GOLF

Otago Witness, Issue 3823, 21 June 1927, Page 52

GOLF

By

DIVOT.

■ FIXTURES. New- Zealand Championship., (Hamilton) — September 2,3, 5,6, 7,8, 9, 10. HINT FOR THE WEEK. The commonest of all golfing faults is the slice or curve of the ball off to the right of the line of flight. Nothing eats up distance like the deadly fallin—away of a sliced shot and no shot is, on most links, more disposed to get into trouble. The immediate cause of the slice is drawing the face of the club inward across the ball at the moment of impact. This may be due to a wrong grip, swaying tho body, lifting the club too much with the right hand, or throwing the arnis away from the body. The temptation during a bout of slicing is to alter the stance by facing more to the left of the line of flight. That is the worst change a player could make, for it only accentuates the slice. Stand close r to the ball and see that the "V” between the thumb and forefinger of tno left hand is facing the rightshoulder. This makes the left arm ffiel strange to begin with, but the result is a ball is sent down the middle of the fairway. Avoid vicious hitting, and follow through towards the pin-

Eight golfers from Invercargill spent a week-end as the guests of the St. Clair Golt Club. Local knowledge stood the St Glair players in good steid, enabling them win six of the eight singles. The teila"'n>g aje the results (St. Clair names first): U. B. wight (dub champion) defeated C. A Masters (dub champion), 1 up; W. Clayton defeated J- A. Mangan (Southland champion), 3 and 2; H. Stevens defeated G L Cuthbert, 1 up; A. W. Alloo and R. J. « a^ , sc i uar °: G. Forbes lost to J utdnd .- 2 down; H. F. Sincock beat A rr tr. k u Pr^ ld £ nt) , : C - AmtmM beat M A 1; P? ltche j F-- Drake beat E. M. Russell At m £? n , e ! usion of proceedings the Invercargill Clubs president, Mr A. E. Smith after returning thanks for th 0 hospitality and enjoyable week-end of golf, extended an invitation to the members of th 0 St. .n. » *?■ l’ art,Cl Pate in a return match at Otatara links, and expressed the wish that some annual tournament should be arranged between the two clubs. It is hoped very shortly to accept the Invercargill Clubs invitation.

The final of the Otago Ladies’ Golf Club championship was played on Wednesday. when Mrs Dodgshun, who is playing at the top of her form, beat Mrs McCarthy by 5 to 4 Hie winner was sound in every departmenu oi the game, whereas her onponent was weak from the tees and very short y>th her iron play. After three holes Mrs Dodgshun was 2 up and continued to press her opponent. Mrs Dodgshun had a sensational 3 at Ridge, her second shot leaving her a foot putt. At the turn Mrs Dodgshun had a lead of 4 up By Mount in 3 t 0 4 Mrs Dodgshun felt that the game was hers. Mrs M'Carthy however, managed to get back a hole at Dpperary with a bogey 6. At the dogleg hole Mrs M'Carthy went into the bunker and Mrs Dodgshun took tho hole Z \° j ■ thirteenth and fourteenth were halved in 5 and 4 respectively, thus giving Ll iJn£ dgsbun tbe c l u b championship for the 1927 season, by 5 up and During the course of the tournament organised by the Wakatipu Golf Club for the Kmg s Birthday, one of the members of ths club, J. P. M'Bride, was responsible fcr a performance that is unique in the history of golf on the Frankton links. , In doin"’ b* s ™ llllll he holed out at what is known as Matagouri” in one. The distance from the tee is 132yds. With excellent grace Mr M'Bride subsequently paid the “penalty” in tbg timc-honourod manner-

Dame Fortune smiled benignly on our best four in the final of the Kirk-Windeyer r P vl dayed at Rose Bay. The result of the day’s play was indeed gratifying to golf enthusiasts in New Zealand. The fact that our players met and defeated golfers like Ivo Wnitton .and company should infuse in the game throughout the country an added impetus tp advance, and the day may be not far distant when our golforS—as our cricketers to-day are doing—will be facing the English golfers on their native heath. The fact that the Victorians played so brilliantly against tho Queensland team may, to some have had something to do with tbd result of the final. Hard games on end often leave a weakness, ever so little, perhaps, but just sufficient to give the opposition a chance Our players went out with the knowledge

