AMATEUR GOLF CONTEST

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1929, Page 12

AMATEUR GOLF CONTEST

PRESENT CHAMPION BEATEN MORPETH ONLY STALWART LEFT. LEO QUIN PLAYS FINE MATCH. (By Wire—Special from “Stance.”) Wanganui, Last Night. ■' The weather was -again perfect today when -the first two rounds of the amateur golf championships took place. The day saw some great golf and some ■ rather sensational surprises. Of the first four amateurs in the open only Morpeth remains in, Horton, Duncan and Silk, having fallen by tlx* wayside. Duncan had a very close call in the morning afid no doubt the strain of this encounter had left ite mark. Morpeth is not playing well and was a trifle lucky to survive the first- round. Two ex-champions, A. D. S. Dunean and Leo Quin. had. a great fight, and both produced some wonderful golf. They both, started with perfect fours at the first two holes, but Duncan was short with his second at the Dress Circle and Quin became one up 'with a nice four. Quin was unlucky at- the 4th,-his putt for a three rimming the hole. The sth was halved in. good threes. Quin just stayed out for a four and a win at the 6th but became two up when Duncan struck trouble at the 7th. Quin, was short with his second at' The Quarries and • put a ball out of bounds at the . 9th,- and the’ game was. square at the turn. Duncan sank a 15-footer for a two and-a win at the 10th- and-stymied- Quin at Long Tdnv and halved the hole, Quin was stone dead with his tee shot at the short 12th. but Duncan holed a 30- . footer for a- two and a half. Quin won the 13th with a perfect four, but missed- an awkward 4-footer for a win at the next. He became one up at French Pass but placed his second badly at Bunker’s Hill and Duncan wonthe - holt) and squared the game. PLAYERS HAVE SOME LUCK. . Both were a trifle lucky at the 17th, Quin's second skipping a bunker and Duncan’s just stopping short of another. At the last hole Quin sliced his tee shot badly but recovered fairly well. Duncan half topped his- second, but if- ran- on to the green. Quin was fifteen feet from the pin with his third and lipped the hole for a four to save the match. It was a fine match and.was worthy of the New Zealand champions, Duncan being round in . 74- and Quin in 75. Kapi Tereha- started off in good style against Louisson and was 2 up at the 6th.' Louisson, however, won the 7th and was only one down at the turn. The 10th was halved, but then Kapi started to go astray with -his tee shots and Louisson won Long Tom with a five and Terawhiti with a. three and became l.up. The 13th was halved, but a 'fine four, won the Encampment fol- the Aucklander, Kapi being astray again. French Pass was halved in fours and then Louisson won Bunker’s Hill and the match with a four. Young Reilly, the Patea player, had Morpeth doino- his best in the morning and appcarecT to have the champion beaten at the 14th, but he crashed and Morpeth won the next three holes. Morpeth started with a ball out of bounds and Reilly was one up. He lost the next, his second being well through. Reilly won -the 4th after Morpeth had been" short with his second. The next ■ two were • halved, but Reilly won the 7th. After a great second to the green Morpeth sank a 15-footer for a three at The Quarries and squared the game with a four. With a ball out of bounds at the 9th Reilly won the 10th and 11th, but Morpeth sank a 30-foot putt for a 2 at the 12th. The 13th was halved, but Reilly became . 2 up by winning- the 14th with a four. Morpeth then started 3,. 4,4, and won all three holes, .and Reilly could only halve the last, leaving the Aucklander a winner by one hole.

HORTON'S SENSATIONAL DEFEAT. The sensation of the afternoon was the defeat of the present champion Horton, at the hands of the Manawatu crack Eksteadt. The .story of the match was that of missed putts on the part of the loser, the rest of his game being sound. The first hole was halved after Horton had chipped nicely over a bunker. Horton won the second but missed an easy putt for a half at the third. Eketeadt struck trouble at the 4th and Horton, who had played a fine iron second on the Queen, was one up again. The next three holes were halved in par figures, but Horton missed a two-footer at The Quarries and the game was square, again. The 9th was halved and they turned for home with honours even. Horton’s club slipped at the 10th and he lost the hole, but a fine four at Long Tom evened things again, . Eksteadt sank a long putt for a two and a win at the 12th and Horton again took three putts at Elma, leaving the Manawatu man two up with five to play. Eksteadt missed an easy putt’ at the 14th and Horton had a great chance to square the match at French Pass, but his putter failed again. Eksteadt won the 16th, Horton duffing his second. Eksteadt stymied Horton at the 17th, winning > the hole and the match. Another big surprise was the defeat of Duncan at the hands of the Castlecliff crack Cathro by the narrow margin of one hole. Both started with fours at the first and second and Duncan won the third, Cathro missing an easy putt. The 4th was halved in fives but another missed putt by Cathro allowed Duncan to increase his lead to two. The 6th was halved in fours, but Cathro was shoft at the next and Duncan was three up. He struck trouble at the next two holes and Cathro won both with good fours. The next two were halved in par figures, but Cathro squared the match with a fine two at the short 12th and followed this by winning the next two holes with good fours. His°putt at French Pass stopped on the edge and Duncan won the hole with a three. Cathro retaliated by winning Bunker’s Hill. A une four won the 17th for Duncan, but Cathro put his second on the green 'at the last hole, and though Duncan sank a fine putt for a four it was of no avail, Cathro getting down in the requisite two putts. The two young Aucklanders, Basil Smith and Louisson, had a great go, and though the latter made a brave effort at the finish the former proved steady, being only once over fours. Macfarlane always had slightly the better of the game with Colling and eventually won 2 up and 1. The Black brothers had a stern struggle, but J. L. always had slightly the better of things. Neither Morpeth nor Whyte played at all well going.out. Both commenced

with three very ordinary fives at the first three holes, but Morpeth became one up by winning the short Seaview with a three. Whyte won the 7th but a four at the 9th allowed Morpeth to o-ain an advantage with which he won the match.