GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20318, 28 January 1928, Page 12

GOLF.

CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT. FINAL ROUND TO-DAY. KIEK-WINDEYER CUP ON MONDAY. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON., January 27. The play in the championship and handicap golf tournament, arranged a s a preliminary to the contest between Australia and New Zealand for the Kirk-Windeyer Cup on Monday, was continued at Miramar to-day, when the first and second rounds of the tournament championships were decided, each round being over 18 holes. Those to survive the day’s play were Sloan Morpeth (Titirangi). Donald Grant (Shirley), A. G. Sime (Westport), and Dr Kenneth Ross (Balmacewen). These golfers will meet in the semi-finals to-mor-row morning, and the final will be played in the afternoon. Although the day was beautifully fine, players in the tournament found the wind decidedly tricky. First-class golf was played in the nrst round by the veteran New Zealand golfer, H. B. Lusk, in his match with J. L. Black, of the Hutt Club. Down the fairways and on and around tne tn-eens Lusk gave a brilliant display of his best form, and finished 4 up at the fifteenth green—one over fours for the round. With the exception of the first, he went out with par figures for each hole, and Lusk turned 3 up.

The best gallery game of the morning was that between two “ colts,” L. Seifert, of Palmerston North, and the Eltham player, H. P. Dale, these having a hole and hole struggle which finished 1 up in favour of Dale at the eighteenth. Dale won the first three holes, Seifert sank a 10ft putt for four at the ninth, and the players turned all square. Well-played fours halved the tenth and bogey fives the eleventh. The thirteenth and fifteenth were halved for fours and fives respectively, Dale winning the twelfth, and his opponent the fourteenth. The sixteenth was halved in 5, the seventeenth went to Dale in 4, and even fours at the eighteenth gave the match to Dale with 1 up. H. A. Black (Hutt) and A. G. Sime (Westport) had a close game. The first hole went to black in 5, the second was halved, while a long putt by Black on the third green halved the hole. Threes gave the next two holes to Sime, while the sixth and seventh went to Black. Sime turned for home 1 down, but from then on fie came on to his game, and finished 3 up and 2 to play, Black being unable to take a hole once he was past the turn. Coming in Sime was one under fours. Apart from the first three holes, p<u golf was played by Donald Grant (Shirley; and A. E. Conway (Miramar) when they met in the morning round, but Grants figures were slightly too good for thoou ot his opponent. What Grant himse'f described as villainous putting gave ms opponent the first three holes. Grant holed a long putt for four at the fifth after being in a bunker, and after that he did the next 10 holes in one below fours, finishing the winner, 5 and 4. A keen contest was witnessed in the match between Sloan Morpeth (Titirangi; and J. Goss (Wanganui). Morpeth won the first in 4 and the next two holes were halved. Morpeth was 2 up at the fourth, but Goss took a hole off him a', the fifth. Morpeth was 3up at the turn. At the eleventh Morpeth stood -4 up. Goss reduced the lead to 3up at the next hole. Morpeth was down at the fourteenth, and finished. 3 up and 2. A. D. S. Duncan was mainly indebted to courageous and successful nutting for his round against the Australian, Nigel Smith, whom he defeated by 6 and 5. Smith appeared to be somewhat off his game, and for the most part was not handling his clubs with the same accuracy as on the first day of the tournament. Another close game provided by the young Australian player. W. R. Smith and T. H. Horton (Masterton). Smith was a hole to the good at the turn, and added another at the tenth, thus making him 2 up. Horton won the eleventh and Smith the next, while halves were recorded for the next four holes. Both were in difficulties at the seventeenth, but Smith won the hole, and with it the match, 2 and 1. Consistency was a feature of the play of Kenneth Ross (Balmacewen), who was matched against H. J. Shanks (Mornington). At two holes the South Islander carded twos, and he finished 5 up and 4 to play. The game between the holder of the amateur title, Sloan Morpeth, and the grand old man of New Zealand golf,” Arthur