GOLF COMPETITIONS CONTINUED ON SATURDAY IN WIND

Southland Times, Issue 24138, 29 May 1940, Page 10

GOLF COMPETITIONS CONTINUED ON SATURDAY IN WIND

By

PAR

Saturday’s north-west wind, although not a particularly strong one, must have proved a bit troublesome for golfers, judging by the scores returned. No one could break 80. at Otatara, where the monthly stroke handicap was decided. The course was in good order. , , Entries for the King’s Birthday tournament at Queen’s Park close at a p.m. today. Intending competitors should see that their entries are m by then so that the committee will know how many to arrange catering The Western District championships have been postponed till June 30. The patriotic fund match held at Queen’s Park resulted in the sum ot £B/2/- being raised—a particularly good effort. „ ~ An original method of collecting money for patriotic funds has been adopted by members of the Maungakiekie Golf Club, Auckland, It has been decided that members playing on Sundays will be asked to donate Id for every occasion on which they visit a bunker in the course of the round. The stipulation has been made that any member feeling pessimistic before the start of the round may pay 6d and be exempt from any bunker charge. “The writer was astounded on a recent Sunday to note the paucity of attendance at one of our leading clubs, says a contributor to New Zealand Golf Illustrated. “The nineteenth was conspicuous only by its quietude and the few members present. We know all about petrol restrictions and the war, but we will not cease to maintain that it is the duty of those golfers who are not on active service to support their club whole-heartedly. It is not sufficient to pay one’s subscription; the club should be supported actively even if it entails some hardship; otherwise the outlook for golf clubs will be black indeed.” ' . After years and years of bickering the poor old stymie has been killed, in New York State anyway. At a recent meeting of the State Golf Association a motion abolishing the stymie was moved and carried unanimously. This will not alter the present rule of the United States Golf Association, which is a modified one, but it is" a straw in the wind. The negotiation of a stymie is a pretty and expert shot, and from many angles it would be a pity to see it go. It is not likely that the Royal and Ancient Club will be perturbed or modify its present attitude. POOR SCORING AT OTATARA The scores returned in the stroke handicap at Otatara on Saturday suggest that most of the competitors'were out of form, probably through lack of practice. It was certainly a windy afternoon, but conditions were by no means really difficult. In fact at the two longest holes the wind was a help and at two others —Rushes and Manuka—some players were able to get home in two shots and to have putts for eagle 3’s. But at other holes, notably Dunn’s Road, Elbow, Dardanelles and Knolls, accurate shooting was necessary if the player hoped to get bogey figures. Only one player could beat the standard scratch score of 74. That was A. D. Walker, who won the A grade trophy with 83-12-71. He was able to keep out of serious trouble and scored steadily throughout. S. A. Bell, who just seems to miss in these stroke events, and G. R. Hanan, tied for second place with 74 net. Bell was round in 80, which equalled the best gross score, after seeing four oi’ five medium-distance putts nibble at the hole and refuse to drop. Hanan was

only a stroke worse. H. M. Smith, who is usually within striking distance of the leaders, had another steady round of 84. A good score of 80 was returned by J. D. Strettell, who hit some sizzling drives during the round. B. Mehaffey should have done better than 83. He had birdies at Long Tom — after ballooning his drive—Eastward Ho and Manuka, but messed up several holes through weak play around the greens. ■ When S. F. Williams, winner of the Haggitt Cup a fortnight earlier, took 91 on Saturday he gave himseli no chance of winning, but he was mistaken. His 76 net gave him an easy victory, the next competitors, three of them, being four strokes away with net 80’s. One player would have beaten Williams if he had holed out at the seventeenth, but feeling that he" was holding up the pair behind he hurried off the green without holing his last putt and, of course, his card could not be accepted. Many of the B grade players would improve their games by having a few lessons. Only an expert will diagnose their faults correctly and guide them towards cleaner and more consistent hitting of the ball. QUEEN’S PARK CLUB Fourteen of the 16 matches in the first round of the Holloway Shield competition at Queen’s Park were decided on Saturday, and several surprises were caused. The first was the defeat of S. Robson, who qualified first with six strokes to spare. His conqueror, J. Low, finished in seventeenth place in the qualifying list, but in the man-to-man encounter he proved too good for Robson, winning by 3 and 2. Another upset was the defeat of L. G. Algie by E. H Ball. In the qualifying rounds Ball could not do better than 81 net, and after Algie’s good performance in difficult conditions the previous week it was thought that Ball would have little chance of getting past the first round. However, Ball’s game showed a big improvement and he won by the comfortable margin of 4 and 2. J. A. Allan was another who was expected to survive a few rounds, but H. W. Norris was a little too good for him, the'' match ending at the seventeenth. F. W. Tunnicliffe, who qualified last, played doggedly against R. Anderson, and won by one hole. Anderson was 15 strokes better than Tunnicliffe in the qualifying rounds. Most of the other matches went according to expectations.- \ WATERSON’S AMAZING RECOVERY Six down at the end of 18 holes—and yet he won the match. That was how A. N. Waterson secured the New South Wales golf title from D. J. Davies in a thrilling final. It was one of the most astonishing recoveries ever seen on any course. Waterson won by 3 and 2. It is the second time Davies has