that they were up against “hot stuff” and that they must give of their best for tho sake of the body of golfers they had left behind in New Zealand. They' were able to carry their determination to win to a successful climax. The standard of play was very high. A feature of the day was the victory of Duncan over Whitton, lhe open champion of Australia and the toughest of opponents. The Victorian crack came home in great style but Duncan iust managed to hold the winning position. In both the morning games the New Zealanders lost the first hole, which must have set them on their mettle, for both pairs finished with substantial margins- Dunean and Horton sank some great putts and, after a stern struggle, finished 4 up on Whitton and Russell. By halving the last five holes Ros's and Quin were 3 un at the finish of the round. Quin was exceptionally brilliant on and near the green and Ross was a power of strength and confidence. With the knowledge that they were “on the box seat,” so to speak, our players went out in the afternoon full of confidence. All the singles in tho afternoon were closely contested and each finished with a margin of one hole. The Duncan-Whitton match was a struggle between two giants of He game. Both were fully extended. After four holes the game was squared, but at the ninth Duncan, per medium of brilliant golf, was 3 up. The New Zealand veteran further enhanced his position by winning the eleventh and twelfth. Whitton set to work and made a valiant effort to reduce his opponent’s lead and was successful at three holes in succession. Duncan managed to break the spell of wins at the sixteenth and, by halving the next hole also, was assured of a win, being 2 up and 1. The eighteenth went to Whitton, who, though defeated, was by no means disgraced, ips journey in being a revelation of superb golf. Russell held the advantage at the turn where he was 3 up on Horton. The latter settled down to steady golf and reduced Russell’s lead to 1 up at the eighteenth. The sternest struggle of the day was that in which Ross and Headlam tried conclusions. At no stage of the game did either player get a good lead. At the home green they were all square. The nineteenth was also halved, but at -he twentieth the Victorian came out on topThe brilliant golf played in the fourth match, that between Quin and Schlapp, was a treat for those who witnessed it. Quin has the happy knack of holding his opponent for the first half and finishing with some snarkling golf. The game was all square at the turn, but at the fourteenth the New Zealand player was one down. Quin played two perfect holes for a win at each and followed this up by two halves to win the match 1 up. The Kirk-Windeyer Cup will cross the Tasman with the team on its return and many a golf enthusiast who was privileged to witness the games at Rose Bay, will, in years to come, remember the day when the New Zealand team won this cup for the first time-

MEDAL MATCH. A medal match was played on the Balmacewen links on Tuesday. The beet scores were: — A Grade. —Mrs Callender, 97 —15 —S 3; Mrs Bell, 93 —10 —83; Mrs Dodgshun, 85—1—84; Mrs Milne, 103—18—85. B Grade.—Miss Jones. 113 —29 —84; Miss Fynmore, 108 —21 —87. AUCKLAND WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP. AUCKLAND, June 17. The final of the Auckland provincial women’s golf championship was played today, and resulted in Mrs Shailer Weston (Wellington) defeating Mrs Deighton (Auckland), seven up and six to play. Mrs Deighton was very much off form, and did not win a single hole. Mrs Weston, on the. other hand, played excellently. Mrs Weston won seven holes, five were halved, and the match ended at the twelfth hole.

N.S.W. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP. r SYDNEY, June 14. The second round of the amateur golf championship was played in showery weather.

Russel] and Horton had a tremendous struggle. Horton started brilliantly with a 2 at the first and then lost the second. The third was halved. Horton won the fourth and Russell the fifth. The sixth was halved, but Russell won the long seventh with a birdie four. After the eighth had been halved Horton squared the match with a birdie three at the ninth. Horton took three putts at the tenth, but a brilliant three at the eleventh squared the game again. The twelfth was halved, and Horton took the lead, winning the thirteenth; but a great three by Russell at the fifteenth evened things again. Horton sank a 30ft putt for a 1 at the sixteenth, but missed his putt at the eighteenth, and finished one down. Russell’s round was 71 and Horton’s 72. In the afternoon Russell won the second and Horton the third. The Victorian won the fourth and fifth. The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth were halved, though a stymie cost Horton a win at the eighth. Horton here commenced to putt badly, and lost the tenth and eleventh, and only halved the twelfth. He was then four down and six to play. He won the thirteenth and fourteenth; but Russell negotiated a stymie at the fifteenth for a half. Horton won lhe sixteenth, but pulled his tee shot at the seventeenth, the ball moving as he was addressing i< Ho also duffed his third, and Russell won the hole and the match 2 up and 1 to play. Horton played a great game, and was unlucky to strike a player like Russell at the top of his game. Smith, a youth, from the nine-hole course at Long Reef, made the sensation of t}ie tournament. He defeated Murdoch in the first round, and in the second round he overwhelmed Sturrock, the conqueror of Morrison.

The following are the results of the isecond round: —

Whitton defeated Harrison, 6 and 5. defeated Nigel Smith, 11 and

Russell defeated Horton, 2 and 1. Walter Smith defeated Sturrock, 7 and 5.

AMERICAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. NEW YORK, June 15. At Oakmont (Pennsylvania) J. H. Kirkwood, with a score of IGS in the second round, was eliminated by two strokes from the National Open Championship. Johnston, an amatfeur, is loading with 147. The final rounds will be ing with 147.

NEW YORK, June IG. At Oakmont Armour and Cooper tied for first place in the National Open Golf Championship, with a score of 301 WASHINGTON, June 17. At Oakmont, Armour defeated Cooper for the National open golf title by 76 to

MATCH IN NEW SOUTH WALES. SYDNEY, June 19. The New South Wales amateur golf championship was won by Apperley, who defeated Smith in the final, 4 up and 3 to play. As a previous winner in 1918, 1920, and 1922, Apperley had experience on his side against the 23-year-old runnerup.

He was two up on the first round, but lost two opening holes on resuming. He won the next, however, and gradually drew away. Both players drove consistently well, and their putting was relatively good and comparatively even, but the winner excelled in his shots up to the green. APPERLY AND SMITH IN THE FINAL. SYDNEY, June 16. The sepn-finals of rhe New South Wales golf championship were held in showery weather. Both Hatches were keenly contested. Apperly and Whitton were all square at the conclusion of the morning round, and in the afternoon Whitton was 2 up with 6 to play. Apperly then made a great effort and squared the match at the fifteenth, and eventually won 1 up. Smith was 1 up on Russell after the first 18 holes, and though Russell twice squared the match the younger player hung grimly to his task and won 1 up.