GOLF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22904, 11 June 1936, Page 5

GOLF

By Divot.

FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY Otago Club—Knock-out Competition (Haggitt Cup), first round. St. Clair Club. —Knock-out Competition (Paterson Cup), semi-finals.

OTAGO v. ST. CLAIR The second interclub match of the 1936 series between the Otago ;ind St. Clair Clubs was held at St. Clair, last weekend. and resulted in a win for the home team. . ~ ... The Otago Club is the holder of the cup for annual competition between the two clubs, having won the 1935 senes. The match iust rdaycd is the second ot the 1930 scries, each team having won one match. , , . Neither team was at full strength last week-end. Otago beinff without the aervices of A. G. Simc and Gibb, while A. Gamble was unable fo play for St. Clair,

A TEAMS. The Foursomes were all very close games, St. Clair winning the majority by 3J to 2i Ross and Scouler. who led for Otago, combined very effectively acainst Wight and Binnie to claim the first game for their team by 2 and 1. Scouler played very steady golf, and a splendid shot at the sixteenth turned the came in favour of the Otaco side. The second match between Fercuson and Laidlaw for Otaco and Matheson and Clayton for St. Clair was an even one. St. Clair led at first, but Otaco squared and then took the lead which they -held to the sixteenth. St. Clair played stroncly over the last two to establish a win by 2 up. Wight and M‘Dougall played very stead v and safe coif acainst Rhodes and Lawrence and'trained another came *for Otaco by 4 and 2. ...

Drake and Satterthwaite had a very close call in their came acainst Tyrrell and Becc. and won on the eighteenth creep by 1 up. Watt and Duthie accounted for Reed and Pollock by a similar margin. The remaining came, in which M'Cormack and Bain played Avent and Dodcsbun. finished all square, although the St. Clair Pair were 1 up "Oinc to the last green SINGLES. The St. Clair team had a favourable margin in the Singles of three games. The Singles were played in fours, and the first two Singles attracted the attention of a small gallery, who were treated to some splendid golf. Both Ross and Wight played steady golf, with the advantage always slightly in favour of the St. Clair player, who. after establishing a handy lend, won his game at the seventeenth, where a half left him two up. Some spectacular golf was seen in the match between Bennie and herguson. Bennie played great golf on the outward half, being out in 33. Ferguson was playing sound golf throughout, and he regained some leeway on the homeward journey and won the seventeenth to keep the game alive. Binnie. however, made no mistake of the eighteenth, and holed a nice birdie 3 for the game, 2 up. Bennie s round was a 70. J. A. Scouler and J. EMatheson had a very close game, which finished appropriately all square. Clayton plaved almost unbeatable golf against J. R. Laidlaw in the first half. He was out in 32, but wa« then only 3 up. Laidlaw made a great recovery from the thirteenth, where Clayton became dormie. He won three holes in succession, and barely missed a putt at the seventeenth to take the game to the last green. W. G. Wight played his usually steady and accurate game against Rhodes to win by 5 and 4. Rhodes played some spectacular drives, some of them being a phenomenal length, but bis irons were not always reliable. Lawrence played soundly against M'Dnngall. whom ho comfortably defeated by 4 and 3. B TEAMS. The matches in the B teams were played on handicap, and resulteda win tor St. Clair by 11 games to 7.

OTAGO CLUB NOTES A very large Held took part ■in the St. Andrew’s Cross Stroke Competition, and some good scores were recorded. In the J. R. Callander had a well-deserved win with a card of 74 0— 68. This was also the best press score for the day. The standard was very high, both in the seniors and the juniors. JC. Davies was runner-up in the seniors with 77—8—69. and 14 competitors returned cards of 73 or better. M. C. O’Callaghan returned a ridiculously IfL"’ score of 64 net to win the juniors. He played from the 18 mark, but will probably receive a substantial reduction of handicap. *T. E, Stevenson vats runner* up with a card of 03 —24 —69.

ST. CLAIR CLUB’ The medal match played at St. Clair on Saturday attracted a larpe entry and some pood cards were returned. The winning cards in both Senior and Junior Divisions showed scores of 67 net. In the seniors F. W. Dixon and A. G. Forbes tied for first, both players having 1handieaps. A. J. Aitkcn also had a good card of 78 —9 —69. and was third. L. T. M'Cormack, with 766 —7U. tied for fourth place with J. G. Matheson. whose 71 was the best pross score. In the juniors C. J. Wood led the field by three clear strokes with a card of 85 —18 —67, L. A. Doolan and E. J. Doopue tying

for the position of runner-up with 86 —16 —70 and 88--18—70 respectively.

PATERSON CUP The Paterson tup Knock-out Competition after Saturday's play has now reached the seoji-final stages. C. H Wight continued his run of successes by defeating L. E. Kentledge by 4 and 3. Wight’s game has been consistently good for some months now. and it would appear that he is playing at the top of his form again. H. E. Gamble accounted for J. Luff by a substantial margin, and the facility with which he defeated this redoubtable player would indicate that he will be one of the hardest men to beat. He is obviously playing below his handicap. and this, combined with an excellent match temperament, makes him very formidable. I. 11. Penrose defeated J. Falvey by one up in a, very close game, and thereby eliminated one who was by means of being a favourite for the final. Falvey is a voung player who seems to have every available shot in his bag. He has reduced his handicap by six strokes in the last month. A. Lawrence, who in the previous round defeated F. Drake, will meet S. E. Crimp to decide the other semifinalist. ,

OTAGO LADIES’ CLUB The Ada Jack Cup Knock-out Competition this year produced a most iuteiesting competition in which every round saw a number of very close finishes, with not a few requiring extra holes. The final between Mrs Gibson and Miss Kyle was a splendid match, in which the issue was in doubt until the last putt. 'Mrs Gibson just managed to obtain the victory on the last green, where she was one up. Mrs Callander, not to be overshadowed bv her husband’s exploits, has also reduced her handicap by one stroke. This is a very meritorious performance, and one which is rare since the lengthening of the course

ST. CLAIR LADIES’ CLUB Mrs Taylor, with an 84—10 —74, won the Senior L.G.U. at St. Clair on Tuesday. Mrs Paterson. 92—19 —73, won the Junior. Mrs Taylor also won tlie Wight Memorial Cup by defeating Mrs Watt in the final. The finalists ior the Weekend Players’ Knock-out Cup (Wight Memorial) are Miss K. Tipping and Miss James. Next Wednesday (he St. Clair Club will hold an afternoon C Grade competition for beginners and new players, ft is hoped that there will be a big attendance of flic new players.

AMERICAN OPEN Tonv Manero created a record score in winning the American Open Championship with an aggregate of 252. The American Golfer, in its May issue, picks the most probable winner. jud< r ing upon winter records, from the following; Horton Smith. Henry Picard. Johnnv Rovolto and Harry Cooper among the latest stars, and from the veterans’ brigade Gene Sarazen. Tommy Armour. Walter Haeen and Macdonald Smith. The writer mentions as also having a chance Pr.nl Runyan. Olin Dutba. Johnnv Goodman Lawson Little. Craig Wood. Alvir Krenger and Tvv Laffoon and prudently nays tribute to the uncertainties of golf hv stating that the chances arc that the winner is named nowhere in the list. His last prediction was correct.