GOLF

NZ Truth, Issue 979, 30 August 1924, Page 9

GOLF

The Open Championship

(By "Sammy.")

To-day the month of big golf starts at Hamilton, when ' the South Auckland championships take place. The proa, will also open their matches m various competitions over the St. Andrews links. The form revealed at the meeting will serve to give a favorite for the open championship as all the leading professionals and amateurs will be playing.. The "open" this year will be moro open than m previous years. Some, years ago E. S. Douglas held a mortgage over the event, winning four times out of five attempts; Kirkwood was the player who lowered his colors. The last few years the professionals ht^ve lost fine players m Douglas, BropkSj Ham and McEwan, whilst the amateur ranks! are': gradually strengthening. ■ The amateur players have a chance of winning this year which they have not'had for some time." But will they? "Sammy" picks several who will make the pros, go "hell for leather," but the pros, will come out on top on the evening of September 6. Recent performances give F. G, Hood chief place. His fine score of 295 at Nelson if repeated will return him a winner. The field at Middlemore will be larger and this may beat Hood. He had a winning chance at Wanganui last year, but finished badly. He has the experience, and .the shots, to win. but the strain may tell on the final few holes next week. Andy Shaw has power and length to make the course easy if dry, but his one failing is not keeping his long game straight enough and the rough will extract its penalty at Middlemore. Still, he is bound to do well if he would be content to keep control and gets m tpuchwlth his putter. J. A. Clements has a fine record m open events and is usually near the top. but a busy coaching season will not help him to win. J. Mclntosh showed at Nelson he can be brilliant, but he is not steady enough. He hag length and plays his irons well, but his championship play will have to be taken on trust this year. Q. Ritchie is.a younjr pro. who "may make a name for himself this year. He drives an enormous length and should he putt as he did at the Miramar tournament he will get invay m front. However, he has to have abit more experience before I could give him the open. H. Blair knows the course and this should help him. Ho finished well up last year and is certain to play steady, but hardly brilliant enough to win outright. Now we come to the, player "Sammy" is inclined to make favorite— E.J. Moss. ; Three years ago he was runner-up to Douglas at Christen urch, he finished well up at Palmerstpn, and at Wanganui he was ninth, but he was not too fit during those two days. Later on he proved himself by winning the pro. championship. At Nelson he was runner-up to Hood. Playing over his own course is an advantage . m one way, he knows the, course m its varying^ conditions, be' can tell the distances to a ■ fraction m every wind, while the others are uncertain. This knowledge to a good golfer would, I should think, be equal to two strokes a' round m his favor. Again, it is one of the most difficult feats m golf,, to win an open tournament on your own course, but it ha's been done and "Sammy" thinks Mobs can do it. In recent scores Moss has returned a 70, a 71, and several other scores a fraction over the average of fours. I saw, him play the 71 and he could have saved two strokes. His- golf was not sensational; just straight down the middle, then an uncanny judgment of shots right up to the pin. His golf is the type for Middlemore, . low flying ball, and tho pitch and run method of chipping up to the pin. He is consistent and confident and a player who is playing on fours is going to win. "Sammy" thinks Moss has a great chance this year of winning the open if he plays the golf I've seen him do this last week. The strongest opposition, to the pros, will come from T. H. Horton, Arthur Duncan and J. L». Black. These three players were disputing honors the first day last year with the leading pros, and they are .sure to do tho samei this year. They will be suited with the course, ns all play over inland courses. A. Duncan is always dangerous and he is. the player whom the pro. always look to for danger. I cannot say how T. H. Horton m playing, but he will find Middlcmoro more to his game than Wanganui last year and ho will "finish .near tho top. The course should suit J. L. Black's game to a nicety and Jack has only to keep straight to again be with the leaders thi« day week. ■T. GOBB, the amatour champion, la n bettor match player than n medal, »nd I look to him tq Klvc a bottw account

of himself In match play stages than m the open. . • Given , fine weather the scoring should be good and m those conditions it's quite likely 300 will be broken, but should the Weather be rough and wet, the course will be three strokes more difficult. . In the amateur event I think Arthur Duncan and T. -H. -Horton Will again meet and fight another great game if the luck of the draw suits. The American champion, Cyril Walker, is only a lightweight, Bst 81bs. Moss, the Auckland pro., can give him four pounds. :: :: :! W. J. Ralph gave Dick. Wright a great -game m the final of the A.G.C. championship. He was 2up at the end of 18 holes, but fell away and at the thirteenth second time round, he was 3 down. He then came again and won two holes, btit lost the last and the matbh. It was a. great match and a fine performanoe for Ralph. j V ■■.'".' v' '■• ■■' : . :! "■ . ■..''■,-.!!■ The nursing staff of King GeorgeHospital, Rotorua, are quite proud as Miss Snodgrasa. won the R.G.C. senior championship and- Miss Harris won the junior. Both ladies have done a lot for golf m Rotorua and their victories were most popular. , : ;. . . " ■ : : ■••.:!:•:•; . : : Entries for Rotorua open championship close on September 13* \, Norrie Bell has again won the Hamilton Club championship for the fourth time In succession. He had a narrowsqueak, m the semi-final. In the final i he met that great veterah player Harry Gillies. Harry had Norrie going at top up to the eighteenth, where the match was 2up m Bell's favor. In .the final 18 holes, Bell played great golf And won comfortably.