GOLFING EVENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1928, Page 4

GOLFING EVENTS

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By

“Stance.”)

The New Plymouth championship final j will be played on Saturday over 36 holes. It ie a great pity that the fairways are in such a pitiful state; otherwise some fine golf would be witnessed, but as things stand the luck of the lie will play a very important part. The writer was playing the same game both morning and afternoon as both of the finalists, and he is not going to commit himself to any rash prophecies. The writer acknowledges a copy of the programme for the annual tournament of the Wanganui Golf Club, which will take place on the club’s links at Belmont on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 4,5, and 6. Entries close with the secretary; Mr. F. J. Hill, P.O. Box 43, Wanganui, on September 28. This is one of the most popular events in New Zealand and always draws a good entry from not only New Plymouth but also from all the other Taranaki clubs. From what one can hear the New Plymouth contingent is going to be a record one, and include players of the stamp of Chong, Conway, Grey and Hascll. Visitors are always royally treated in tne river eity, and they have no trouble in forgetting the disasters of the day. It would, however, be advisable for players to go down a day or so beforehand if possible as certain holes have been slightly altered and practice on decent fairways will certainly be necessary to do one’s self justice. They will probably find that they have developed a tremendous slice as a result of putting too much right hand behind their shots. Kapi Tereha is in great form this year. He won the Dannevirke tournament in easy fashion, defeating that good player H. ’A. Black in the final by the crushing margin of 9 up and 8 to play, and last week he followed this up by annexing the Waipukurau event. It is to be hoped that he will be a competitor at Wanganui and Balmacewan. A. D. 8. Duncan was successful in qualifying for the Australian amateur championship and in the first round he accounted for the Victorian eolt Edgar by 3 up and 2 to play. Edgar, who is only 18 years of age, won the Victorian title last year. He is a very finished player with his iron dubs. Last year’s champion, Nankivil, lias gone out in the first round, as did the runner-up, Leigh Winser. It came as a surprise to find players of the calibre of Ive Whitton, Alex Russell, Lee Brown and Hector Morrison failing to qualify.

On the final day of the Australian open, Fred Popplewell did a hole in one and as he only triumphed by a single stroke the “glorious fluke” came in very handy. We have no details, but probably it was the third hole. This ie 163 yards in length, well guarded all round by bunkers, but the green is shaped rather like a saucer with one part of a side cut out. In the Rose Bay Cup match last year Billy Horton started 3.4.1. He holed his tee shot here. Speaking of holes in one in chare, pionship events always brings to mind Jock Hutchinson in the British open, when he holed his tee shot at one hole and then sank his second at another in the final round.

The New Plymouth ladies’ championship has now reached its final stage between Mrs. Mac Diarmid and Mrs. Russell. The formei - is a steady player who handles her iron clubs very well and was generally expected to reach the final stages. Mrs. Russell, however, is the surprise packet, but she fully deserves her success as she had to meet two formidable opponents in Miss Dell and Mrs. Duff, but she accounted for both by fair margins. She also is a player of the steady kind, but she has much improved this season and can be depended upon to give sf good account of herself in the final.

In the junior event the fancied candidates were eliminated one by one, and now Miss I. Hawes and Miss H. Wilson meet in the final. Both are improving players and a good game should result.