GOLF TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19959, 30 May 1928, Page 16

GOLF TOPICS.

AUCKLAND CI/ÜB. MATCHES. ■ CAPTAIN'S PRIZE TOURNEY. PLAY IN A STRONG GALE. Saturday's conditions presented a stiff problem indeed for the most experienced golfers, as the links were swept by a gale of wind and occasional heavy showers (ell during the afternoon. Players found it. difficult at times to maintain their stance, -and at some of the ordinary drive and iron holes the green could be reached only by three good, firm shots. Even then there was an element of luck, for control was almost out of the question. The majority of matches in the cap. tain's tourney were played at Middlemore on Saturday, and some good games resulted. Rainger, Russell, Kissling, Gardner and C. R. Palmer all won their matches. The last-named is plodding along bravely. His capabilities have been revealed so far only to those he has beaten. On looking over the result-sheet aftar Saturday's matches it is very difficult to fancy any one particular player as the likely winner. On both sides of the draw there are some hard contests still to be fought. The great surprise of the day was the defeat of Dr. Abbot by Dr. Kinder. The latter probably surprised himself by the golf that he played, for off the mark he was only three over fours to the 16th, where the match finished. At* the critical stage Dr. Abbott pulled his drive into the long row of trees at the 15th, thus crippling his chances of getting a half,. Kinder holing out' in 5 with a stroke. Kinder won the 16th with a perfectly played four and the match 3 and 2. Ralph in Good Tom. . Ralph beat Masters 4 and 3 in the play-off of their match. Ralph was unbeatable on the day. He started with seven fours and was out in 36. Coming in, he played very much the same class of golf and the match finished at the 15th. Masters' golf was six strokes better than his previous round, when he finished all square with Ralph, yet ho was beaten 4 and 3. « Ross Martin went down badly to Ralph in the next round. Ralph playing as well as he did against Masters. In the other plav-off between R. 0. Gardner and D. MacCormick, Gardner won chiefly as a result of some .long putts, which he got down in the early part of ♦he game. Such an reversal of play must have been disconcerting to MacCormick, whose exceptional putting last week was the feature of his pfay. However, Mac-

Cormick replied by holing a long putt fit the 11th to sauare the match, hut faulty putting saw him lose the next aad he was one down again. Gardner hit a perfect baffy shot against the wind at the "shovel" and won the hole with a 3, and with a 4 at the 14th incrßaaed his lead to 3 np. MacCormick made good use of a stroke at the next, but played the 16th badly, losing the hole and the match 3 and 2. Considering the maner in which the fortunes of the best players may fluctuate, it is remarkable the number of times that W. Geddes has finished all square. Twice already this season he has had to play-off and in this tournament iast year it happened several times. On one occasion he had to play three rounds before he eventually beat his opponent. An > Exciting Contest. Geddes and Delph had a roost exciting match, particularly over the latter part. Going to the 16th, Geddes Was one up, and after successfully styming each other they halved the hole in 6. Delph won the 17th, Geddes taking three shots to get out of a sand bunker. The 18th had its anxious moments for both players. Delph's strive was a poor one, while Geddes' ball, which appeared to run over the cross bunker, could not be found anywhere. Geddes was on the point of giving up when the ball was discovered under a tod in the face of the bunker. He got out of the difficulty well, and was nicely on the green with his third and down in 5, all square. '

Equally as exciting was the match between A. W. Gillies and N. Louisson, neither player having a lead of mnr» than one up at any stage. In the happy position of dormy one, Gillies proceeded, to hit a long one for the last, but pulled it badly into the gums, the hole eventually costing him a 6, and the match finished all square.

T. R. Kissling played well in his match with E. A. Dargaville. His long, low driving against the wind gave him a big advantage over his opponent. The members of the Gl»ndowie Club played a Hag match on Saturday, the winner being L. Harrison, who was successful in carrying the fiag to the 18th green. In carrying the flag so tar, Harrison was responsible for a very creditable effort, as conditions were all against good scoring. His card, 92, 24—68, shows that the wind did not make very much difference to his play. This player has mads rapid strides in the game, and, taking into consideration that this is only his second year E his figures have been uniformly good. The mole draining at Glendowie i» working well, and players are now confident that there will not be a repetition of last year's conditions, as the links are not holding the water nearly as much as previously. Next Saturday a start will be made on the captain's prize handicap match play tourney, and this popular event is being eagerly looked forward to. An entry of nearly 70 is expected. ~ SPORT OF CYCLING. MANUKAU CLUB'S EVENTS. That the sport of road racing is popular with members of the Manukau Amateur Cycling Club was evident on Saturday by the number of competitors in the miles junior and the 11 miles senior handicaps. Rarely have the conditions been so unfavourable. A strong northeast wind made matters unpleasant for the riders, but in spite of this 51 competitors went to the mark. The field in the senior event numbered 41. The junior race provided D. Hope, scratch, with an easy victory. He va> giving away 2m 15s to the limit rider, S. Pinfold, and ,won by almost a minute from the second man home, F. E. Pinker. Hope is the club's strongest junior rider and has annexed fastest time in all four junior events decided this season. F. E. Pinker, 455, second, has two thirds t-o his credit in previous events this year. H. MoEntee, lm 15s, third, hails from Papakura, and although only a new member, has already shaped exceedingly well. The senior race over two laps was keenly contested. The limit riders, Clarke, Young, Gibbs, Wright and Carlyon, off 4m 15s, did not make much use of their handicaps, as they were overtaken before the completion of the first lap. In fact, the scratch men looked like getting up with them before the concluding lap. However, they wers not in sight when the finishing bunch appeared. A. W. Pinker vvas first home, coming away from a bunched field 50 yards from the line, to win with comparative easo. His victory was very popular as this is the first road race he has won. although he has been a consistent performer for the past two seasons. F. Taylor, 2m 30s, second, rode a welljudged race and was unfortunate in having to fight out the finish with such a strong sprinter as Pinker. L. Aldred, 3m, scored another third, his previous placing being in the 17 miles on April 28, when he rode off 4m 30s. He is on« of the keenest riders competing. The club's junior and senior championships will be decided next Saturday, when the latter event will be run over a course of 34 miles. There is every possibility a race being held next Monday.