Ladies on the Links

NZ Truth, Issue 984, 4 October 1924, Page 9

Ladies on the Links

The Open Championship

Tremendous Driving by Sixteen-Year-Old Competitor— A Schoolgirl Prodigy

Honors to Cambridge Club Champion

(By "Sammy.")

Though the weather was at times boisterous the ardor of competitors m the Ladies' Open Championship at Hamilton was undampened, and the condition of the greens gave no cause for complaint. Some capital scores were returned. The open championship goes to Mrs. Peake, the Cambridge champion, who played steady and attractive golf. Spectacular displays were given by Miss Olliver Kay, sixteen years of age, and a prodigous hitter.

Mrs. Peake, playing for the first time m the championship, played her way to the final to win by the greatest margin for many . years. She has been many times champion of her own club, and as the tournament progressed she played steadier and straighter. In all the rounds I followed, I never saw her off the fairway from the tee. Her seconds were hit crisp and straight. ■ Where she won was around the green. Her putting throughout was wonderful. She ran the long ones up to within a foot on every green and never missed a short one. She had a run of luck with her, and also a stock of stymies which she laid her opponents. She usually started by laying' one on the first green and then finished off her opponent by one at the last hole of the match. She certainly 1 did not try to lay them, but they won [her many holes. Similar m build to Mrs. G. Williams, Mrs. Peake has a nice compact straight left arm swing. I only saw her duff one second shot, near the end of the final. In putting she stoops slightly and putts off the right foot. She hits the ball with a slight upward movement and controls it beautifully. Jn all her matches these were her winning shots. She played throughout as coolly as m a practice game, never worried, never flustered — just playing her own natural game— surer and steadier when the strain was on, with never a sign of cracking up. Aureal champion's golfing temperament. The weather wasrough with wind and rain almost all the meeting. The final was started m a downpour of rain which lasted for several holes. The course was m fine condition, with the greens wonderfully improved.

ENTERTAINING PLAY.

Sensations were served up every round, Miss Olliver Kay being the principal one to do so. Miss Kay's performances were the talk of the tournament and when she was defeated I think everyone was sorry. In the second round Miss Brown, the champion, went down to Miss Jervis, from the Hutt Golf Club. The Hutt player was six up at the 10th, but Miss Brown then striking form made the game square and two to go. A six-yard putt for a win was holed by Miss Jervis on the 17th and. they halved the last. Mis's Kay, who had" won the coronation medal with an 87-12 — 75 the day before, returned an 84 which included a brilliant 3 at the home hole and defeated Miss Acheson, a last year's semifinalist, by 6 and 5. Everyone thought Mrs. Orbell, who had just won the Wanganui championship, would defeat the girl player m the third round. A big gallery were astonished to see Miss Kay play like a champion and defeat Mrs. Orbell by 6 and 4. For the 14 holes played Miss Kay's score was: 45444575654443. The next round brought Mrs. Peake into prominence when she defeated the local champion, Mrs. Blythe. ' In the first four holes Mrs. Peake laid her opponent a stymie on each green and later on m the round Mrs. Blythe had two others to study. These stymies had the effect and Mrs. Blythe was defeated on the last green. Miss Kay and Miss Gambrill had the gallery and again Miss Kay was the victor. She was out-driving Miss Gambrill and playing some fine shots, she won by 4 and 3. , At the second hole (360 yds) she drove a long ball, hit her second on the green and holed a 3 at a bogey 5 hole. Miss Snodgrass played the first six holes m an average of fours against Mrs. G. Williams and was one up. They had a great fight up to the 16th, where Mrs. Williams duffed two shots through the green and grave her opponent the lead which she kept to the last hole, where Mrs. Williams missed a short putt to square the match.

THE SEMI-FINALISTS,

The semi-finals had large followings. Mrs. Peake again won holes by stymies while Miss Snodgrass going off her wood went down 3 and 1. The scoring was not good m this game.

