PADGHAM WINS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22457, 29 June 1936, Page 9

PADGHAM WINS

OPEN GOLF FINAL

BRILLIANCY OF PLAY

LOCKE BEST AMATEUR SOME EXCITING FINISHES By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Recoived Juno 28, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, June 27 The British open golf championship was won to-day by A. H. Padgham with a score of 287, Locke was the best amateur with 294. Ferrier's score was 310.

Glorious weather prevailed for the final stages of the championship. Equalling Cotton's course record Branch, a young Hcnbury player, putted phenomenally. In the third round Padgham's 71 put him temporarily in the lead with an aggregate of 216, but Adams accepted the challenge. Sinking several long putts and recovering brilliantly from the rough he took the lead with an aggregate of 215. Cotton with a brilliant 70 joined Adams. Padgham's Gallery of 5000

Padgham, followed by a gallery of 5000, finished early in the final round. He made a specially fine home-coming. He sank a 6ft. putt for two at the thirteenth, where he was two under fours, but the fifteenth and sixteenth cost him fives through pushing out his seconds. He did the seventeenth in a par four. With two gorgeous drives to the hole he was down in three making his total 71, so to beat him Adams and Cotton needed 71, Green 70 and Sarazen 68.

Adams made an indifferent start. He was out in 38. The big Scotsman had an inspired patch at the tenth when he holed a six-yard putt for three and a five-yard putt at the eleventh for two. He did three at the thirteenth, four at the fourteenth and was in the rough all the way to the fifteenth. However, he holed a 10-yard putt for four. At that stage Adams required three fours to tie with Padgham. He got the first at the difficult sixteenth, but after a long drive at the seventeenth he went into a bunker and the hole cost him five, so he had then to do a three to tie. Adams and Cotton Fail to Tie Adams' long iron shot at the eighteenth was 10yds. wide, but level with the pin. Adams, who seemed dazed with excitement, long studied his putt and hit firm and true amid dead silence. The ball looked certain to go down and the crowd raised a terrific cheer thinking it a winner, but the ball hit the edge of the hole and jumped out. The hole thus took four.

Cotton was the next out. Though out of bounds at the first, he played super golf and turned with 35, leaving him to score 37 to tie. At the twelfth he had bother with a forewarned cinematograph operator, and insisted upon his removal. Then he calmly putted a great three.

Cotton still had an opportunity at the thirteenth, but the long finishing holes spoilt his chances. He required one under fours for the last four to tie, and took four for each. Other Prominent Competitors

Sarazen, immediately following Cotton, was off the course at a number of the outward holes for an unpromising 37, but had a brilliant homeward round of 35. He did the thirteenth and fourteenth in twos.

Burton was quite unequal to the strain of the punishing last round.

Much interest was taken •in Tom Green, professional at Burnham Beeches, whose 70 in the third round, after previous rounds of 74 and 72, made hiin level with Padgham. However, he faded out in the final round. Details of the Full Scores Following are the details of the scores and aggregates of the 38 leading com-

Alfred Padgkam, tho now British open champion, was born at Caterham, Surrey, in 1906. He has dominated British professional golf this season, having won all the major tournaments. The Daily Mail rated him as the greatest lighting golfer Britain has ever produced as in the events in which he was successful this season he was invariably some strokes behind tlio loaders at the commencement of the final rounds. In 1931 Padgliam won the "News of the World" tournament, finished fourth in the Irish open and was a member of the Ryder Cup team. Since then his chief performances are:— 1932, won Irish open, runner-up Rockampton tournament, tied for fourth place British open; 1933. fifth in British open and third in 1934; runner-up 1935. He has represented England against Scotland, Ireland and U.S.A. Although Padgham started favourite in this event, it was considered doubtful, in view of his brilliant form earlier in the vear, whether he could maintain his form for the open. By doing so he carried on the run of British victories, although the American entry was poor this year. James Adams, the runner-up, made a gallant effort to tie. He is a Scottish representative with a fine record, and as lie is only 26 years of age, his turn may come.

The scores returned in the open since 1931 are as follows: — Winner Totals * 1931 —T. 1). Armour . . . . 296 1932 —E. Sarazen 283 1933 —D. Shute 292 1934 T. H. Cotton . . . . 283 1935 —A. Perry 283 1936 —A. H. Padgham . . . . 287

petitors:-*-1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Hd. Kd. lid. Kd. Padgham .. 73 72 71 71 287 Adams 71 73 71 73 288 Cotton . . 73 72 70 74 289 Dallemange . 73 72 75 69 289 Green 74 72 70 75 291 Alliss . . . 74 72 74 71 291 Sarazen 73 75 70 73 291 Locke . . 75 73 72 74 294 11. Whitcombe 72 77 71 74 294 Laccy . . 76 74 72 72 294 Rees . . . 77 71 72 75 295 Cox . . 70 74 79 73 296 Burton 74 71 75 76 296 Da vies 72 76 78 72 298 Turner 75 74 76 74 299 Thomson 76 76 73 74 299 Boomer 74 75 75 75 299 Smithers . . 75 73 77 74 299 Good . . . 75 73 79 73 300 C. Whitcombe 73 76 79 72 300 Faulkner . . —* * 77 75 301 Gadd . • • 74 72 77 78 301 Francis 73 72 79 78 302 Sutton . . 75 72 78 77 302 Coggin Ball . 74 78 73 77 302 74 77 72 79 302 King . Branch 79 74 75 76 304 80 75 68 82 305 Denny McLean . • 77 72 76 78 78 79 75 77 306 306 Dai ley . . 77 77 77 78 309 Ferrier . • 80 74 76 80 310 Woollam 75 81 77 77 310 Jarman . . 75 77 81 77 310 Perry . . 76 76 80 79 311 Field . . . 75 79 82 75 81 311 Hodson . • 82 74 77 314 Havers . • 79 77 80 79 315 "Faulkner's first and second round scores were not cabled.