GOLF.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 36

GOLF.

NOTES BT BULGER. A feam from the Otago Ladies' Olub '-fpmeyed to Christchurch last week to play ,4fl»ir annual fixture with the ladies of the OhristcSmroh Club, and proved altogether too atrong for their opponents, who ■were represented by their best team. Qt&go won by 27 holes, and did not lose t ma-teh, -winning six and halving two— a v^ry lino performance indeed. Following «Tg& details of the scoring: — Miss Eattray ID.) 4, v. Miss Campbell Id,} 0; Miss Gould (D.) 0, v. Miss Wilson 0)6; Miss Mill (D.) 0, v. Miss Rutheriard (O.) Oj Mrs Allan (D.) 3, v. Miss fames (6.) 0? Mrs Sargood (D.) 5. v. Mrs SampbeU (0.) 0j Miss Williams (D.) 5, v. Ifflm Ta Kettle (C.) 0; Mrs Mackie (D.) 3 *, Mrs Pyne (O.) 0 ; Miss Batchelor (13.) 7, y. Miss A. Humphreys (C.) 0. The journey was broken at Timaru, where fi match was played on Wednesday against fiie local ladies. The weather was very fed. but an enjoyable day was spent. The teams were evenfy matched, Otago eventuiUv -winning by the narrow margin of four Koles, the scoring being as follows : — Otago. Match. Holes. Miss Rattray .. „: .. •• 1 3U P piss Gould ".. „. ! fup Miss Mill -..- -• l 3 a P Mrs Smrgood ..... ■ — -~" }£bss William,! 1 3U P Mia Mackie .. .. » — ~~ Miss Batcheloi- — — Total 11 Tinraru. Match Holes Kiss L. Revell — — Hxs Matebeson .. • •• — — Mies N. Hay — ■ — Yisfi B. Scaly, ..; *. »• .* 1 **P

Mass Bev«H .. , r .*.... *■• ->■ , Mrs Cox - ..1 3 up Miss Buchanan .. — — Total .- . ." .. •• 7 , The open championship of Franc© -was played over the La Boulie course, Paris, on Sunday, June 28, the result being a win for J. H. Taylor. The Britishers were well represented by James Braid (open champion), J. H. Taylor, Harry and Tom Varden, Ben. Sayers, sen.. C. H. Mayo, and Wilfred Reid, whilst Arnaud Massey, Jean &assiat, Louis Tellier, and Dominique Coussies battled for France. If it had not been for a splendid 71 in the third round by Taylor, France might have retained the title as Massey played in his best form, and tied for second place with C. H. Mayo. Naturally, the -favourite for the event was Braid, who, playing in good form, led the field at -the end of the second round. In the last two rounds his long game was all xisrht, but he, for a -wonder, failed repeatedly on the putting greens, -where he lost several strokes, finishing live behind the -winner. Harry Vardon, who had just recovered from an attack of influenza, played indifferently, and was 17 strokes behind Taylor. The scores were: — Taylor, 300* A. Massey and C. H. Mayo, 30*; J. Braid. 305; L. Tellier, 309; 9. Gassiat, 310; W. E. Reid and T.- Vardon, 312. The winner has not had the best of luck lately, and his victory was well receved. Taylor played with »- No. 2 Colonel ball. This is the third year since the in- j auguration of the French Championship, and Maesey -won. in 1906 and 1907. On each of these occasions the winning scores were under this year's winning score of 300. Taylor won his last open championship at St. Andrews in 1900, but since then he has been second four times in succession. He is thus the first British professional to win the French Championship. Apparently, however, the French golfers are not' going to rest content with this British raid upon their territory, and in this carrying off of the spoils. An announcement is made that Massey and his assistant, Tellier, at La Boulie, are prepared to play any other two professionals in the world. Obviously, the challenge is aimed at Braid - and Taylor, and doubtless the match, if it and the amount of the stakes are finally arranged, will be a home and home one. But, owing to many playing engagements at this period of the year, and the near approach of the holidays at Home, it is unlikely that .arrangements can be made to play the match much before the autumn. It is a bold challenge, and one which reflects the highest confidence of the French g-olfers in the capabilities of .their young professionals. When the match is arranged the play should excite widespread interest all over the world. By the courtesy of the Rules of Golf Committee an opportunity has been given of examining a draft- copy of the revised rules ■which will be submitted to the Royal and ancient club of St. Andrews for approval on August 31. Irr calling tho attention of the general body of golfers to the suggested changes a useful purpose wiJl ' undoubtedly *bs served. Discussion will be stimulr'sd among all players who take a keen interest in seeing a clear and logical code of rules finally established for the regulation of the game, and who wish for. nothing so much in adding to its permanent enjoyment as the elimination of all real or imaginary causes which provoke hair-splitting disputes and occasional personal bickering. Some suggestions, too, in the phraseology, in the method of codification, or u\ the alteration of the penalties may be forthcoming between now and the great September gathering of the members of St. Andrews to help the committee to give effect to what is the prevailing sentiment among other players outside the influential band affiliated to the Royal and Ancient of what is just, fair, and equitable in the rules of the game. It is only by listening to and weighing in the balance of judgment a wide variety of opinions even on points -which -seem to be clear and thoroughly established, that conviction will be made unshakably steadfast that at 'last chere is neither room for doubt nor cavil about the principle of any rule or penalty. It has at once to be stated, therefore, that the Rules of Golf Committee have set about their work of revision in a businesslike spirit. The revised code is much more logically arranged to suit the order of strokes in which the game is played from tee to hole than any code hitherto published. The method of expression adopted, too, is much more concise, and instead of running the rules into long paragraphs, out of which the penalties, limitations, and qualifications had to be disinterred from a good deal of loose phraseology, the revisers have adopted the sensible practice of splitting them up • into ! clear and systematic paragraphs. One welcomes also a recurrence to the old system i of having each rule and penalty brought prominently to the eye of the reader by means of a "side head" in the margin in bolder type than the text itself. This is the revival of an old feature that will greatly tend to ease of reference when any point of dispute occurs. The revised code begins with certain "definitions" of what constitutes "a eide," a single, a threesome, and a foursome; and the sentence at the beginning of the present book, which reads like the opening of a serious and learned treatise on the game, to the effect that "the game of golf is played by two sides, each playing its own ball,' has been very properly transferred to the section dealing with the general lairs of the game. The things that constitute the essential condition; under which the game is played— such as the course, the ceeing 1 ground, the hazard, the hole, and the putting green — are left pretty muoh as golfers have known them- in the present rulea for the last four years. But the definitions yiave gained in clearness by their brevity, as. for example, the new definition of what constitutes a ball being "out of bounds' The championship (says the Scotsman) has provided one more instance of the misunderstanding existing even amongst first-class professionals as to the meaning of the rules. In the qualifying stage, on. rb& sixth green, the ball of F. Leach, of Northwood, almost stymied Tom. Vardon's ball. After Vardon had played hie stroke he saw that his ball would strike Leach's, and he called upon Leach to lift the obstructing ball, apparently under the belief that Leach was bound to do »o in accor- | Hance with the rule, which provides chat " the ball nearer the hole shall, on request { of the player, be either lifted or holed out 1 at the option of the owner, und-er penalty

