GOLF

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4806, 8 November 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

GOLF

(By “All Square.”)

“Foozlor,” in the ‘‘Sydney Mail,” suggests the institution of an open championship lor the benefit of the professionals of the Commonwealth States and New Zealand. After touching on the improvement of the Bondi professional Fast, he says;—‘‘The three professionals now in Sydney are so rapidly improving on an already high standard, and are all so young, that we may expect in the near future a marked lilting of our golf, for a high professional standard always reacts on the amateur standard. I hear of another really good professional coming out, and there are developments in Sydney golf pending that should make next year mark a new epoch. I hope some of our generous Australian amateurs will institute an open competition, in which the Sydney and Melbourne professionals, and those from New Zealand, may compete against each other on 'the principle of the open' championships of England and America, with Hood, of Auckland, and his brother, who is coming out to Wellington from the Eoyal Dublin Club, and the men already in Sydney and Melbourne. there would be fire professionals available to compete, and there will be shortly at least ope mere. If the contest could take place at the annual Australian championship meeting there might be a compromise effected between the match and stroke play schools by playing the amateur championship by match play, as in England and America, and the open championship by stroke play, as also in these two countries. Stroke play suits tie professionals for such a purpose, because it classifies them. It would only take two days to play 72 holes, and the scratch amateurs at the meeting would rather enter for this event than for the handicaps. The handicaps could be played simultaneously, and so the meeting would take no longer.” H. McNeil, who has sust won the championship of Australia, played a magnificent

game. In his second round he did the 18 hoio3 in 77 strokes, Trhich is the finest thing yet recorded on the Sandringham links. His score® for the four rounds were 82. 77, 91, 78—328. AV. J. C. Riddell, captain of the R.M.Q.C., (85, 81. 85, 85— 384), and P. C. Anderson, ex-champion of the world (84. 81. 84. 85—554) ti*d for second place; H. A. Howden, last yearns champion (87. 34, S 6, 81—553) was fourth; and 11. N. Gihlin, the champion of Tasmania (SB, 83, 79, 95—345) xsts fifth. *