LEMON’S DEFEAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26792, 8 June 1948, Page 6

LEMON’S DEFEAT

GOOD PLAY BY DURNING Special to the Daily Times TIMARU, June 7. The winner of the Otago Centennial Tournament, J. N. Lemon (Otago) was eliminated in the semi-finals of the Senior Championships by P. Durning (Timaru). Durning outdrove his opponent throughout the match, and was much superior on and around the greens. On the outward journey, Durning had 13 putts to be 4 up. His Medal score was 32, two under the bogey score. Lemon was playing fairly orthodox golf, but he was handicapped by lack of length off the tee and with his long irons. At the tenth, Lemon hooked his drive into the trees, and it cost him two strokes to get out. Durning got a regulation 5 to win the hole. At the next hole Durning holed a 4-footer for a' birdie and a win. At the next hole Lemon was nicely on for 3, with Durning a fair way back. Durning chipped and holed a 14-footer for a half. Lemon played a nice tee shot at the thirteenth and won the hole with a 3. Both were in trouble at the following hole, which was halved in sixes, Durning winning 5 and 4. W. G. Aitken (Otago) won the Intermediate Championship, beating L. V. Pilcher (Timaru) in the final, 3 and 2. The winner started off with a birdie at the first hole, but lost the - rest to a regulation 4 to a 5. At the .seventh Aitken made visits to two bunkers and eventually conceded the hole. Turning all square, Aitken won the tenth and lost the twelfth, halving the next. He won three holes in succession to finish the match. Aitken’s forte was his approaching and putting. He seldom missed anything within 10 feet of the hole. In the final of the senior flight A. *M. Jones beat B. Cromb 2 up. The match was all square at the turn, but Jones snatched two wins with birdies at the tenth and twelfth holes, losing the eleventh where he duffed his tee shot. Jones was 2 up at the sixteenth, but Cromb carded a neat birdie at seventeenth to be 1 down Cromb got behind the tree at the last hole with his drive, and Jones won the hole with a regulation 5.