GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1930, Page 4

GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

NEW PLYMOUTH CLUB TITLE I FINAL CONTEST TO-MORROW, A. E. CONWAY AND STEPHENSON. (By “Stance.”) The New Plymouth Golf Club’s 1930 championship has come to its last lap. The present champion, A. E. Conway, will defend his title against C. H. Stephenson to-morrow in • a 36-hole match, The crame will commence at 11 a.m. and the afternoon round is' scheduled to commence at some, time between 2-15 and 2.30. Only one stroke separated these, two over the 36 holes of the qualifying rounds, and as both are playino- at the top of their form a fine match should'be witnessed. Conway defeated Stephenson rather decisively in the semi-final in 1928, but they have’not met since. In the interval each has been defeated only once in championship match play at Waiwakaiho, each at. the hands , of Leo •Quin.- Conway is a better player through the ween, but Stephenson’s skill with his putter is sure to stand him in good stead. Hasel! has been playing so well of late that he was expected to extend Conway in the semi-fiaal on Saturday, but he was suffering from the effects of an ailment to his back and was not able to do himself justice. Nevertheless for about a third of the journey he was doing well. ' He halved the first and took“the lead by winning the second.. He retained his advantage to the sixths where Conway after a fine second put down a five-footer for a birdie three and squared the game. Hasell just failed with a putt at the third and Conway took the lead for the first time. Hasell played a poor second at the Bth and Conway was two up. After the ninth had been halved Hasell had a chance to get one back; at the 10th, but failed to negotiate a half stymie. The 11th was ’halved in fives and' Conway took, the 12th after laying his opponent a dead stymie, Hasell appeared to have a-chance at ths 13th, where, Con way pulled his tee ; shot : into the rushes, . but Conway .made a . wonderful recovery ■ shot to within nine inches of the hole and was four, up after Ha&ell’s putt for a half had stopped on. the edge. The 14th - was halved and Conway was dor■iiny. He collected the next and the match 5 up and *3 to play. Conway had play-ed fine golf and his card read; Out: 4 5 5'3 5 3 3 5 4—37. In: 453 S 3 5. . ' : ‘He had 3 4 4 for a 71—a very fine effort. '' < ■ j.. THE OTHER SEMI-FINAL. The other match, that between Stephenson and Chong, was well contested, and had Chong’s putter;not played him false on a .couple of .occasions in the. last -six holes the result, might have been different. The first was halved after Stephenson. had recovered well after a poor tee shot, but that player was again short off the second tee and Chong with a good fqur was 1- up. However, he did not hold, the lead long as ;he. played the next very weakly and Stephenson took the hole‘with a five. Stephenson took- four to get oh the ■green at the 4th and Chong wds 1 up , Stephenson topped his tee shot at ■the. sth but two great shots with a spoon saw him snatch a half in fives. Neither played the. four th well and the hole was halved after Stephenson had missed a five-footer for a wiii. Chong went through at the 7th, and failing to chip dead the game was square again. Chong skied his tee shot at the next but played a fine third to the green and the hole was halved. Stephenson had a great show at the 9th but was too strong with his chip and they turned for home all square. Chong failed to get up the' hill at the 10th and Stephenson with a good three was one up. Both topped their dbiyes at'the 11 th. and both put their thirds over the bank to the left of the green,- Chong had the misfortune to be right, in front of. a rush bush and he the h°i e - Neither was on the green at Mqses but they chipped up well and a half in three resulted. Both were on the 13th green in two but Chong took thyee putts and Stephenson was 3 up. C'hoiig, however, came to light with a great tee shot at. the next to within about four feet of the pin and holed thb putt for a win, He took the 15th with a great four, Stephenson having pulled his second., Chong looked- sure to yin Tlie Dell after Stephenson had . just failed to put down a seven-footer, but ■his two-foot putt missed. The 17th saw tlie enii ? Qhong skying his second and . Stephenson, canning a five-footer, for a four, took the hole and the match 2 up and I to play. In the semi-finals of the intermediate arade, W. C. Weston was not at his Segt against Corfe and found trouble on the way round. He suffered, defeat .on the 16th green. The other match, .that, between Thorne and Wynyard, ended at the same place, the left-hander not displaying the improved form that he had been showing of'late. NEW RECORD. FOR LADIES. During the week Miss Lascelles create ed new figures for the ladies at Waiwakaiho when she returned a eard, of 77—41 out and 36 in. . She commenced with a four at the first but a poor approach at the second saw her record a six.. She then proceeded to reel off the five holes in par figures by dint of fine golf. Disaster overcame her at the Bth, where after two good shots she pulled her third rather badly. Her fourth went through and she took three more to get down and a seven appeared on her card. A fine approach saw her get a four at the 9th to reach th© turn in

41. Commencing the return journey eh© had a good tSree at the 10th. She was on the'llth in two but required three putts, a performance that she repeated at the short 12th. Another fine approach saw her get a four at the I3th and she recorded a similar figure at the next. She hit two great shots at the 15th and, chipping up beautifully, holed a four-footer for a birdie four. She hit a fine tee Shot at The Dell and putted for a two but missed, and then failed to sink the return. Two fine fours at the last two saw her come home in 36, making 77 for the round. Her card read;— Out: 46535437 4—41. In: 35444444 4—36—77. It was an exceptionally fine effort, but “Stance’'' is of the opinion that she is capable of improving upon this. Her tee shots and her seconds were uniformly good while her work with her mashie was up to her usually high standard. Her only real weakness was with her putter, and this to a great extent is a matter of method. It is always pleasing to record the success in other parts of players who commenced their golf at Waiwakaiho. G. S. Crimp, who commenced his pursuit of the game of St. Andrews at New Plymouth in 1922, has just annexed the championship of the Hamilton Club, and A. W. Griffen, who in the same year was a semi-finalist in the junior chamcarried nff.ihe-lnifi'Xa

mediate event at Miramar and with it •the Magnus Cup. Writing of his victory the Dominion says: “A. W- Griffen distinguished him-' self last week by winning the final of the Magnus Cup on the Miramar links. That be played hot golf can be imagined when it is seen that he did the morning round in 76. M. J. Crombie (also well known in Taranaki years ago as a skilful wielder of the cricket bat) played good golf but had to submit to defeat by 7 up and 5 to play over 36 holes.”