GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 21820, 24 September 1932, Page 14

GOLF

(By ‘

"Cleek.”)

Fixtures. AT OTATARA. September 24.—Open mixed foursomes.

AT QUEEN’S PARK. September 24.—Four-ball bogey.

Closing day at Otatara. ( Four-ball bogey handicap at Queens Park this afternoon. Mixed foursomes at Otatara this afternoon will complete the Invercargill Club’s official list of fixtures for the season and also wind up the ladies’ tournament. Though the formal match season is over so far as Otatara is concerned the probability is that a number of competitions will be arranged for the summer months. The Haggitt Cup has to be played for, though that event may not be decided until players are beginning to think of next year’s Easter Tournament. Then Mr J. H. Thomas has offered a steel-shafted club or a box of balls, at the winner’s option, as a prize and other prizes may be provided. The indications are that there will be more players than usual this summer. J. P. Homabrook (N.Z. Kirk-Win-deyer Cup player) defeated T. H. Horton (N.Z. amateur champion 1925 and 1928) after a splendid match recently in the final of the Masterton Club championship by 4 up and 3. Hornabrook’s morning round was 70 to Horton’s 73. In the afternoon Hornabrooks score was two. under fours, and Horton was one over fours—very good golf. The Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club recently offered a £6OO motor car in connexion with their amateur championship. The event was won by G. Moreland, who, upon consideration of the matter —and greatly to his credit, refused to accept the car. The Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club by its action in offering a car in connexion with its championship, has caused much adverse comment in the United States. Congratulations are due to W. Buchan on winning the Flag match at Otatara last Saturday. An enthusiast and a trier, Buchan deserves success in competitions and his win in the flag match was popular. He played well below his handicap to plant the flag less than a club’s length from the 20th hole. P. J. McCarthy was almost in the 19th hole before his strokes were exhausted and was a good second. E. C. Tapley had a day out. Tapley hits the ball enormous distances when he connects, but until Saturday he had never succeeded in doing better than his limit handicap of 24. In the flag match he got going properly and was round in 88, almost an indecent score for a junior on the limit. He carried the flag to the 21st green, and, needless to say, won the B grade prize easily. What has been done once can be done again, and Tapley may now make steady progress at the game. The men proved too good for the ladies in the second Ayson Shield match of the season at Queen’s Park last Saturday and retain the trophy till next season at least. The ladies were conceded a stroke at the bogey s’s and half a stroke at the others, and eight of the 20 whose results counted for the match were able to register wins. The men, however, had 11 wins, one match being halved. The day was beautifully fine and a very pleasant afternoon was spent by all, the links being crowded. The semi-finals of the Holloway Shield competition were played at the Park last Saturday, the surprise of the day being the defeat of the holder, R. A. Browne, by G. McQuarrie, three and two. The latter’s game is not always reliable, but at times he plays quite a good round and with a liberal allowance of strokes is always a dangerous competitor in handicap events. The other semi-final between G. E. Glennie and H. W. Harris was indecisive, the match being all square at the 18th. A replay will be necessary. Norris had the upper’ hand over the concluding stages, but saw his lead gradually slip away. He went to the 18th tee dormy one, but failed to get a 4 at the last hole for a half. Both were playing fairly good golf. A start has been made with the construction of a new green at the 13th hole (Pollard’s) at Queen’s Park, and when it is completed a much improved putting surface should be available. It is being made at the back of the present green, and will put a few yards on to the length of the hole. The proposed match between teams of left-handers and right-handers at the Park has aroused a good deal of interest, and it may eventuate in the near future. The captain (G. Tapper) is a “Southpaw” and the vice-captain (O. G. Gilmour) a member of the more famous band of right-handers, and it has been suggested that if these two select their men and arrange the matches so that it will not be necessary for either side to be giving strokes, an interesting afternoon’s play should be the outcome.

Gene Sarazen, British and American open champion, and Francis Ouimet, then American amateur champion, met in a 36-hole match in August in aid of the unemployment fund. Sarazen played superb golf for a round of 71 (one under par) over the Winchester (Mass.) Country Club course and was six up on Ouimet, who was round in 77. The second half of the match was played on the course of the Brae Bum Country Club, par 75. Ouimet had a great round of 74 as against Sarazen’s 77, but could not overtake the leeway of the first half and was beaten 4 and 2. A gallery of 3500 followed the match. Ross Somerville, the Canadian who now holds the amateur championship of the United States, is Canada's best golfer. He first won the amateur championship of the Dominion in 1926, after being runner-up for two years, won again in 1928, and after, missing in 1929 won in 1930 and 1931. He is a sound stroke player as well as a matchwinner, and though he has never won the Canadian open he invariably takes a high place in the list. His win in the United States championship would give the American amateurs something to think about.

