BOBBY JONES AGAIN

Taranaki Daily News, 6 June 1930, Page 3

BOBBY JONES AGAIN

GREAT VICTORY IN BRITAIN TARANAKI INTER-CLUB GAME. CONDITIONS AT WAIWAKAIHO.

(By

“Stance.”)

In history wo have read, of Alexander who, they tell us, wept because there were no more lands to conquer. Bobby Jones, the crack American amateur, is now in the same position, but it is scarcely likely that Bobby will sit down to weep. By his great victory in the British Amateur last week he has captured all the premier events in the .golf world—the British Open, the British Amateur, the American Open, and the ..American Amateur- —a / truly wonderful achievement. In. the last seven years he has won no less than nine of these big events, the American Open three times, the American Amateur three times, the British Open twice, and the British Amateur once. Hagen . with three wins in the British Open is the only other player to annex more than one of them. ■ One can see from this the .wonderful pre-eminence of the Georgian bonder in the golf world. No other player in any branch of sport occupies such a high position, not only in prowess, but also in the popular imagination. We are told that no less than 20,000 followed the final and 15,000 his game with Tolley. Just imagine the crowd that witnessed the British football match at New 1 ly* mouth, transported to the links at Waiwakaiho, and one might get some idea of the scenes at St. Andrew’s. He is just as popular in Britain as he is in the States, and as one prominent American said, he is the best ambassador that his country ever sent to England. No doubt a great deal, of this popularity lies in the fact that he is. a Georgian and Georgia, in common" with most of the Southern States, is perhaps more English than American. Jones in his book, “Down the Fairway,” refers to himself as a Southerner and the New York and Chicago crowds as Yankees. It is useless further eulogising his play; suffice only to say that he, the greatest player the game has so far produced, does not look like being seriously threatened for some time to come.

HAWERA VISITS NEW PLYMOUTH.

It was very pleasing to see the big team of well over 40 Hawera players that made the journey to New Plymouth on Tuesday, and though the day was bleak and cold the fixture was in all other respects a great success. As was generally expected the New Plymouth team on its own course proved too strong and had a comfortable margin in its favour, more especially in the afternoon. Nevertheless a number of games were extremely hard-fought and no less than four finished with honours even. , .'f : : W. O’Callaghan and J. Quin headed the visitors and they were faced by a strong pair in A. E. Conway and C. H. Stephenson, but in the morning the visitors were too strong, winning 2 up and 1 to play after a very hard struggle. The first two holes were halved in fours and then O’Callaghan put. his side in the? lead by winning the third. The next three were halved, O’Callaghan sinking a difficult 15-footer on the sixth. Conway squared the game by sinking a long one for a two at the seventh. The New Plymouth pair looked sure to win the eighth, but again O’Callaghan’s putter was equal to the occasion. Conway missed a five-footer at 'the ninth and the Hawera pair turned for home one up. Stephenson laid his tee shot at the' tenth 10 feet from the hole while Conway and Quin were on the edge of the green. Quin sank his putt for a two but Stephenson rose to the occasion arid put his down for a half. Stephenson missed a foot putt on the 11th and Hawera was two up. The New Plymouth pair seemed sure to win the twelfth when Stephenson laid his tee shot less than a foot from the pin, but again Quin’s putter did the trick and the hole was halved. Not content with this he sank another 40-footer at the 13th. Though the New Plymouth pair fought hard over the last four holes they were unable to reduce the lead.

