GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 23345, 1 November 1937, Page 4

GOLF

Invercargill Club’s Championships R. A. WILSON WINS HIS FIFTH TITLE Eighteen years ago R. A. Wilson won the championship of the Invercargill Golf Club for the first time; yesterday he won the title for the fifth time, his other succeses being in 1921, 1923 and 1933. In this year’s final he defeated G. F. Deighton by the good margin of 7 and 6. Wilson was 4 up after the morning round, and it took him only 12 holes in the afternoon to clinch the championship. The final of the intermediate championship was played in a gale on Saturday between H. T. Thompson and F. E. Holdgate, the former winning by 4 and 2. Holdgate had defeated N Earl in a semi-final the previous evening by 2 and 1. The junior championship final was also decided on Saturday, W. Strang defeating A. H. Broad by 3 and 2. WILSON’S BRILLIANT GOLF Wilson played brilliantly over the first nine holes in the morning against Deighton and established such a commanding lead that from then on he was never in danger of being defeated. Deighton was not playing as well as he did in the two previous rounds, but even had he produced thar good form, he would still have been a hole or two to the bad at the end of rhe first round. The weather was fine, but a strong westerly wind blew throughout. Wilson won the first hole with a correct 4, and after the next had been halved in s’s, he went away in a spectacular run to win five holes in a row, four of them—the third, fourth, sixth and seventh—with birdies. Deighton must have gained some relief when Long Tom was halved in s’s, but Wilson increased his lead with a 4 at the ninth and was 7 up. His figures for the nine holes were :45424425 4—35, three under bogey. Deighton had his first win with a birdie 3 at the tenth. Neither could get a 4 at the next hole, which was halved in s’s. Deighton got another hole back at Dardanelles, but after the next two had been halved in bogey figures, he knocked his opponent’s ball into the hole at the fifteenth, giving Wilsor. a win with a birdie 3. Knolls was halved in s’s, then Deighton, undeterred by the margin against him, won the seventeeth with a 3 and the eighteenth with a 4, and Wilson’s lead was reduced to 4 up. Wilson was round in 75 and Deighton in 80. The latter had much the better of the second half, winning four of the nine holes and losing only one. Ulis improvement in his game raised hopes of a close match. AFTERNOON ROUND

The first hole of the afternoon round was halved in 4’s. Neither was on Longwood green with his second, but Wilson was pin high to the left just off the green. He chipped to within 3ft of the pin and after Deighton had missed a nine-foot putt for a 4, Wilson made no mistake with his short putt and was 5 up. Three each to the green and two putts halved the third. Both underclubbed at the short fourth, but were close to the hole with their seconrts and a half in 3’s resulted. Deighton was on the edge of Dunn’s Road green with his second, but Wilson cut his slightly and the ball faded into a bunker. He chipped out neatly and was left with a putt of five feet for the half, but for once he failed to hole it, Deighton winning with a 4. Deighton could do nothing right at the next hole. He hooked his drive out of bounds and put his third into the ditch to the right of the green. Wilson had played two fine shots to the green and was not asked to hole out. That made him 5 up again. The seventh was correctly played and was halved in 4’s Wilson went to 6 up when he won Long Tom with a 5. He had pulled his drive, but reached the top of the ridge and hit a good second. Deighton was short with his approach and just missed the putt for the half. Deighton was in a much better position for approaching the ninth green after the drives had been played. Wilson had pulled his slightly and was left with an awkward approach over the mound. He tried to run up the bank, but got only halfway and the ball rolled back to the flat. Deighton played a good approach and won with a 4. Wilson was 5 up with nine to play. Deighton was in the rough at the left of the fairway with his drive from the tenth tee. Wilson hit a beautiful shot into the wind and finished over the ridge. Deighton played out of the rough well, but was short of the green Wilson had a simple approach to play, but completely duffed it, Deighton escaping with a half in s’s. Another great drive

at the eleventh by Wilson was followed by an iron shot to the right edge of the green, pin high. Deighton had pulled ms drive a little and was through the green with his second. He was not up with his next and lost the hole to Wilson’s 4. The latter was 6 up with only 7 to play. Wilson was just on the twelfth green from the tee, Deighton being to the right. The latter chipped to within 6ft of the pin and a half m 3’s seemed probable. But Wilson s approach putt ran past the hole a few inches and left Deighton, who had to hole his putt to keep the match alive, a dead stymie. He could not overcome it and Wilson took the hole with a 3, winning the match by 7 and 6 INTERMEDIATE FINAL Despite the boisterous weather on Saturday Thompson and Holdgate played good golf in the intermediate final. They were both out in 42, four over bogey, and the match was all square. Thompson maintained that standard over the second nine holes, whereas Holdgate dropped strokes here and there, the morning round finishing with Thompson 3 up. He completed the round with an excellent birdie 3 at the eighteenth; that gave him a score of 82 compared with Holdgate’s 86. Although Thompson duffed his drive at the first hole in the afternoon he made a good recovery and won it with a 4. Two more 4’s, the second one a birdie, put him 6 up, and when he holed out in 5 at Dunn’s Road he had the big lead of 7 up. Holdgate won the next two holes in bogey figures, Long Tom was halved in s’s and Thompson won the ninth with a 4 to be 6 up at the turn. Thompson was. again out in 42, but Holdgate took 46. A 4 at Outlook gave Thompson another win and he was in the very strong position of 7 up and eight to play. But Holdgate came into the picture again with wins at the eleventh and twelfth and another win with a birdie 4 at Manuka after Eastward Ho had been halved in s’s. Thompson’s lead bad thus been reduced from 7 up to 4 up in four holes. Taipo was a badly played hole, Holdgate relishing the opportunity to snatch another win. Thompson was now dormy 3. _ Both found it hard going into the wind at Knolls, and when Thompson took the hole in 5 he won the intermediate title. JUNIOR FINAL The golf in the junior final was good in .parts and there was the usual sprinkling of 7’s; but it was keenly fought throughout. Strang was the steadier of the two, and in the high wind that was blowing that meant the difference between winning and losing. In the first round Strang reached the turn holding a lead of two holes. He won the tenth and eleventh, but lost the twelfth, fourteenth and seventeenth, and at the end of the round the match was anybody’s, Strang having only one hole in hand. They began in the afternoon by halving the first two holes. Broad won the third and also the fourth, and was 1 up. But Strang was too steady for him and captured five holes in a row, reaching the turn with the useful lead of 4 up. Three successive halves suited Strang admirably; as long as he could just match his opponent he was sure to wm. Strang went to pieces at Eastward Ho, Broad winning that hole with a lot to spare. Broad strove hard to reduce the margin against him over the next three holes, but Strarig kept with him and they were all halved, the match ending witb Strang 3 up and 2 to play. FOUR-BALL BOGEY The boisterous weather on Saturday affected tbe scoring in a four-ball bogey match at Otatara, ihe winning pair being only two up. The course was very fast and some prodigious drives were hit with the aid of the wind. The best cards were:— C. C. Anderson and C. W. Francis 2 up J. A. Thom and A. J Skjellerup 1 up R. A. Wilson and C. R. Wilson 1 up G. F. Deighton and A. K. McEwan 1 up WILLIAMS LOSES VICTORIAN CHAMPIONSHIP (Received October 31, 6.30 p.m.) MELBOURNE, October 31. The Victorian amateur golf title was won yesterday by W. A. Higgins, who defeated H. R. Payne, 2 and 1 after a stirring contest at the Riversdale course. Harry Williams, the former titleholder for three consecutive years, was beaten in a quarter-final by H. Hamilton, 1 up. Higgins beat Hamilton in a semi-final.