GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20317, 27 January 1928, Page 10

GOLF.

KIRK-WINDEYER CUP. PLAY IN QUALIFYING ROUNDS. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, January 26. The presence of a number of Australian golfers, including the team that will meet New Zealand in the contest for the KirkWindeyer Cup on Monday, gives an almost national interest to the championship and handicap golf tournament which commenced at Miramar today. With the leading players of the Dominion also taking part, no of the Dominion also taking no of golfers has ever mot on a New Zealand links. The qualifying rounds in the tournament championship were decided to-day over 36 holes, the best aggregate being a 149 by the present amateur champion. Sloan Morpeth. A first and a second stroke handicap were also decided concurrently with each qualifying round. Members of the Australian team for the cup, emergency members of the team, and all Australian and New Zealand golfers whose club handicaps arc not more than three were eligible for the championship, this restriction not applying to competitors in the stroke handicaps. With an aggregate of 149 the holder of the amateur title, Sloan Morpeth. of Maungakiekie, headed the qualifying list, the next lowest score for the 30 holes being secured by W. R. Dobson, of the Concord Club, Australia. Business engagements, however, prevent Dobson from playing in the remaining rounds of match play to-morrow and Saturday, and this allowed the seventeenth man, J. Goss, of Wanganui, to qualify. The only members of the Australian team to qualify were Dr Nigel Smith, of the Australia Golf Club, and W. R. Smith, of Manly. Dobson, who played consistently during the morning and afternoon, is first reserve for the visiting team. The conditions generally were ideal for golf. The course was in excellent order, while the greens were a carpet of grass. “ Miramar is the best golf links I have played on in New Zealand so far,” said Dr Sydney Jones, president of the New ; South Wales Golf Association, and captain of the Australian Golf Club team to meet New Zealand. Bogey for Miramar is 78. Details of the holes with bogey figures in parenthesis are as follows: 475 vards (5), 320 (4), 495 (5), 209 (4). 280 (4), 106 (3), 415 (5), 280 (4), 430 (5), 360 (5), 400 (51, 175 (3), 380 (5), 160 (31, 346 (4), 325 (4), 470 (5), 490 (5). Total, 6116 (78). The outstanding round of the day was a 70 by the reigning amateur champion, Sloan Morpeth, in the morning, his performance equalling the official record for the course. Playing a sterling game from tee to pin, Morpeth went out in 36, and took 34 on the homeward journey. He did better than bogey figures at the fifth and the tenth, taking threes for each hole which have a bogey of four and five respectively. In the afternoon, however, he missed a number of putts and made excursions to bunkers on several occasions, this costing him a 79 for the round. Morpeth’s morning card read as follows: — Out: 4,4, 5,3, 3. 3. 6,3, 5 36. In: 3,4, 4,4, 2,5, 4, 5, 6—34. The second best morning round was a 75, comprising no less than six 3 s, by A. E. Conway, his card read: Out: 4,3, 5,3, 4,3, 7,3, 6—38. In; 5,4, 3,4, 3,4, 4,5, 5 37. For the most part the players returned higher scores for the afternoon than the morning round, the increasing strength of the wind no doubt being largely responsible for the general low score. Seventyfives were returned by T. H. Horton, who was runner-up in the Amateur Championships last September, and W. R. Dobson during the afternoon, theirs being the two lowest scores. T. H. Horton’s card read: — Out: 5,5, 4,3, 3,4, 5,4, 4—3 1 . In: 5,4, 3,4, 3,5, 4,5, s—oß,5 —08, Dobson's card was as follows: — Out: 4,4, 5,3, 4,3, 5,3, 5—36. In: 6,5, 4,4, 3,4, 3,5, 5—39. With his 36 for the outward journey Dobson equalled the morning performance of Morpeth on the outward journey, Morpeth’s and Dobson’s being the two best over nine holes for the day. Both H. A. Black and his brother, J. L. Black, played consistently, and in the morning each of them returned 78’s. In the afternoon the younger of the two, H. A. Black, did slightly better than his brother, and returned a 77, as against a 79. A player who displayed consistency was H. J. Shanks, who finished the day with two ST's. Details of the scores for the two qualifying rounds are as follows: — Sloan Morpeth (Maungakiekie) 70-79-149 W. E. Dobson (Concord, N.S.W.) 78—75—153 H. A. Black (Hutt) .. .. 78—77—155 T H. Horton (Masterton) 81 —70—156 J. E. Black (Hutt) .. .. 78—79—157 A. E. Conway (Miramar) 75 —82 —157 Kenneth Ross (Balmacewan) 78 —80 158 L. Seifert, jun. (Manawatu) 80 —79 —159 A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) 82 78 160 Nigel Smith (Australia) .. 81 —79 —160 H. P. Dale (Eltham) .. 84—78—162 H. J. Shanks (Mornington) 81 —81—162 Donald Grant, Shirley) .. 81 —82—163 W. R. Smith (Manly) .. 81—83—164 H. B. Lusk (Middlemore) 82—83—165 A. G. Sime (Westport) .. 83 —82 —165 J. Goss (Wanganui) .. .. 82 —84—166 D. Pharazyn (Napier) .. 85 —82 167 Morgan Duncan (Wellington) 84—84 —168 J. Harold (Wanganui) .. 83 —85 —168 lan Macewan (Wellington) 80 —89 —169 J. A. Mangan (Invercargill) .. .. .. 89—81—170 P. G. Macdonald (Leura) 89 —81 —170 J. H. Hutcheson (England) 84 —86—170 Sydney Jones (Australia) 88—83 —171 A. A. Stitchbury (Miramar) 84 88 172 N. R. Jacobsen (Miramar) 84 —88 —172 F. \V. Huggins (Nelson) 88 —86 —174 J. T. Bowness (Mornington) 89 —86—175 T. S. Park (Westport) .. 89 —88 —177 The first and second rounds of the champion Jnps will be decided to-day, each round be over 18 holes. The first round v .11 commence at 9.30 a.m.. to be followed bv a bogey handicap. The draw for tho first round i*> as follows: —Sloan Morpeth play, T . r - Nigel Smith plays A. D. S. Dune . J. L. Black plays H. B. Lusk, A E Jonvvav plavs Donald Grant, T. H. Horton plavs'W. R- Smith, Kenneth Ross plavs H. J.’ Shanks. L. Seifert, jun. plays 11. P. Dale, H. A. Black plays A. G. Sime.