GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20962, 27 February 1930, Page 19

GOLF.

By Divot. At this time of the year' when the longer days enable golfers to obtain additional practice, and when the hard ground gives added distance to the drive, the scores returned by most players are better than their respective handicaps would lead one to expect. There will be many who, having reduced their handicaps during' the summer, will find that their new mark will take a lot of living up to when winter comes. The two matches which have been played by the Otago Club this year have produced a very high standard of scoring, and strangely enough, on each occasion the low handicap men occupied the leading positions. The first match, which was a single bogey (St, Andrew’s cross), resulted in a tie between J. Spence and E. A, Reed with three up. Last week a four-ball bogey match was played, and there was a very large field, 32 pairs taking part. Out of this number 27 returned cards. The best score was six np, and this was returned by two partnerships—lL Ross and E. A. Reed and F. W. Mitchell and H. A. Salmon. There were 23 couples who were all square or better, which points to a high standard of scoring. Next week there will be a St. Andrew’s cross stroke competition at Balmacewen. The entries for this event will close at 5 o’clock to-night, and intending entrants should see that their names appear on the new permanent entry list which has been posted np in the clubhouse.

The programme for the Easter tournament at Balmacewen this year will be the same as last year, with the two qualifying rounds on Friday and the final of the championship on Monday afternoon, Tljc prospects are for a very open compeition, and it is expected that there will again be a large field-for this tournament, which has proved itself one of the mostpopular of the South Island Easter tournaments.

The medal match which was played last Saturday by the St. Clair Club was -well •patronised. The scores returned, although good, did not reach the standard which was generally expected. The successful competitor was H. Chapman, who had a good 68 net. He was closely followed by W. D. M'Carthy, with 69 net. Both these competitors qualified for a reduction of handicap, as also did several others who finished with net 70’s and 71’s. J. A. Scouler, with a round of 76, had the best gross score, and was promptly presented with a well-deserved handicap of three by an observant handicapping committee. Notwithstanding the number of handicap reductions, there are still a number of players at St. Clair who are playing consistently below their respective handicap standard. The United States Golf Association has selected the following team to meet Great Britain in the Walker Cup match at Royal St.. George’s, on May 15 and 16 next: —Bobby Jones (captain, Atlanta), Harrison R. Johnston (St. Paul), Francis Ouimet (Boston), George Von Elm (Detriot), Dr 0, F. Willing (Portland), Jess Sweetser (New York), Donald K, Moe (Portland), George Voigt (New York); reserves, R. Mackenzie (Washington) and R. M'Carthy, jun. (New York). • This will be the third time that the United States team has been captained by Bobby Jones. Cyril Tolley, although still in New York, has intimated to the Royal and Ancient Club that for the purposes of the match his services are 1 at the club’s disposal should they be required. Although Tolley his encounters with American players has not been notably successful, he is the outstanding British amateur, and his absencefrom the British team would be, a severe handicap, especially in view of the formidable strength of this year’s American contingent, George S. Greenwood, the well-known golf correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, gives some interesting facts about the team: — $

“ There are three changes," writes Greenwood, “ in the American team which defeated Britain so decisively in the last match at Chicago in 1928, Dr Willing, Donald Moe, and George Voight taking the places of Watts Gunn, Ronald Mackenzie, and “ Chick ” Evans. HarrisonJohnston, the new United States amateur champion, who hails from the Middle West, has not been to this country since 1923, when he only played in the foursomes, not being considered good enough for the singles. Mr Johnston; a fine and courageous golfer and a true sportsman in every sense of the term, is ■34 years of age. He grips the club in the old twohanded way, like Mr John Ball, neither overlapping nor interlocking. He is a great iron player and a fighter to the last ditch, as was evidenced by his match against Dr Willing in the final of the recent championship. Johnston hooked his drive at the 18th to the edge of the sea, and, standing with the -waves lapping over his feet, he played the shot from the pebbly beach over an intervening stone wall on to the green beyond. In fetting what seemed a/ miraculous half, Ir Johnston n.ot only saved the hole, but the championship as well. Dr Willing, a Pacific Coast dentist, known as the f ‘ human tortoise " because of bis painfully slow and deliberate methods, is the oldest member of the team, being 40 years of age; It was Dr Willing who, by defeating Mr W. A. Murray at th 35th hole at St. Andrews, won the match for America in 1926, and 'it was the same player who, by defeating Tolley in the American championship last autumn, prevented the possibility of a British victory. Dr Willing’s golf may not be of the spectacular description, but it certainly is of a type which is terribly difficult to counter. \ The most interesting personality among the new men is Don Moe, a young player from Portland, in the Pacific Coast area, who tied with Dr Willing with a score of 146 for second place in the qualifying rounds of the American championship, and is regarded as one of America’s’ latest " discoveries.’’ He is a slashing hitter, and wonderfully effective with the mashieniblick from a range of 100 yards. The other newcomer (Voigt) has in the past three years been making steady prograss to the top, until now he is ranked ■as one of the greatest amateurs in golf, his wooden and iron play being superb. In the recent American championship Voigt had a tremendous Rattle with Johnston, carrying the match to the 39tb hole before the end came. Voigt is a young man, 24 years of age. With the team completed by the inclusion of Sweetser and Von Elm, whosemanner of hitting the ball reminds one of a first-class professional, it would be idle not to recognise that Britain will require all her best available talent to overcome a team of "all the experts." That America is determined to retain the cup. which has never yet left her possession, is evident from the pains to which she has gone to collect her players from every part of the vast Cotitenent.

I As steel-shafted clubs are now legal in this country, the American players will be better equipped than on former occasions.