Successful Golf Tournament Held At Queen’s Park Last Week-End

Southland Times, Issue 23838, 8 June 1939, Page 11

Successful Golf Tournament Held At Queen’s Park Last Week-End

By

PAR

Southland golfers had a full programme at the week-end with their own club competitions and the tournament at Queen’s Park. For women players there was a tournament at Wyndham. The weather throughout was mild and calm, Monday being brilliantly fine. The fixture at Otatara next Saturday is the Cuthbertson memorial bogey foursomes handicap; at Queen’s Park A and B grade players will be partnered in a four-ball bogey handicap. An improvement has been made to the clubhouse at Queen’s Park by shifting out the eastern wall a few feet and so bringing under cover ther veranda that ran along that side of the building. What was formerly the veranda is now a passageway leading from the women s room to the room facing the north, which has been enlarged as a result of the alterations made. The work was n-'t begun until the middle of last week but was completed in time for ihe tournament

0. A. B. Smith, of Winton, a member of a well-known Southland golfing family, is to be congratulated on ioining the hole-in-one club. His tee shot at the seventeenth at Queen’s Park on Monday morning was truly struck; the ball bounced once and disappeared into the hole. No one else could equal that, in spite of the fact that 247 other shots were played from the same tee during the day. The American open championship will begin at Philadelphia today. The holder of the title is Ralph Guldahl, who has won it twice in succession. No one has won the championship three times running since W. Anderson did so in 1903, 1904 and 1905. J. Ferrier, the Australian open champion, captured two more titles last week. First he won the Queensland open with a score of 280 and three days later had a comfortable win in the state amateur championship. He has now won the Queensland open three times, his previous successes being in 1934 and 1938. Four years ago he was runner-up. Ferrier’s victory in the Queensland amateur championship was his fourth in that event. Four members of the Invercargill Club, who were playing together in Saturday’s bogey handicap at Otatara had nine birdies among them and a putt for a tenth went in and out of the hole. But strangely enough only one of the four finished up on bogey. Five of the birdies were obtained at successive holes—3 at the ninth, two 3’s at the tenth, 3 at the eleventh and 2 at the twelfth. CREMIN’S IMPRESSIONS Eric Cremin, professional golf champion of Australia, who toured the Dominion with N. von Nida, was not enthusiastic about the courses he played on in New Zealand. He gave his impressions to The Sydney Morning Her-, aid and expressed the opinion that most of the Dominion’s courses lacked character. What he considered a defect was that generally the greens were on the same level as the fairways. Commenting on players he had met, Cremin named J. P. Hornabrook as the best amateur in the Dominion and predicted that more would be heard of a young law student, David Graham, of Wellington. Neither of Cremin’s statements is likely to provoke criticism. The last New Zealand amateur championship was a washout for Jiornabrook, but he could still be ranked by most competent judges as No. 1 amateur in this country. Graham, North Island champion, is already marked out for the highest honours. Judging Ellesworth. Vines, _ the professional tennis player, on his play in the second round, of the British amateur championship, English critics expect him to go far. The Times describes Vines as a not only good but attractive golfer, who uses his height well and has an easy, smooth and powerful swing. “Vines is all ease and elegance,” continues the writer. “Nobody ever played a first hole at Hoylake better than Vines did against E. Ratcliffe.” In that match Vines opened with 3,4, 4,3, 4. It was an electrifying start, and drew a great gallery. He won that match, 4 and 3. In contrast he started disastrously against John Baillieu, of Melbourne, with 8,5, 7, and he never quite recovered from it, despite what The Daily Mail describes as “a magnificent fight.” MONDAY'S TOURNAMENT One of the most successful tournaments ever held in Southland was that conducted by the Queen’s Park Club on Monday. A field of 124 takes careful handling if serious congestion is to be avoided, but the officials of the club

