GOLF SEASON OPENED AT OTATARA

Southland Times, Issue 23773, 22 March 1939, Page 11

GOLF SEASON OPENED AT OTATARA

By

PAR

A good start to the new season was made by the Invercargill Golf Club at Otatara on Saturday. The weather was ideal, the attendance big, the course in excellent order and the score of the winning pair must be a record foxmixed foursomes at Otatara. What more could be desired? The new nine-hole course at Bluff is to be opened on Saturday afternoon. It is expected that a number of Invercargill players will be at the port for the function, which will mark the culmination of some hard work on the part of a number of golfing enthusiasts.

Miss Claire Smith and J. E. Matheson, who won the opening day mixed foursomes at Otatara, gave an exhibition of team work rarely seen in such an event. After doing a round of 76 they would have been decidedly unlucky to have been beaten by a paix- with a longer handicap. But this net 73 was not bettered, and the Agnes Smith Memorial Cup went to the two best golfers on the links. Miss Smith is easily the best woman player in Southland, and Matheson, who is the present Otago provincial champion, is among the first flight in the two provinces. They reached the turn in 39, one over bogey, but picked up a stroke at the fourteenth and with two holes to go were level with bogey. Three putts at the short seventeenth put them one over and another stroke was dropped at the eighteenth. Their card was as follows:— Out— 44535446 4—39 In— 44354444 5—37—76

A good card was also returned by Mr and Mrs G. E. Glennie, of Queen’s Park. Their gross score of 82 was as good as one usually expects to find in a mixed foursome, but their handicap of eight left them a stroke behind the winners. Mrs A. C. Tansley and her son, M. S. Tansley, of Gore, combined well for a round of 84, and were also a stroke from Miss Smith and Matheson. A third net 74 was returned by Mrs W. E. Hazlett and G. R. Hanan, who returned a gross score of 88.

The match between the team of eight Otago University students and an Invercargill Club team at the week-end was thoroughly enjoyed by all who took part in it. The result was in doubt until the last two pairs came in. Each side had four wins to its credit and the return of the last pairs was awaited with interest. Both matches were won by the students, whose wins were thus increased to six. GIBBS BEATS MATHESON Chief interest centred in the singles match between Matheson and A. Gibbs, one of Otago’s best golfers, who was fourth in the open championship last year and had the best score among the amateurs. He was unable to take part in the amateur championship, which he was considered to have a good chance of winning, because of examinations. Matheson and Gibbs began their match with some fine golf. The first three holes were halved in 4’s and the next in 3’s, and at that stage they were both one under bogey. Gibbs struck trouble with his drive at Dunn’s Road, and Matheson was the first to get a win. Gibbs drew level again with a sound 4 at the sixth, where Matheson took three putts. The Invercargill player had a bad time at Elbow, and Gibbs became one up. Gibbs lost the next to Matheson’s 5, but took the ninth with a 4 and held a lead of one hole at the turn. He made it 2 up when Matheson failed to get his 4 at the tenth and three up with a birdie 2 at the twelfth. Eastward Ho was halved in bogey s’s and Manuka in birdie 4’s. Gibbs lost the fifteenth to Matheson’s 4, but finished the match with a win in 4t05 at Knolls. He completed the round in approximately 75 to Matheson’s 78. Gibbs is an attractive player and gets good length with his drives.

H. W. Rogers, the Southland provincial champion, was in top form against J? Davies, whom he defeated by 6 and 4. He was playing scratch golf and finished the round in 74, equal to the standard scratch score. Although M. O’Dowda would have broken 80, it was not good enough against J. Falvey, who defeated the Invercargill man by 3 and 1. Falvey had the useful lead of three holes at the turn and was four up after the twelfth had been played. He lost the next two but won Taipo. O’Dowda kept the match alive by winning Knolls with .'j birdie 3. He lost the seventeenth to Falvey’s 3. A. Thom was level with bogey when his match against J. Dodgshun (University) ended in his favour at the fourteenth green. He was three up at the ninth and increased his lead to five up with wins at the eleventh and twelfth. When the next two holes had been halved in s’s and 4’s respectively Thom Was the winner by 5 and 4. J. A. Thom, who conceded his Dunedin opponent four strokes to make up for the discrepancy in their handicaps, was beaten by M. O’Callaghan by 4 and 3. It looks as though it would have been a keen contest had they been playing level. H. M. Smith was defeated by a similar margin by P. Mackenzie (University). The players were well matched in the four-ball games, each side winning one and two being halved.