of disqualification." Leach refused to lift his ball, in the belief that he ran the danger of being disqualified. Vardon's ball struck the obstructing ball, and Vardon was penalised a stroke. Leach was quite right, as tlxe rules of golf committee has rightly interpreted this rule to apply only where the ballb are stationary. Obviously there can be no option after the balls are in motion. Yet Vardon Vas only asking Leach to do what- one has seen done over and over again. The player stands by the obstructing ball ready to lift it in the event of the other ball coming- near it. This diatom has grown quite common on some golf courses. After this Prestwick incident ths strict rsading of the rule should be adhered to. This point has been incorporated in the new code. It is surprising how few golfers even know or take the trouble to learn the simplest rules of the game. At the countrj golf week in Sydney lately a special prize was offered to the player amongst those handing . in the best cards who answered correctly three questions submitted to him. Considering that the questions were easy ones, it was thought -that the majority, at least, would have come through the ordeal. However, out of eight players only one, R. M'Coy, of the Marrickville, survived the teat. Amongst those who failed were" some leading players of the sisteT State. "Ignorance of the rules is worth a stroke a hole " is an old saying, and it bahoves committees of clubs to impress upon their members the necessity of their becoming acquainted with the rules of the game, and to see that %lj©y are carried out by fearlessly penalising or disqualifying any cases brought under their notice. " How often <k we fceai and see cases of players on the gr«en, within 20 yards, putting with the flap- in the hole, also playing wiren their opponent should •have done so, grounding of clubs Jn hazards, moving obstructions, and improving the lie of the ball, -etc., all of which are infringements, and should h© dealt with accordThe following details of the open championship recently won by James Braid at Prestwiok, with record figures, will be read ■vnlh interest: — Braid, who was leading at the clcse of the second stage, took a Urge following with him round the course. His start was most" unpromising. Using the eleek off the first tee, lie pulled the ball into heavy grass, and, failing to get his second quite as well away as he -could have -wished, he had to pitch again from the rough on to the green, where he required two putts. At the second he almost holed At two. and then disaster overtook him at the third. Off the tee he allowed the wind to carry his ball almost into the pow burn. He was lying heavily in grass, but, despite this, he preferred to play a bold stroke, in order, if possible, to carry the big bunker known as the Cardinal. In this ho failed. He struck sleepe.rs and rebounded into the sand. With his -third he again struck the sleepers and the ball now rebounded right back over the pow burn. Dropping another ball, ha again -struck th© sleepers. This was his fourth stroke, and he had to play a fifth before the dreaded hazard was left behind. A good pitch left him five yards from the hole, but the putt was too much for him, and an eight went down on hfa card. With his lead, a little discretion in safety play would have left him. in a better position. Op. the fourth green he. was terribly w-eak in th© run-up ; and required five, but he made amends with a splendid two at the Himalayas, holing out from a distance of at least a dozen yards. At this sixth his ball from an equally long distance lay on the lip of the hole in thr-ee. He hokd a three-yards putt at the seventh for three, registered a four at the eighth, and with five for the ninth, where his pitch on to the green was very slack, he was out in 39. Braid's partner Rowland Jones, who had taken seven for the first hole a3 the result of slicing two tee strokes over the railway, was out in 38. Coming in, Braid had five at the tenth, where- he sliced off the tee, and then pulled into the rough on the other eide of the course. He repeated this performance at the twelfth, and was left to hole a putt of two and ahalf yards for a hard five, which he got. At the thirteenth he played possibly the finest shot of hi 3 round. A badly-pulled second "laid the ball on a hillock, but using the mas-hie with tactful skill he laid the ball a yard from the hole, and got down in four. On the fifteenth green he had three putt 3, but otherwise his golf to the finish was good, and with a total of 77, and an aggregate of 219, his excellent homeward j-eoovery enabled him to retain his leading place, six strokes ahead of his nearest opponent. Harry Vardon, who tied with Pulford's best score in the morning, improved greatly on his play of the previous day, and returned the highly creditable score of 84. E. Gray, who stood second on the li&t on Thursday evening with a record round of 68. fell away sadly^ and took 83 to complete the circuit. In the afternoon the interest centred round Braid, who was the popular favourite. Large crowds shared his pilgrimage, and at times the following, unwieldy in size, called for all the powers of the police and officials to control. But there was still the uncertainty of eport to reckon with, and Tom Ball and Ray, with their common aggregate for the three rounds of 225, seemed to have some prospect of succesa. Furthei brightness was added to Ball's chances when he went out for t.he last round in 33, playing splendid golf. Coming home, however, he found the rough in his second stroke, playing to the tenth, and had too big a task to finish under five. Crossing the formidiable Himalayas his tee stroke was carried to the right of the short grass. Pitching from a nasty lie he was short of the bunker guarding the gre-en. His third was overdone, and two putts were required to find the mark. His card was : — Out . ... 434434344—31 Iv .. „ . 555556343—41 Ray. Braid's other promising opponent, took 38 to go out. and a like number to return, his score being: — i Ont : 544534445— 3S In . „ .. 545544353—38 Braid, iv his last journey, started with magnificent golf. The first mistake came at the fifth, when he missed a putt of a foot, whilst at the sixth he proved weak in approaching from the rough. His putt at this hole skimmed the lip of the cup, and cost him another stroke. The seventh was started with a fine iron drive to the railway, and. playing from the long grass, he landed on the green with Ins second,

