GOLF AND GOLFERS

Taranaki Daily News, 8 May 1930, Page 7

GOLF AND GOLFERS

STANDISH GUP COMMENCEMENT, ;■ PLAY GOOD IN NEW PLYMOUTH.

(By

“Stance.))

Perfect weather again favoured golfers at Waiwakaiho on Saturday, and the course was in fine order, though the activities of the industrious worm had rather spoiled some of the fairways. The general standard of scoring was good, but Tommy Donovan’s fight had a rather detrimental effect on the games of quite a number of the competitors; many snatched a quick lunch and set out to “Pharlap” . round the links in record time in order to be back to hear the broadcast account. The club captain, R. H. Quilliam, maintained his recent improved form, and his gross of- 84 might easily have been improved four or five if the pace had not been on. Nevertheless, his nett 71 leaves him disputing the lead with H. Williams with a like score. . Williams is playing' very consistently this season, and is living’ up, to his title of being the best-worst golfer'on the course; he is anything but , a stylist, but he gets there, which is the' main, thing. J. Hine, also a very improved player, was only one stroke away, and is bracketed with J. L. Ma.nder, who commenced the game only last season, but _ has already headed two junior competitions. There are numbers on the 74 mark, the most dangerous being R. Boon and A. Street, both of whom are consistently breezing round in the low eighties. The back-markers all failed to show up, Haa- ' 'ell ■with 81 being' the best. Chong and Stephenson both had royal shows of being in the seventies, but threw strokes away badly over the last few holes, each finishing with a rather inglorious seven at the last hole. . j? The result.' leaves -the competition in a very interesting state, no player having a commanding lead,; and at least a dozen or more being within 10 strokes . of the . leaders. ... It is unfortunate 'in some.ways .that, the-second round falls on* the; sebond/day of the Egmbnt faces, but if. the match committee'' had to cbnsijjerl every .. sporting' event the cbm"-' petitions would never be finished. - , ~ .... i n f. e r_ c i u b Matches/ - The first of the official inter-club matches took place at Waiwakaiho during the week-end, when a team from Stratford, paid New Plymouth a visit. Stratford was minus, its top man, R. B. - Anderson/ and though numbers' of the 'games were closely contested was easily defeated. The season lias only just commenced in the Central. Taranaki town, and few of the, visitors were able 'to show their best form. The leading pair, Neal and Jeffries, were up against it both in the morning and in the afternoon. In the morning Mackay, was playing great golf and Was round in 77, while in the afternoon Boon- gave them a taste of his best form, and when the game ended, at the thirteenth, was only three or four over fours. 'Both Mackay and Boon were ably partnered by Hine. So far this season New Plymouth’s top pair has been particularly severe on -their visiting opponents. On Stratford’s last visit Chong and Hine had an overwhelming win, and Stephenson and Hasell vanquished Hawera’s pair, D’Callaghan and Wiggins, very decisively. Next week-end the leading pair will have to deal with L. and J. Quin, and will be required to show tleir very best to keep up the .'record: the Elthani two are a very strong combination. The Game in Australia. While Walter Hagen is busy in Australia gathering in the shekels by demonstrating what can be done to a course with his great set of clubs, the other crack American player, Bobby Jones, is busy getting ready for his third attempt bn the British amateur. He had to bow down to Horton Smith by one stroke a little over a fortnight ago, but he made up for’ it by leading a strong field home in the Georgia open by no fewer than.l3 strokes with the wonderful total of 284, or an average of 71 per round. On the final day he returned a 69 and a 71. Horton Smith

was next, and as was the case last year, is finding the spring tournaments quite profitable. • ■ ’ " - ' - ;■ In the British amateur in May Bobby will be making his third attempt. The first was in 1923 when, as he himself puts it, he was “beaten 6 up and 5 to play by a sandy-headed fellow called Graham.” The next was in 1926, when, after a run of victories, among his victims being the ruling champion, he fell in the sixth round to the young Scotchman Andrew Jameson. This year, how-

ever, he. redeemed himself by carrying off the open by two strokes from a fellow countryman, Al Watrous, after r being two strokes behind with five holes to play. In 1927 he did not compete in the amateur, but led the field home again in the open by a big margin of eight strokes. He is sure to be favourite for both events this year, and a win for him in the amateur championship would be immensely popular, for the Georgia wonder is every bit as much an. idol in; England as .he is in the States. ..However, all the matches are over'lB holes, and it is well-known that Jones has almost a dread of an 18.-hole game. It is quite on the cards that though he is head and shoulders above . the rest, he may again be deft on the wayside, a victim of the clumsy, antiquated system that still prevails in the Old Country. America will be strongly represented in the amateur, as the Walker Cup team is sure to be competing, so in addition to Bobby, there will be Harrison John-

son, Dr, Willing, George von Elm and others, and it would appear that there is a big chance of the title going to the States. It will be remembered, that in

1926, when Andrew Jameson laid Bobby low, Jesse Sweetzer . stepped into the breach, and carried off the title. Sweetzer, however, became seriously ill shortly after that event, and has been out of ■ big golf ever since, but is now well on the road to recovery and is reported as a likely competitor next month. This contingent is sure to be reinforced by some of the crack professionals in the annual assault on the open event, and here again R. T. Jones is the star of the side. The four rounds of medal play is his forte, as his record in open •championships shows. He has competed in the British event 3 times for 2 wins and once also started (he tore up his card). In the American event he has in the last-eight years been first once, and tied for first position four times, winning the play-off twice and losing by one stroke on thfe other two occasions, and has filled the bill of runner-up on two other occasions. Only once, in 1927, has ho been further back than second. Truly has it been said that the American open is an annual event in which the professionals rally up in strength to see if there is any one of them capable of beating Bobby Jones.