In the afternoon none played the first well, Conway winning with a four. O'Callaghan won the third and the game was square again. Quin took a hand in affairs again arid banned another 40footer for a two at the fourth, and O’Callaghan winning the fifth with a great five against the wind, Hawera was two up. Conway won the sixth and Stephenson looked sure to win the seventh, but O’Callaghap ran one down from the edge of the green for a half in three. Stephenson and O’Callaghan both ’ sank longish putts for fours in the eighth and the former squared the game by winning the ninth with a four. The tenth was halved, Quin and Stephenson just missing twos. O’Callaghan sank another long put't for a half in four at the 11th. Both visitors were in trouble at Moses and New Plymouth took the lead. O’Callaghan, however,

squared, the game at the 13th by holing a difficult 7-footer for a win. The next two were halved, but both Hawera players struck trouble’ at The Dell, and New Plymouth was one up again. All got fours at the 17th and Conway annexed the last hole with a four. Both games were productive of very fine golf under difficult conditions, O’Callaghan especially playing very well. Hasell and Johns proved much too strong for Pratt and Whitehead, neither of whom displayed true form, but W. C. Weston and J. McNeill had two stern 'struggles with T. Morpeth and R. Hay-Mackenzie, and finished with honours even both morning and afternoon. L. Hunt and F, W. Sutton, were unable to hold Quilliam and Mackay who, especially the latter, were playing well. Mackay very nearly holed a two at the last hole> in the afternoon. R. A. Boon end A. Street proved too strong for J, Pease and N. Lewer, but the New Plymouth pair is a strong combination and the visitors were far from disgraced? G. J. Bayley and H. Wilson had to lower their, colours to J. Salmon and C. Carlson in the morning,. but they improved in the afternoon arid triumph-, cd at the sixteenth. M. R. Jones and McAnerin were the only Hawera pair to win both morning and afternoon. F. D. Johns distinguished himself by holing twos at the fourteenth and sixteenth greens ini the afternoon, and he and his partner, I£. Tompkins, had two fairly comfortable. wins. Many of the other games .were, very well contested, and a. few went to the last green, tiyo of them in the darkness. MEDLEY CUP COMPETITION.

The Medley Cup competition commenced on Saturday last, .when a big field of over 60 faced the starter. The conditions were good and the scores, considering the present slow state of the course, up to standard. A limit handicap man in V; Duff returned the best card and leads the field by one' hole. Duff has been out of the game for some time and only rejoined last Easter, but he is evidently rapidly, getting his game into shape. He continued his good form on Tuesday arid is sure to be well in the picture'this week. Two low handicap players in Stephenson and Boon are next on the list. The former won the first and third holes but faulty green work cost him the, next three holes. However, he won the eighth and was rill square at the turn. Coming home he won the 10th and 12th with two and was one up with two to play, only to lose the last two holes. Boon, after losing the first two holes, played steady golf and turned for home one; up. 5He commenced the return journey badly by losing the 10th and 11th, but halved the next three and then, winning the 15th and 16th, was all square again. He lost the 17th and halved the last. ■ ?-

K. Tompkins was again playing well and had his putter been behavirig itself would have been at least three holes better. V. Dalgleish showed a welcome return to form and should do even better in the near, future. A. E. Conway, W. C. Weston and R. H. Quilliam are all well up and might be dangerous to the leaders on Saturday, but the issqe would appear to lie between Duff, Boon and Tompkins. The chairman of the greeris committee, Mr. F. S. Johns, deserves a word of praise for the wonderful condition of the greens, which are perhaps in bet-ter-order now than, they have ever been and came in for a lot of very favourable comments from the Hawera players on Tuesday, and on Saturday there were few complaints—a most unusual occurrence—and Mr. Johns must have been feeling like the ancient Greek who said, “What have I done wrong that all men should praise' me?” , ' . . T. P.. Anderson . was -wielding his mashie and putter with deadly effect on Tuesday and in the afternoon required only one putt on. each of the first seven greeps—a ‘ .truly remarkable achievement and one that many players would like to emulate in the final round of the Medley Cup to-morrow.

BLACKLEY CUP GOLF. MISS H; WILSON. THE WINNER. In the final of the Blackley Cup competition amongst members of the New Plymouth Ladies’ Golf Club yesterday, Miss H. Wilson defeated Miss E. Grover one up after a well-contested game.