GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 20396, 27 January 1928, Page 8

GOLF

MIRAMAR TOURNEY PLAY IN QUALIFYING ROUND OVERSEAS PLAYERS TAKE PART (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, January 26. The presence of a number of Australian golfers including the team that will meet New Zealand in the contest for the KirkWindeyer Cup on Monday, gives an almost national interest to the championship and handicap golf tournament which commenced at Miramar to-day. With leading players of the Dominion also taking part, no more widely representative gathering of golfers has ever met on a New Zealand links. The qualifying rounds in the tournament championship were decided to-day over 36 holes, the best aggregate being a 149 by the present amateur champion, Sloan Morpeth. A first and second stroke handicap was also decided concurrently with each qualifying round. Members of the Australian team for the cup, emergency members of the team and all Australian and New Zealand golfers whose club handicaps are not more than 3 were eligible for the championship, this restriction not applying to competitors in the stroke handicaps. With an aggregate of 149, the holder of the amateur title, Sloan Morpeth of Titirangi, headed the qualifying list, the next lowest score for the 36 holes being secured by W. R. Dobson of the Concord Club, Australia. Business engagements however prevent Dobson from playing in the remaining rounds of the match play to-morrow Saturday and this allowed the 17th man, J. Goss, of Wanganui, to qualify. The only members of the Australian team to qualify were Dr. Nigel Smith, of the Australia Golf Club and Dobson, who played consistently during the morning and afternoon. He is first reserve for the visiting team. Conditions generally were ideal for golf. The course was in excellent order while the greens were a carpet of grass. “Miramar is the first golf links I have played on in New Zealand so far,” said Dr Sydney Jones, president of the New South Wales Golf Association, and captain of the Australian Golf Club team to meet New Zealand. Bogey for Miramar is 78. Details of the holes with bogey figures in parenthesis are as follows: 475yds (5), 320yds (4), 495yds (5), 209yds (4), 280 yds (4), 106yds (3), 415yds (5), 280yds (4) 430yds (5); total 3010yds (39) ; 360 yds (5), 400yds (5), 175yds (3), 380yds (5) 160yds (3), 346yds (4), 325yds (4), 470yds (5), 490yds (5) ; total 3106yds (39). Grand total 6,116yd5, (78).

COURSE RECORD EQUALLED. The outstanding round of the day was a 70 by the reigning amateur champion, Sloan Morpeth in the morning, his performance equalling the official record for the course. Playing a sterling game from tee to pin, Morpeth went out in 36, taking 34 on the homeward journey. He did better than bogey figures at the fifth and the tenth, taking threes for each hole which have a bogey of four and fire respectively. In the afternoon however, he missed a number of putts and made excursions to bunkers on several occasions, this costing him a 79 for the round. Morpeth’s morning card read as follows: —Out, 4.4.5.3.3.3.6.3.5 — 36; in 3,4,4,4,2,5,4,5,6 —34 —7O. The second best morning round was a 75 comprising no less than six three by A. E. Conway. His card read—out,, 4.3.5.3.4.3.7.3.6 ; in 5,4,3,4,3j,4,4,5,5 37 For the most part players returned higher scores for the afternoon than the morning round, the increasing strength of the wind no doubt being largely responsible for the general low score. Seventy-fives were returned by T. H. Horton, who was runnerup in the amateur championship last September, and W. R. Dobson during the afternoon, theirs being the two lowest scores. T. H. Horton’s card read.—Out, 5,5, 4,3, 3,4, 5,4, 4 —37; in 5,4, 3,4, 3,5, 4,5, 5 38— 75. Dobson’s card was as follows.—Out, 4,4, 5,3, 4,3, 5,3, 5, 1—36; in, 6,5, 4,4, 3,4, 3,5, 5—39—75. With his 36 for the outward journey, Dobson equalled the morning performance of Morpeth on the outward journey, Morpeth’s and Dobson’s being the two best over nine holes for the day. Both H. A. Black and his brother, J. L. Black, played consistently and in the morning each of them returned 78’s. In the afternoon the younger of the two, H. A. Black, did slightly better than his brother and returned a 77 as against a 79. A player who displayed consistency was H. J. Shanks, who finished the day with two 81’s.

THE SCORES. Details of the scores for the two qualifying rounds are as follows: Sloan Morpeth (Maungakeikei) 70—79 149. W. R. Dobson (Concord, N.S.W.) 78—75 —153. H. A. Black (Hutt) 78—77—155. T. H. Horton (Masterton) 81—75—156. J. E. Black (Hutt) 78—79—157. A. E. Conway (Miramar) 75—82—157. Kenneth Ross (Balmacewan) 78—80— 158. L. Seifert, junr. (Manawatu) 80—79 159. A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington 82—78 160. Nigel Smith (Australia) 81—79—160. H. P. Dale (Eltham) 84—78—162. H. J. Shanks (Mornington) 81—81— 162. Donald Gaunt (Shirley) 81—82—163. W. R. Smith (Manly) 81—83—164. H. B. Lusk (Middlemore) 82—83—:165. A. G. Sime (Westport) 83 —82—165. J. Goss (Wanganui) 82—84 —166. D. Pharazyn (Napier) 85—82—167. Morgan Duncan (Wellington) 84—84 168. J. Harold (Wanganui) 83—85—168. lan Macewan (Wellington) 80—89—169. J. A. Mangan (Invercargill) 89—81—170. P. G. Macdonald (Leura) 89—81—170. J. H. Hutcheson (England) 84—86 170. Sydney Jones (Australia) 88—83—171. A. A. Stitchbury (Miramar) 84 —88 — 172. N. R. Jacobsen (Miramar) 84—88—172. F. W. Huggins (Nelson) 88—86—174. J. T. Bowness (Mornington) 89—86 175. * T. S. Park (Westport) 89—88—177. C. G. Maschwitz, junr. (Killura) 83. W. P. Maschwitz, senr. (Killura) 93; Lee Brown (Royal Sydney), no card returned. As the Australian player, W. R. Dobson, of the Concord Club, and who was the second man to qualify is unable to play tomorrow and Saturday, his elimination allowed the seventeenth man, J. Goss, of Wanganui, to qualify. Those who qualified are as follows: Sloan Morpeth 149. H. A. Black 155. T. H. Horton 156. J. L. Black 157. A. E. Conway 157. Kenneth Ross 158. L. Seifert, junr., 159. A. D. S. Duncan 169. Nigel Smith 160 i H. P. Dale 162. H. J. Shanks 162. Donald Grant 163. W. R. Smith 164. H. B. Lusk 165. A. G. Sime 165. J. Goss 166. The first and second rounds of the championship will be decided to-day, each round to be over 18 holes. The first round will

commence at 9.30 a.m., to be followed by a bogey handicap. DRAW FOR TO-DAY. The draw for the first round, which will be playgd this morning, is as follows: Sloan Morpeth plays J. Goss; Nigel Smith plays A. D. S. Duncan; J. L. Black plays H. B. Lusk; A. E. Conway plays Donald Grant; T. H. Horton plays W. R. Smith; Kenneth Ross plays H. J. Shanks; L. Seifert, junr., plays H. P. Dale; H. A. Black plays A. G. Sime.