The Artisans’ Golfing Association in England has extended from a membership of 30 clubs in 1921 to 119 this year. The championship will be held next month. Mertibers of the metropolitan police forces, by the way, have more clubs affiliated to the association than any other body of golfers. Our policemen in New Zealand are not much given to the game of golf, but perhaps this will be altered before long. A cow grazing on the edge of the No. 4 green at Fitzroy, New Plymouth, the other day, picked up a woman’s hall near the green, chewed it ruminatively for a while, and then, when indignant golfers bore down on her, fled down the hill, taking the ball with her. Wildly-waved mashies served to dislodge the ball from its unplayable lie in the cow’s mouth, but then, when

it lay once more on the sward, a discussion arose as to what was the correct procedure. The ball was taken back and dropped, quite properly. Great interest was taken in. the international meeting at Troon in August, England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales fielding strong teams, including a number of Walker Cup players. John de Forest, British amateur champion, did not participate, having left for the United States to prepare for the Walker Cup contest. The English team was headed by Eric Fiddian, English champion, and in the first match he met J. Burke, Irish champion, both being Walker Cup players. The match was halved. England won four of the five foursomes and seven of the ten singles, and the match by eleven matches to two. Eric Mcßuvie headed the Scottish side and in the first match with Wales met H. R. Howell, victory going to the Welshman 2 and 1. Scotland, however, won the match by eight matches to six. On the second day England beat Wales by eleven matches to three, but in the first single Howell heat Fiddian 2 and 1, thus notching his second win against a Walker Cup player. Scotland beat Ireland by eleven matches to four. In the top singles J. Burke beat J. McLean, the young Scottish champion, by one hole. On the last day Ireland beat Wales by nine matches to five, but again Howell won for Wales, beating J. Burke 2 and 1. Thus Howell met three Walker Cup players and beat them all. It was a remarkable performance, and regret was expressed that all the places in the Walker Cup team had been filled and that there was no vacancy for him. The two unbeaten teams, England and Scotland, met to decide the international championship and victory went to Scotland by five matches to four, three of the foursomes and three of the singles being halved. The results therefore were:— Scotland beat England, Ireland and Wales. England beat Ireland and Wales and lost to Scotland. Ireland beat Wales and lost to Scotland and England. Wales lost to Scotland, England and Ireland. INVERCARGILL GOLF CLUB. PRIZE WINNERS FOR THE SEASON. Following is the list of prize-winners for the 1932 match season of the Invercargill Golf Club, which has just been completed:— Club championship—C. A. Masters; runner-up, R. A. Wilson. International championship—A., G. Seddon; runner-up, G. B. Meredith. Junior championship—C. C. Anderson; runner-up, J. Strettell., Smith Cup.—R. A. Wilson. Hogg Trophy—J. C. Prain; B Grade, L. B. Hutton. Ringer Competition—C. J. Davies; B Grade, B. W. Hewat and N. L. Watson (equal). Agnes Smith Memorial Cup—H. T. Thompson and Miss D. Stout. Gladstone Cup (Teams Match)— Vice-Presidents’ team. Cuthbertson Memorial Cup—J. C. Prain and J. H. Thomas. Flag Match—W. Buchan; B. Grade, E. C. Tapley. Medal Handicaps. A Grade. B Grade. April. J. A. Mangan E. E. Broad May. G. B. Meredith L. R. Bentley June. G. B. Meredith L. B. Hutton July. G. J. McHarg H. W. Jones Aug. J. C. Prain L. B. Hutton Sept. J. P. Butler H. E. Russell J. H. Thomas Players 20 handicap and over—N. L. Watson. Bogey Handicaps. A Grade. B Grade. May. G. B. Meredith L. B. Hutton Aug. J. P. Butler A. E. Smith. Four-ball bogey handicap—C. A. Masters and M. H. Mitchel. Four-ball bogey (A and B partners) —C. J. Davies and L. B. Hutton. Canadian Foursomes. July—M. O’Dowda and C. J. Davies. Sept.—R. A. Wilson and R. J. Gilmour. The Haggitt Cup, a summer competition, has still to be played, and the committee has still to award the special prize donated by the President (Mr A. E. Smith) for the player who, in the opinion of the committee, has made the greatest improvement during the season. WYNDHAM NOTES. (By “Mimihau.”) The semi-finals of the club championships resulted:— A Grade.—Barnett defeated Crawford 6 and 4; Henderson defeated Pankhurst 2 up. B Grade.—Ball defeated Heath 3 and 2; Rice defeated Rout 3 and 2. The final of the A Grade championship was played on Wednesday over 36 holes between Barnett and Henderson. As both players were in excellent form in the semi-finals, this match was expected to produce an interesting contest. The fairways were in good order, but although the greens were good, they were hard and fast and the golf at times was better than the scores indicate. Henderson especially, could not approach or putt with any accuracy, and his failure in this department no doubt cost him his chance of retaining the cup. Barnett hit a good drive over the ridge at the first while Henderson hit a screamer to within 40 yards of the pin. Barnett’s second landed on the green but ran through into the hazard and the ball stopped in a wheel rut. Henderson was on with his second and won the hole in 4. At the clubhouse both had long drives although Barnett pulled his to the left. His approach across two fences struck the style and went out of bounds. Henderson was short with his second and his third was five feet away. Barnett played his third on the green and putted to within four feet. Henderson failed to sink his putt for 4, but laid a dead stymie which Barnett failed to negotiate and Henderson won in s—Henderson 2 up. The next six holes were halved in bogey figures, although both players had good chances of securing wins. At the 9th (410yds), Barnett hit a long drive, while Henderson sliced his and pulled his second and failed to get the green with his third. Barnett’s second was just on the edge and his third was dead. Henderson failed to hole his fifth and surrendered the hole—Henderson 1 up. Long Tom both played well and a half in five resulted. The Pit was halved in fives and Barnett squared the match with a win in four at the Clubhouse. The 13th was halved in fives and the next hole, Short Tom, looked to be a certain win for Henderson after Barnett had played his tee shot out of bounds. Henderson was nicely on in one and Barnett put his second on both, being about 15ft. from the pin. Barnett was down in two more while Henderson treated himself to four putts and lost a hole he should have won. This disaster no doubt had its effect on Henderson’s putting for the rest of the morning round as he failed several times with easy ones. The next hole was halved in 5 and Barnett won the 16th with a nice 3. The 17th was a poor hole, both going out of bounds, and was halved in 6. Barnett won Long Tom with a good five and was 3 up. The cards were:— Out. Henderson: 4,5,5,4,5,3,5,5,6. 42 Barnett: 6,6,5,4,5,3,5,5,4. 43 In. Henderson: 6,5,5,5,5,5,3,6,5. 45—87. Barnett: 5,5,4,5,4,5,3,6,5. 42—85. In the afternoon Barnett was in better form, and although Henderson played his long game satisfactorily, his short approaching and his putting were