proved equal to the big task and are to be congratulated on the efficient manner in which the tournament was managed. Golfers from all over Southland were present, and a thoroughly-enjoyable day was spent m bright sunshine on a course that was in wonderful order. Four players—J. E. Matheson, G. A. Patterson, D. F. Lindsay and H. W. Rogers—were all in the running for the Invercargill amateur championship until the last putt had been holed. Halfway through the afternoon round Patterson, a fine natural golfer who took G. A. Ussher to the last green at Otatara at Easter, was playing so. well that his success was being predicted, but he faltered over the last few holes and I Matheson caught up on him. With eight I holes to play Patterson was three strokes better than Matheson. The latter picked up a stroke at the | eleventh, then for the next four holes it was level pegging, Patterson holding his two-stroke lead. Matheson gained another valuable stroke at the sixteenth with a 4 to Patterson’s 5 and drew level when the scoring was the same at the last hole. A big gallery followed the play-off over five holes. Faulty putting cost Patterson two strokes and Matheson one, and when the latter failed with his tee shot at the short sixteenth that was virtually the end of it. , It was a good performance on tne part of Matheson, who started badly in the morning and had an expensive / at the fourth hole in the afternoon. Patterson’s turn will come; he is a younger and much less experienced golfer than the new champion, but looks like taking a prominent part in Southland golf in the future. Lindsay and Rogers had good rounds of 75 and 76 respectively m the afternoon, but they failed by a stroke ° be included in the play-off. The holder of the title, J. S. Lindsay, who won last year by a margin of four strokes, did not compete this year. Wherever they compete the Ohai men always have to be reckoned with, un Monday three of them, W. McEU>gott, L. S. Edmond and T. Small, filled the first three places in the intermediate championship, McElligott beating th other two by a stroke. The scoring in this grade was not as good as it was; a year ago, the winning score then, 101, being six strokes better than it was on Monday. ... , „ A young player, E. R. Barnett, had a convincing win in the junior championship, his afternoon round of 81 being a very fine performance indeed, v. Milne, of Wyndham, was the only other player in either the intermediate or junior grade to beat that score. A- K. Cullen, runner-up to Barnett, has tilled that position four times this year. He was previously second in the summer championship at the Park, second in the provincial junior championship at Easter and second at the Gore tournament. , A successful tournament for women was held at Wyndham on Monday. Although playing below her best form Miss C. Smith won the A grade championship by three strokes from Mrs J. D. Speirs. The latter played well in the morning, but took three strokes more in die afternoon and was beaten by that margin. Miss L. Jopp, of Gore, won the B grade title by three strokes from Mrs G. R. Martin, also of Gore. CLUB COMPETITIONS A feature of the bogey handicap at Otatara on Saturday was a -round of /b by the club secretary, F. H. Hughes, who was 3 up. Hughes was out in 38 and was 2 up at the turn. Winsat the tenth, with a birdie 3, ana the eleventh made him 4 up, but he lost the short twelfth—his only loss in the round. A succession of six halves followed. It was one of the best rounds he has played. W. Buchan, who finished 1 up, stood 3 up at the thirteenth, but lost the next two. A win at Pancake made him 2 up, but at the last hole he hooked his second into heavy rough and lost his ball. A 4 at that hole would have given him a round of 79. Only three B grade cards were returned, the best being 1 down by J. Graham. E. H. Smith was 2 down and H. Murphy 3 down. , . There was some good scoring in the open handicap matches at Queen s Park at the week-end. J. F. Miller, who won the A grade bogey handicap with 2 up on Saturday, had a splendid round of 78. His handicap has been reduced from 11 to 9. The consistent I L. E. Raines was next with 1 up. H. W. Rogers had a round of 74 and W. F. Poff and S. A. Glennie each had 78. R. Gimblett set a merry pace in the

B grade. Playing from a handicap of 21 he went round in 83 and was 4 un on bogey. Six strokes were promptly knocked off his handicap. In a Stableford handicap R. Anderson won the A grade trophy with 31-8-39, his medal round being 77. S. A. Glennie, who was runner-up to Anderson with 32-5-37, turned in a 76. LOCKE BEATS WHITCOMBE Bobby Locke, open champion of South Africa and New Zealand, has won the first of the big money matches he has sought in England this year. After an intensive tour, in the course of which he visited New Zealand, and .at 1 Dunedin won our open championship, Locke returned to his own country— South Africa. There he won the open championships of Transvaal and South Africa. In those events his scores were: 66, 69, 66, 64—265; and 69, 69, 74, 67—270. These scores, made on courses in all respects up to championship standard, were remarkable, and from some of the financial magnates of South Africa plenty of money was offered to support Locke in his quest for further honours. Locke first tried for a money match with Henry Cotton, but Cotton, with a visit to the United States in view later in the year as captain of the British Ryder Cup team, refused the challenge, j Reginald Whitcombe, British open champion, took up the gauntlet and the match was played at Coombe Hill last Wednesday and Thursday. Up to a point it was a good match, but in the end Whitcombe collapsed and Locke won easily 6 and 5. At the end of the first day, when 36 holes had been played, Locke stood 2 up. Beginning the second day, Whitcombe asserted himself, winning on balance , three of the next nine holes. Thus at the fortyfifth hole he had wiped out his deficit and was 1 up. He was now in an excellent position to keep his run going and establish his superiority, but his game broke down and, according to the brief cable sent out, he was “constantly in trouble.” In the next 23 holes • Whitcombe was on the wrong side to the tune of seven and the match finished at the sixty-eighth hole—a long way from the last green. Locke’s next opponent is Archie Compston, who is professional at Coombe Hill, and the stake is £lOOO aside. There are many observers and writers in Britain who consider Locke the best golfer in the Empire—some say

in the world, but that claim is rather sweeping. We certainly did not see the real Locke in the New Zealand open championship. He was a sick man and a stale player, but those who know the game and saw Locke play got a line on his quality from the fact that he could make so many mistakes and still win. He will almost certainly start favourite for the British open championship next month, but he will need all his skill and the “breaks” of the game with him as well to win. Golf is a chancy game. In New Zealand Locke could drop strokes in every round and still win, but when it comes to the British open championship, there is no one in the field so outstandingly superior to all the others that he can win with his swing a bit out of gear and the luck running against him. Still, the win over the British open champion will put Locke’s stocks up.

Spurred on by the need of employment instead of glory, Ellison (Tarzan) Brown, swarthy Indian, recently won, for the second time in four years, the Boston marathon, greatest race of its kind in America. Brown, a stonemason and out of work since he ran *in the Olympic Games in 1936, plodded 26 miles 385 yards, mostly through driving rain in 2hr 28min 51 4-ssec. His time was 2min 9 4-ssec faster than the record. Brown, incidentally, was denied admission to race until a friend had paid his dollar entry free. There were 178 starters. Brown lost but two pounds in weight during his run. His time has been claimed as the fastest ever made for the marathon distance. But that is not so. His figures were 27 4-ssec better than those of K. Son, who made an Olympic record in 1936, but not so good as the feat of Paavo Nurmi, greatest of them all. In 1932 the famous Finn returned the amazing time of 2hr 22min 4sec.