been runner-up in the event. Jim Ferrier beat him in the 1938 final. “I’m not likely to get such a chance again,” Davies said after the match. The match .opened sensationally by Davies winning the first three holes in par figures. Waterson then pulled himself together, and squared the match by the turn. Then his game went to pieces, states The Daily Telegraph. He missed putts and lost direction with his irons, and Davies, with sound par golf, won seven of the nine holes, to lead 6 up. The crowd of about 600 cheered Waterson when he holed an 18-footer for birdie 3, and a win, on the nineteenth green, and again when he collected the short twenty-first hole, after Davies had found a pot. But he came to grief at the ‘twenty-second hole, and Davies ran to 5 up again. FIVE DOWN, 14 TO PLAY With only 14 holes left to play, Waterson’s plight seemed hopeless. But Davies chipped weakly at the twentythird and twenty-fourth holes. Waterson grabbed the chance with both hands with par 4 and 3 to be only 3 down. Davies hit a glorious shot to the twenty-fifth green from heavy rough, and looked like, winning, but Waterson chipped dead to snatch a half in par 4. At the 524-yard twenty-sixth hole Davies again played a great recovery shot and then approached to within nine feet of the flag. But Waterson

chipped stone dead out of a pot and won the hole! Davies missed a “sitter.” Davies 2 up. • A superb pitch seemed again to put Davies on the box-seat at the twentyseventh, when Waterson fluffed a short chip. But the title-holder boldly sank a 12-footer for a half in par 4. It was the last straw as far as Davies was concerned. He cut his drive to the 427-yard twenty-ninth hole. The ball lebbed in a deep bunker, and settled in a hole on the bank. Davies did well just to get out, but Waterson was nine feet from the pin in the like. Davies 1 up.

WATERSON LEADS From sand at the next hole Waterson played the shot of the match, a full No. 6 iron, eight feet from the flag. Davies, after a too strong dead straight approach, chipped nine feet past the hole and missed the return, and Waterson was in front for the first time during the match. Davies was now feeling the strain intensely. He hooked wildly from the j next tee. Waterson, down the middle , all the way, sank a five footer for a birdie 4 and another win. A bunker claimed Davies at the short thirtysecond hole. He only just got out, and j Waterson,. with a safe par 3, ran to two j up and four to play. Davies played soundly for a par 5 at the 541-yard thirtyythird hole, but Waterson sank a nine-footer for a birdie 4, to be dormy 3. Davies flopped wearily in his approach over the lake at the thirty-fourth hole, lobbed short of the green, and chipped seven feet past. Waterson, after two superb shots nine feet from the hole, putted to the edge of the hole, conceded Davies his putt, and the match was over. Waterson completed the 16 holes in the afternoon in two under fours. Waterson added to his season’s successes when he won the Concord Cup with rounds of 72 and 73 from a strong field of amateurs. He gave almost a flawless display. He won by four strokes from H. W. Hattersley and T. Tanner, who tied for second place. A record 68 in the third round enabled N. von Nida to win the Queensland open golf championship. The round gave him a lead of five strokes, and a 74 in the last round make his aggregate 289, and enabled him to take the title with ease. O. Pickworth (Sydney) was runner-up with 295, and A. H. College (Brisbane) third with 297. NO PRIVILEGE FOR FERRIER X was surprised to find that the privilege usually extended to oversea entrants in the United States open championship of not being forced to play in the State or sectional qualifying rounds had not been granted to me (writes J. Ferrier in The Sydney Morning Herald). Norman von Nida, the Australian professional, on his visit here last year, was not forced to qualify for the open, and it does seem strange that I, a national champion, should not be given ! the same privilege. The rules and regulations of the

United States Golf Association state: “Foreigners visiting this continent who wish to play in the open or amateur championships will, as a general rule, be required to play in sectional qualifying rounds, although exceptions may be made in certain circumstances.”

When I'inquired about entering for the open, I was informed by the authorities that they would be glad to have me play, but that I would have to qualify in the sectional rounds. 1 have not questioned this, and have merely entered in the normal way, though many golf officials in various States, who have told me that it is the first occasion that a national champion has been forced to go through the local qualifying rounds, urged me to protest.

I decided not to make any comment on the matter here. It will be necessary for me to play in a 36 holes qualifying round at some centre with local players. I do not anticipate any difficulty, in gaining a place in the field for the championship proper. Entries for the open closed on May 14, and the 36 holes qualifying play took place on May 27. Golfers met at approximately 32 centres, all over the country, seeking to qualify to compete in the classic, which will be decided over 72 holes at the Canterbury Country Club in Cleveland on June 6,7, and 8. A field of 170 will qualify to play in the first 36 holes of the champion-, ship, and the leading 66 will qualify for the concluding 36 holes. The leading 30 players in the previous year’s championship are ‘exempt from the qualifying rounds, but they must qualify for the final 36 holes in the championship proper.

I When we pick up the iron | | club for our second shot, that’s | | where the game really begins. | | The iron shot is a direct hit, but | | there must be no body move- | i ment before the impact. We j i call all iron club play wrist | | shots. This means forearms as | | well as the wrists. Hit the ball | I and hit it hard, but do not force | | it.—Tommy Armour. |