Duncan, who met in the second round, attracted a large gallery. Duncan obtained length with his drive from the first tee, the hole being halved in four. A 25ft putt gave the second hole to Duncan in 3, while sound threes and fours halved the third and fourth holes respectively. With a fine mashie shot, Morpeth was within 30in of the pin at the fifth, but, as he missed the putt, the hole went for halves in four. At the sixth hole of 106yds, Morpeth was on the green in one and sank for two—one under bogey—this bringing the game back to all square. Duncan was lup at the seventh, but the game was again all square at the eighth, which Morpeth won in 3to 4. Morpeth made a good recovery from a bunker which he found with his tee shot at the ninth, and the hole was halved in fours, leaving the game square at the turn. Morpeth obtained a great second to land just short of the green at the tenth, while his opponent's second was pulled into a hollow below -the green, Morpeth taking the hole. Duncan missed a 24ft putt at the next and laid Morpeth a half stymie. Morpeth overran the hole, but sank with his return, and the hole was halved in fours. From then on Duncan seemed unable to stand up to his younger rival, and Morpeth, taking the twelfth, with a-half at the next three, won the match, 4 up and 3to play. Some idea of th© quality of the golf played by these two golfers can be gleaned from the fact that Morpeth was eight under bogey at the finish and Duncan four under bogey. Never more than a couple of holes separated H. P. Dale and A. G. Sime, who both played excellent golf. They missed chances for threes at the first and halved the hole. The second was colourless, and resulted in another «alf, while Sime took the honour at the third in 4 to 5. Both were on in 2 and down in 3 at the next, and at the fifth Dale sank a 10ft putt for a half in 4, being unlucky not to win the hole, as his third lipped the tin. After a hole and hole tussle to the turn they went to the tenth hole with the game all square. Each missed putts at the tenth and sixes halved it, while Sime got into a bad position at the eleventh, and Dale won in 5 to 6. An excellently-played two gave the twelfth to Sime, while Dale nulled his tee shot at the fourteenth, and Sime won in three to four, the intervening hole being halved. Dale putted weakly at the fifteenth, and Sim© won it. The sixteenth was halved. Dale kept the game alive by the putting for 4 at the seventeenth. At the eighteenth Dale was short with his second, and, the hole being halved, Sime won the match, 1 up. Between Donald Grant and H. B. Lusk there was an exceedingly close go, the fortune of the game favouring first the one and then the other. As in the morning, Lusk started well, and at the fifth he was 3 up. They turned all square and from then on both golfed at a high standard on equal terms, the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth being halved. Lusk was short with his second at the sixteenth, and Grant won in four. Both got away good drives at the seventeenth. Grant drove his iron shot below the green, while 1 nsk got by the hole with his brassie. The hole was halved in 4, making Grant dormy 1. With his second, and again with his third. Lusk was short approaching the last green. Grant found a bunker, hut chipped out to within Ift ot the hole, Lusky missed a 7yd putt for 4, the ball i iust creeping past the hole, The hole

was halved in five, Grant winning one up. Playing a steady game, as he had d 0.,, during his morning round. Kenneth Ross gradually wore down his opponent, W. R. Smith, and finished S up at the fourteenth. Details are as follows: First Round. A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) beat Nigel Smith (Australia), 6 and 5. H. B. Lush (Middlemore) beat J. L. Black 4Hutt), 4 and 3. Donald Grant (Shirley) beat A. E. Conway (Miramar), 5 and 4. W. R. Smith (Manly) beat T. H. Horton (Masterton). 2 and 1. Kenneth Ross (Balmacowen) beat H. ■l. Shanks (Mornington), 5 and 4. H. P. Dale (Eltham) beat L. Seifert, jun. (Manawatu), 1 up. A. G. Sime (Westport) beat H. A. Black (Hutt), 3 and 2. Sloan Morpeth (Titirangi) beat J. Goss (Wanganui), 3 and 2. Second Round. 4 and 3. Kenneth Ross beat W. R. Smith. 5 and 4. Donald Grant beat H. B. Lusk, 1 up. A. G. Sime beat H. P. Dale, 1 up. The draw for the semi-final is:—Morpeth plays Grant, Sime plays Ross.