GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1930, Page 5

GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

NEW PLYMOUTH CLUB PLAY LADIES’ QUALIFYING ROUND. MEN’S PLAY STARTS TO-MORROW. (By “Stance.”) Last Saturday promised well and there was a big muster of players at Waiw-1-kaiho to take part in the four-ball aggregate medal handicap, but about Z o’clock a succession of heavy showers? commenced and it was a case of retreat from Moscow for the majority of the competitors. Nevertheless golfers are a hardy race and a number defied the elements and completed the round. • C. D. MacAllum and A. L. Humphries led the field with 183 —33—150. They owed their win to very steady golf on the part of both on the ‘homeward journey, each doing the last nine in 40. They scored a comfortable win by a margin of five strokes, the next best ' being J. McNeill and H .W. Lightband. To-morrow will see the commencement of the real business of the year—the first qualifying round of the club championships. Each evening during the week there has been a big collection x of cars at the links and all and sundry are out either playing or practising. A rather remarkable number are now spending their time practising, but il is unlikely that their efforts will go unrewarded as there is nothing like a few hours’ practice to give on© confidence in one’s game. The course is in wonderfully good order—far better than it has ever been, for this event—and it is certain that there will be some very keen competition for the places. The gross qualifying score should be a record. Both Conway and Stephenson were in fine form during the week-end, being round in the low seventies, but they are likely to be well pushed by Chong, Boon, Hasell, Mackay, Hine and Fyfe, all of whom are playing at the top of their form. In the junior and intermediate divisions there will also be some hard going and the waiter ventures to surmise that there will not be more than 10 to 15 strokes between the first and the last to qualify. The limit players have entered ' in force for their event and there are at least half a dozen who consider that the trophy is already- theirs. Taken all round, there is more interest in these events than there has been, for some years, and every division bears a very open appearance. There is such a thing as favourites being beaten. There will be a big field of over 80 players to leave the tee on Saturday and as this will take w’ell over two hours all those threes that are able to do so are requested to start early. It is permissible to start any time after 11 a.m. Any play on the course up to or on to any green on Saturday morning will entail disqualification. LADIES’ CHAMPIONSHIPS. The qualifying round for the ladies’ championship at Waiwakaiho on Saturday proved conclusively that the standard of play among the fair sex has improved a ■ great deal this year. Miss Dell and Mrs. Russell led the seniors with 85 each, and this might easily have been much better had not both become a little over anxious and thrown away strokes at the'last three holes. Miss Smart’s 88 was also a good effort and earned her a reduction in her handicap. ■’ . . j. ':;. Among the juniors Miss Webb with the remarkably fine card of 85 had a big margin. However, this round was not really unexpected as Miss Webb returned a 91 with a nine at the eighteenth less than a fortnight ago.--In the senior competition Mrs. Russell, in the lower half of th© draw would appear to have less serious opposition than has Miss Dell in the top' half— Mrs. Nicholson, Miss Smart, Mrs. MacDiarmid and Mrs. Duff. Nevertheless in competitions of this kind it is always best not to make any predictions. However, it is certain that whoever comes through will not do so without, many a hard fight. MANAWATU TOURNAMENT.

A fairly strong contingent of players from South Taranaki made the journey to Palmerston North and competed in the Manawatu tournament. Leo Quin and W. O’Callaghan qualified in the first 16 and E. L. Abbott and H. Bradmore ; in the second. O’Callaghan made a great tight against Dave Collins in the first- e, round, taking the Wairarapa crack to the last hole. Leo Quin came 1 through the first two rounds successfully but succumbed to Jack Goss in the semi-final at the 19th hole. - Quin was two down at the eleventh but fought, grimly and only just failed. In the final’ Collins was dormy three on Goss but the Wanganui man, taking advantage of his opponent’s mistakes, wo>r ; , y the next three holes and squared the . game, and after the 19th had been halved, . won the match and' the championship at the twentieth after his opponent had -.y, failed to recover from a bunker. In the second sixteen the Waverley player H. Bradmore came through, defeating E, W. Clarke in the final. E. L. Abbott and if; P; Wills met in the >■.'< first round. The former defeated his , club mate only to be beaten in the next round. . - t American files give detailed descrip- . toions of Bobby Jones’ great record breaking round of 68 in the third round of the Open. He commenced at the 478 yards first with a great drive of nearly 300 yards. He was short with his second but chipped and holed the putt' fo a par four. At the second (370 yards)he was on in/two and down in four. The one-shot third cost him three ond then secured a birdie four at the 500yard fourth. The fifth (178 yards) was done, in three and then he collected another birdie at the sixth when he holed an eight-footer for a three. He repeated the dose at the seventh, where he hit another drive of almost 300 yards and laid his second dead. The eighth was done in par figures, and so was the ninth, where after a tremendous tee shot he pulled his second into a bunker.. He was out in 33 against a par of 36. Jones commenced the home journey • with a par four 'at the 344-yard tenth and annexed another birdie at the long eleventh. The twelyth (502 yards) saw him hit a tee shot of over 300 yards and help himselL to another birdie four. . . He sliced his t® shot at the 194-yaid thirteenth but pitched up well and holed his putt for a three. Another 300-yard drive saw him get another par at the 14th (444 yards), and the same thing took place at the next. He collected another birdie at the sixteenth, where he again laid his second close to the hole and saved a putt. He was then no less than six under par with only two holes to play, but he sliced his tee shot at the 262-yard seventeenth and tae ■ hole cost him four. A weak second at the last hole saw him take five instead of four. . ■ Following is Jones’ card: 4 (par 4). 4 (4). 3 (3), 4 (5), 3 (3). 3 (4), 3 (4), ' 4 (4), 5 (5), 4 (4). 4 (5), 4(5), 3 (3h 4 (4), 4 (4). 4 (4), 4 (3), •> (4); total. 6S (72). ' .