getting 1 <lo"nrn with ijhree. • A good four was registered at the eighth. His next drive landed between the bunkers, beautifully placed, but his second was pulled, and it was not till the third that he was on the grees. He did not manage to effect a difficult long putt, but holed out in six. At the tenth, a long hole of 433 yards, he was on the gxeen with his second 1 , but missed a possible putt, and registered four. To the fourteenth his journey had been, done in average four's, and as news had reached the crowd of Tom Ball's score, it was felt that Braid was safe for first place. His last four holes justified this, for he did each of them in four with perfectly steady golf. The crowd at the club house carried him shoulder high to the enclosure. Braid's card was: — Out 484445345—38 In 445434444—36 Appended are the principal scores: — "SS gg h§ SI'S _ _ , feK coW E-iW feK Fi J. Braid, TValton Heath.. 70 72 77 72—291 Tom Ball, W. Lancashire 76 73 76 74^ — 299 E. Say. G-anton . . . . 79 71 75 76 — 301 A. Herd, Huddersfield .. 74 74 79 75—302 Hairy Vardon, To-tterbridge 79 78 74 75 — 306 IX Kinn-eH, St. Nicholas 75 73 80 78—306 Braid's aggregate of 291 beats all preyioiis records. Relative to Prestwick links, it is nine strokes better than "Vardon's winning score five years ago, and 16 strokes better than "Vardon's winning score in 1898, v/hen the gufrta ball was in use. It also is the record by five strokes, taking all t.he championship courses into account, Jack White's score of 296 at Sandwich being the previous record. This was Braid's fourth win, which places him on an equal footing with Vardon, young Tom Morris, old Tom, and old Willie Park. As Braid is only 38 years of age, he is still in his golfingprime.