Miss Kay topped her second drive m her match against Miss Payton and this seemed to upset her, for her driving later on was not half so good as earlier m the meeting. She was bunkered at the 4th, the ball being almost out of sight and again at the 14th where she missed getting the green by inches. Her ball was unplayable and she had to pick up. She missed a short putt for a win on the 17th, the ball running- past; she laid herself a stymie and there ended the match. The golf was not good by any means. In

leave from

the fina^ Miss Payton lost great chances from the 2nd to the 7th by faulty putting". She had putts of two yards and under on each green for wins or halves and never sank one. This gave Mrs. Peake a big. lead, and playing beautiful golf coming home, she holed out m 40. She had a lead which made her a certain winner. Miss Payton was off, her driving was not good, and she was finding lots of trouble. A NEW STAR. With this short review of the games we come to the stai' of the meeting. Without taking the gilt off Mrs. Peake's win, one can honestly say Miss Olliver Kay won the hardest matohes and I think had fate been kinder this wonderful girl , golfer would have won the championship. Everyone m Hamilton was talking about "the kid." She was the only player who drew the gallery and only 16 years of age was granted leave from school to attend the tournament. To-day she is the golfer whom the ladies and men of N.Z.. will talk about until next year. 'Short and of nuggety build she is a wonder. Her play m this, her. first tournament, stamps her as a future champion at a very near date. Starting off by winning the coronation medal with 87rl2 — 75, she made, the leading players take notice. Then an easy victory over Miss Acheson.made them ask the Nelson player if she was off her game: "Wait until you meet this 'kid' then you will know," replied Miss Acheson. Against Mrs. Qrbell a huge gallery went out to see tie elder player win. Again "the kid" played like a professional. 54443 she reeled off and lost two strokes at the. short 10th, where she was bunkered. :It was par golf. "I could never beat this kiddie the way she played," said Mrs. Orbell, her arm across the "kid's" shoulder as they reached the verandah. Then came Miss Gambrill. The "kid" amazed the onlookers by hitting two terrific smacks at the second and holing a three. She soon had' the lead and kept it. ' She strolled along, hands clasped behind her back, quite unconcerned, as if she played m an open championship every day. She would get to the ball, have a look at the lie— hands still clasped behind her back— then quickly making un her mind, would take a club from the bag, and her stance was correct as soon as she addressed the ball, two waggles and off the ball sped towards the hole. One had to admire this wonderful golfer. Her .putting was always good, she always gave the hole a chance. Miss Gambrill could not get the lead and three holes from home she patted "the kid" on the back and shook hands. Later on "the kid" told me she had hardly slept the night before with toothache. Her face was swelling up then, yet she played and defeated a golfer like Miss Gambrill. Suggestion defeated her from reaching the final. Before she went to Hamilton she had played Miss Payton and had been defeated. She said a week before she hoped she would not meet Miss Payton, as Miss Payton might ibeat her.

They met m the semi-final; then "the kid's" trouble started. The abscess on the . tooth burst through the night, causing her sleepless hours. She rushed to the links and forgot to bring her shoes and had to wear strange ones; and, confiding m me after the match, she said: "I also came away without my lucky ha'penny, so I had bad luck from the start." Poor kid, only sixteen, m the semi-final of an Open Championship. Then after an. attack of toothache and leaving her • mascot at her lodgings. When making a fighting finish she was beaten by making a true golfer's shot — she went for the hole for a win, but missed. She has great power m her wrists, and she now ranks as the longest hitter m New Zealand. Take, for instance, her drive at the 3rd against Miss Payton. . The hole is 229 yards. Miss Kays' drive was on the green ten feet from the hole. This was into a cross wind on a dull, heavy day. Towards the end Of the meeting Miss Gambrill handed m an 82, which was the best gross score at the tournament. SUCCESSFUL COUNTRY PLAYERS. It was pleasing to note players from the country clubs winning trophies. Mrs. Halligan (Te Aroha) won the Donelly Cup with a fine score of 87-11-76. Mrs. Clark (Thames) annexed two prizes— the long handicap coronation medal and a bogey match. Quite good for a player m her second season. Mrs. Guy won the handsome L.G.U'. Bowl and Miss Wilkinson collected four prizes, and they upheld the Hamilton Club on prize day. Mrs. Guy Williams, with scores of 83-85---87, won the Mellsop Clip. Her aggregate is the best for some years past. The tournament, despite the adverse weather conditions,' was most successful. Miss Stevens, the H.L.G.C. secretary, had a busy time, and was presented with two mementos -by the visiting players m recognition of her fine work. The next Ladies' Championship will he played on the Miramar Links, Wellington. .. .