Cup team in Duncan and T. H. Horton. After leading the field in the qualifying rounds, A. D. Duncan worked his way through his matches until, in the final round, he met J. H. Drake, whom lie just managed to defeat after a close match. T. H. Horton was beaten by J. L. Black, but loses no prestige thereby, for Black is good enough to beat anyone." Both Duncan and Horton are evidently playing good golf, and Arthur Duncan's game, in any case, seems to be like the law of the Med»s and the Persians, "which altereth not." Dr. Ross in Australia. in Dunedin Dr. Ross has once more won the provincial championship, after four matches in which he was only once extended. This was against an experienced player, Stevens, one of the leading exponents of the game in Otago, who was somewhat overshadowed by the powerful golf of the doctor. Knowing that he would have to play well against Stevens, Dr. Ross started right in from the first hole. He did the first nine holes in 35 and continued at that pace, more or less, until the match was over. No member of the New Zealand team is playing more confidently or driving better at the present time than Dr. Ross. Dr. Ross has already played on Australian courses. That was a few years ago, when he played id the Australian amateur championship over the Sandringham course. Dr. Ross has a very high opinion of the Australian amateurs. In the championship, at any rate when Dr. Ross played, four qualifying rounds decided who were the best 16, and these p.'ayed off by matchr-s. On this occasion Dr. Ross returned for the first three rornds 76, 79 and 77, and was tenth with three rounds played. Reaching the turn in the fourth round in a great 36, he then came to grief over four holes, which together cost him 27 strokes. He, nevertheless, qualified with two strokes to spare, and in the first round of the match play met Bruce Pearce, who is, or was, perhaps the best left-handed golfer in the world. Both went out in 35, and were two below fours at the twelfth green. Pearce won eventually. Dr. Ross thinks that eight selected Australian amateurs would give a hard run to any eight whom Britain could field against them. It is interesting to hear this opinion, in view of the fact that New Zealand is now beginning a series of international matches against the Australian States. Australians in Britain,

Geoffrey Grimwade, ,an Australian, and a member of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, has been captain of the Cambridge University Golf Club since last October. He has also been playing as first man in the team. I notice that an Australian golf writer gives expression to the opinion that Grimwade should therefore be a very fine golfer—should, indeed, probably belong to the same class as Tolley. Wethered and Holderness, or very nearly so because each of these three at one time or another led the Oxford University team. T do not think that Grimwade is in tho same class as these three, and it is questionable if he will ever be. Very, very few. even of the outstanding golfers, reach the standard of Wethered and Holderness. And when Holderness led the Oxford side he was not at all in the class to which, as a golfer, he belongs to-dav. At the same time Grimwade is certainly an effective player, and able to hold his own with most of the plus players at home. Lately he was sour.dlv beaten bv both Holderness and bv Robert Harm. In the annual coif match between Oxford and Cambridge Grimwade defeated the Oxford first strine, Onpenheimer, hv one hole at the 41st green. Len Nettlefold. one of the outstanding young golfers of Australia, is in England preparing for the British amateur charnpionshin, wL'ch will commence toward the end of May. 1 rend that Nettlefold -%vill see something of George Dancan, -whose fame as a teacher or "trainer" for big golf-has been still further in Tease-d hv the praise which George von Elm gave him last year. The American went so far as to say that he won the United States national championshin owing to the helr> which he got with his game from D'Tcah dnr i"g the American's visit to Britain in Mav and «Tnne last. Nettlefold is a lefthander. Sine© there is to he no outsrTidinT New Zealander faking part in the British amateur chamnionshin. it will be interesting to follow the progress of Nettlefold.