GOLF TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20629, 30 July 1930, Page 17

GOLF TOPICS.

BRITISH AMATEUR TITLE. SUCCESS OF BOBBY JONES. CLOSE GAME IN SEMI-FINAL. (Specially written for the New Zealand HfnauO BY FA IK WAY. rho British amateur gulf championship is ovor and Bobby Junes has \wjii ai last tho one important title which had eluded him for nine years. Ho came very near to failing in tlie semi final. lie was two (l( vvn with live holes to play in that match against his compatriot Uumge Voigt. "It was a truly desperate match that decided who should be .America's representative in the final. We thought of faultless mechanical accuracy. Instead of this we saw two men rather frightened of each other and o! fate engaged in n sublime ilog-liplit." •Jones was sliai;y over his short putts, although his play to the pin was flawless. When he wai two up with five to go Voi H 't weakened. The prospect of heating Bobby Jones and of capturing the British title presented itself too soon to his mind. Voigt iuoke dov.-n, hut Jones did not. The latter won the I.4th and I6th All srpmro. Voigt had a run up stone dead by the hole at tho long 17111. Jones had a 12ft. putt for a half. If he missed it he said good-bye to tins championship. He holed it, secured Ins half, and the won the last nolo to tinish one up. In the final both he and Wethered reached the turn in 35. but Jones continued on that level, whereas Wetheicifs first round was 76. In the afternoon round Wethered was two over fours to the 12tl> hole, whore Jones, one below fours for the 12 holes, or (wo below for 30 holes, won by seven and 6.

Remarkable First Round. Now that 1 have already written about Jones I may as well give all my news aliout him. His very first round in Ihe championship was remarkable. Opposing him was S. Roper, champion of Xoitinghatn, hut unknown nationally. Roper is a humble dairy man and a gallant golfer. For 16 holes at St. Andrews he had 11 fours and a 5, hut was beaten by three and 2. Hero are the figures Jones put up:Out. 3, 4, 3. 2, 4, 5. 3. 5, 4-3,1 Home: 4, 2, 3, 5, 5, 4, 4 27, making 60 fur 16 holes; 'J below fours. Against Tolley in the fourth round. Bobby Jones had a mighty struggle, in which he was all but vanquished it was a holiday iti the industrial city of Dundee near by. and a ciowd of 10.000 swarmed over the St. Andrews com s«>. They nil followed the Tolley Jones match. Tliey were square at the ninth. Losing the 11th, lolley won the 12th and lost the 13th, where Jones holed a long putt for a birdie 3. iolhy at the long 14th [nit his second beside the pin ami holed an eagle three to be square again. A birdie three at the 15th gave Jones the lead, but he lost it again at the 10th. Both reached the edge of the Foaisonte Road Hole in iwo and halved in a g"<d four. The IBih was also halved—still all square. At the 19th when Tolley was 4ft. from the hole in three be was laid

a stymie, winch he failed to negotiate, am 1 Jon os passed into the next round. An Interesting Match. One of the best matches to watch was that between Jones and the American champion Harrison Johnston, in the sixth round. Both played strong and accurate golf, but Jones had all the lime the upper hand. Four down and five to play, Johnston miraculously won hack three ho.es; approached dead at the 18th. wi.eie Jones was lefl with a curly putt of Bft. to win by one hole. " Down il went and more dead than alive the winner (led to Iho clubhouse." What happened to the rest of the Americans? Well, lion Moe was ben ten in the first round by l!e.\ Halt ley. Moe did not like llie wind that wns, now Mowing and could not control his shots into it as well as ll.'.rley, who was three ovo.i fours at the 16th. where he won bv fo o and two. Dr. Willing was beaten by W. Spark, a young bank clerk in Mon trose, who, not long ago, played in the boys' championship. That was in the second round One of the most not utile achievements was the victory of Michael Scott over George von E!m. Michael Scott is a great golfer and a mature one lie is 52 years of age. He attacked gallantly all the time against the tV rmidnhle \nieriejiii. Several times the Englishman had to hole from n distance of Bft. or 9ft. to retain his lead, but he did it. They were al sipiare at the 18th and halved tin* Hit 1 in four Von Mini played a great slioi from n bunker al (lie 20lh and lay sft from the hole iri three. lie missed the putt and Scott got Ills lout and tin match Lister Hartley, the brothel of Rex, heat Eraneis Ouirnet by font and three. This les*. well-known Hart lev reached Ihe semi final, where Wethered ousted him by two and one. Roland MacKen/ie. anoihe. American Walker ('up pl.iyet. was beaten in the Ith lound by four and three, lo Kenneth Oreig. a young St Andrew, Colfer, who went down himself in tin ne\t round to Douglas Grant by two and

International Matches. I'he outstanding fact in the international matches. Scotland v Ireland and Scotland v England, was the play of ,1 T Rook less the Scottish amnion) champion His opponent in the Irish match was Mapn C 0 He/let. international arid Walkei Cup player Bookless beat him by one hole in a match which produced very good golf Against England Bookless encountered the English champion. I'olley. and had him beaten at 'lie 15lh bole He out drove and outplayed the formidable To I lev and won by foin arid three .1 I Bookless comes from one of the more (lis tanl parlf ol Scot laud Inverness, capital of the Highlands. Oouscipient Iv. ,;)! though he was Scottish champion, he was not mentioned for the British lean against America But he played life a champion in these two international matches and greatly enhanced his repn 'al inn Scotland and Ireland ha I vet ih<>:> tnal< h seven point« each; Englann heal Sent land b\ 9i lo r )', Henry Got lon twice defeated Hortnf. Smith tn England during the month ot May The scrnnd rrialch between these Ihe two most prontincnt young profes ,iioi;iils of their respective countries, wuf at Goulson G-iurt neai I .tndnn, when Got ton won by f«'>r and three.