WIN FOR CLAYTON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27569, 11 December 1950, Page 8

WIN FOR CLAYTON

/ St. Clair Championship

In 1925, W. W. Clayton first won the St. Clair Golf Club championship. This week-end, Clayton ! won the title for the fourth time when he beat T. G. Lemin, 4 up and 2 to play, over 36 holes. Clayton last won the championship in 1932 —18 years ago. Conditions for yesterday’s match were extremely trying, with a blustering southerly wind sweeping the course but the standard of play was uniformly high. Clayton’s accuracy in the high wind enabled him to shoot a

fine 77 in the morning round to be 7 up on Lemin. What might have been a tame finish to the final was prevented in the afternoon by Lemin, who fought back gamely until the score was dormy 4, the match finishing on the thirty-fourth green. On Saturday, Lemin beat J. Mitchell 2 up and 1 to play in the semi-final. Clayton had played his semi-final previously. Lemin was the ” giant-killer ” of the championship match play, for in turn he beat such formidable players as A. R. Timms. H. J. Rackley and Mitchell. The wind was still blowing strongly when Clayton and Lemin began their second 18 holes yesterday afternoon. As in the morning round, Clayton continued to hit the ball splendidly, but Lemin stuck to his heels and kept the Interest alive. Lemin reduced the deficit at the twenty-first with a well-played bogey 5, but Clayton went back to 7 up when he holed a long, tricky putt at Spion Kop (the twenty-third). Lemin scored another win at the twenty-fifth, but he lost the short' twenty-sixth when Clayton played a perfect shot in a cross wind within five feet of the pin, and Lemin took two shots to recover from a bunker. From that moment the match assumed fresh interest because Lemin won three holes in a row. He took the twentyseventh with a fine birdie 3, the next with a bogey 5 (Clayton missed a 15-inch putt for aihalf), and the short twentyninth with h 4 (Clayton was in the bunker with his tee shot, chipped to the far side of the green, and was stymied with his return). There was no change in the score until Gums, where Lemin was dormy 4. He won Gums with a fine bogey 4 against the wind to make the score dormy 3, but the end came at Corstorphine where Clayton was on the green for two and holed out for a birdie to win the match 4 and 2.