far below his usual standard. The 19th was won by Henderson with a wellplayed four and the Clubhouse was won by Barnett in 4, Henderson failing to sink an 18-inch putt for the half —Barnett 3 up. At McDonalds both hit long balls. Henderson’s second was just short of the green and a little to the right. Barnett put his third nicely on and Henderson had his chance for a win. A poor approach shot rolled down the hill, and Henderson then needed three putts to hole out and a five gave Barnett a win. Short Tom was won by Henderson in 3, and Slippery was halved in well-played birdie fours. Henderson sliced his mashie into the rushes at the next and Barnett won with a good 3. At the next hole Henderson failed to find the green with his 2nd. and Barnett won the hole in four and was 5 up. The next two holes were halved in fives. Barnett won Long Tom in 6, Henderson failing badly. Henderson won the Pit with a well played 4 but Barnett won the Clubhouse in 4 and was dormy 6. McDonalds was won by Barnett and the match ended in his favour, 7 up and five to play. The cards were:— Out. Henderson: 4,5,6,3,4,4,5,5,6. 42. Barnett: 5,4,5,4,4,3,4,5,6. 40. In. Henderson: 7,4,5,6. Barnett: 6,5,4,5. The B grade championship was also concluded, on Wednesday and resulted in a win for the President, Ball, who defeated Rice,3 up and 2. In the, morning both were playing good golf and Rice finished 3 up. In the afternoon Rice was not playing so well, and Ball managed to square the match at the 27th. Long Tom was halved in sixes and Ball won The Pit which put him in the lead for the first time. The Clubhouse was halved and Ball won McDonalds, making him 2 up with 5 to go. Short Tom was halved in 4 and Slippery in five. At the next hole both were short and Ball approached within 5 feet of the pin. Rice was too strong with his second but made a beautiful putt which just failed to go in. Ball missed his putt for a win, but laid his opponent a dead stymie. Rice made a big effort to hole his putt but failed, and Ball won the B Grade Championship for 1932, 3 up and 2 to go.