GOLF

NZ Truth, Issue 978, 23 August 1924, Page 9

GOLF

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES. (By "Sammy.") George Duncan, the great Scottish player, Is undoubtedly brilliant, yet at times he seems to absolutely throw away a championship. At Gleneaglea m the final against^Abe Mitchell he played wonderful gblf^and holed out m a score of 66; Mitchell was round m 71, yet he was five down; It is hard to imagine such a score to suffer so large a defeat. Then follows the open championship at Hoylake. In the final round Duncan was out m 37 after a shaky start and at this stage m actual figures he was leading the field, Hagen following one stroke behind. Then came his crash. At the eleventh hole he pulled into the tiger country and failed to recover. Then, he simply broke up and played as if it didn't matter how many strokes he took to the hole. The eleventh cost him eight strokes and on that hole Duncan threw away, his great chance of his second open. He finished m 44 and his final round m 81, arid finished m sixth place just as he finished last year. -vThe account of Hagen/s great finish has already been recorded here, yet several incidents are worth givingr. At the twelfth he sliced his second; at the short thirteenth he nearly missed hia tee shot altogether, and wks bunkeredj but each time he recovered m dramatic fashion with a pitch and a putt. Then he suddenly settled down and played the last five difficult hole's brilliantly. His chip from the rough at the last left him with, over a twoyard putt for the championship, but ho :hip it firmly and with high courage and down it went, without a Wobble. Ha threw his putter into the air as the ball disappeared, and after that! it waa "Roses, rose's, all the way." McDonald Smith had a glorious chance; he required four fours to win, but his putts would not go down and he registered four five's and once again filled third place. . EJ. R. Whlteomb© required 43 ta reach the turn m the final round and seemed to be cracking up, but he made a wonderful recovery, and playing brilliantly he came hoirie m 35, but Hagen's finish was too fine arid he suffered defeat by one stroke. His performance stamps him arid his brother as two of Britain's best golfers and their turn must come as they are both young men. The leading scores were; W.i Hagen ...... 77 73 74 77— 301 B. R. Whitcombe 77 70 77 78—302 McDonald Smith 76 74 77 77— 304 F. Ball ........... 78 75 74 77— 304 J. H. Taylor .... 74 76 78 79—307 G. Duncan ...... 74 79 74 81-^-308 :,'■ .; ■ it "■ ■ M ': II Remember at the coming tournaments—to believe a shot fs impossible is a sure way to make it so. ;s :: s: The pro. competition at Hamilton starts on Friday next, when the programme for the duy will be the South Auckland professional championship of 86 holes, medal play, for prizes of £12 10s, £7 10s and £5. "■•; ,• '•■*■■ '• ■ ■ ! -'\ !: • On Saturday, August 30, a medal handicap of 18 holes will be played m the morning for prizes of £6 10 a, £3 10s and £2 10s. In the afternoon a four-ball best ball match will be played. Prizes; £8 10a, £4. The following pros, will take part: Moss, Watt, Hood, Mclntosh, Shaw,. Clements,- Butters, Blair, and Ritchie. : s : : : : E. Moss, the Auckland pro., has recovered from the Injury to his hand and is playing: fine golf. He Is going to Hamilton for a week's practice prior to the open. Hood, Mclntosh and Shaw, the Wellington pros., are on the, way to Wanganui and Hamilton to practice for the open. Pros, prefer to get practice on a strange % course, then strike the championship links when near top form. v Wanganui Golf Club are after the O'Rorke Vase and their team will bai J. Goss, J. Harold, J. Huasey, and L Saunders. j: . •*! , • ' SJ The Auckland Golf Club have just landed a new motor mower which they are using on the . approach to the greens. This will make a great, difference to the advocates of the run-up shot, as the motor cuts very close, which makes tho neighborhood of the green almost the samo paco aa the green. The course ia m apple pie order and only decent weather ia required to make the scores low. It SI M "Sammy" has just received a letter from Sir Arthur- Myers, who wishes to congratulate his old coach F. G. Hood on winning the Myers Cup this year at Nelson. He sends a set of pipes to go to next year's winner of the cup he presented to the P.G.A. Sir Arthur says: "Notwithstanding the busy life I have always led and tun still leading here, I derive great pleasure from a game of golf at the well-known courses at Walton Heath and Coombe Hill, and [ find that it helps to ward off old age and keeps one fit." t: :j . :: In the final of the ladies* championship at Palmerston North, Mrs. Collinson defeated the holder, Miss Moore, by 5 and 4. Mrs. Collinson is playing groat golf at present and la driving a tremendous long balL This will be a great asset to her at Hamilton, whore length is demanded. :: :: t.t ■ "Sammy" hears Jack Goss, the amateur champion, Is playing fine golf at present and will be m good fettle to keep his end up next month. Goss plays at the Hamilton tournament just before the open so his form will be noted there. :: :: :: Does a short putter make any difference to putting? Several of the finest putters at Homo use a very short putter. That groat putter, Jack White, used one of a little over two feet., E. S. Douglas when m Now Zealand was one of the beat putters who eves holed a putt m this country and w© all can remember Douglas divimr his hand down into his bag to got his putter. Our present pro. champion, E. J. Moss, uses a short P« tt ° r _ an< L^ the greens ho is a fiend. 'p"^ just wonders because to-day IPW*» with ft borrowed Putter--« onc-and I holed everything m a JhU I've borrowed that putter tor a couple of months.' I{ Rashness Is not valofonsplay, but you take your mashle out of your bag, ir « ** E. S Douerlfts, tho cx-N.Z. champion, qualified for tbo open with, a T&— So In the open proper bo did no good and nnfnhed tri plnco-^jritiu«»re« of 84, 78, «2rJ52— 326.