MISS GAISFORD CHAMPION

Taranaki Daily News, 16 October 1931, Page 3

MISS GAISFORD CHAMPION

DOMINION GOLF CONTEST MISS O. KAY BEATEN IN FINAL. ROTORUA MATCH DESCRIBED By Telegraph.—Press Association. Rotorua, Oct. 15. Miss B. Gaisford (Marton) is the new Dominion ladies’ golf champion. She defeated Miss O. Kay (Otago) in the final at Rotorua to-day. In the first IS holes Miss Gaisford was three up at the 16th, but Miss Kay won the last two holes and reduced the lead to one for the morning's play. Miss Gaisford played the better golf to the tenth, where the titleholder's staying powers carried her through to even the game over the last holes. Both were playing excellent golf and except at one or two holes made no mistakes. Both played straight and long and their driving.length was very even, but Miss Kay’s green work was slightly patchy over the outward journey. Miss Kay also struck bunker trouble more frequently than usual in her play. The play was remarkably even. The cards for the first 18 holes read; — Miss Gaisford: —Out: 4 4 3 4 5 3 5 4 4; total 36. In: Picked up, 43 3 65 4 4 3; 32 for eight holes. Miss Kay:—Out: 4344 5 455 4; total 3'B. In: 5 4 4 3 4 6 5 3 4; total 38. Grand total, 76. The first hole was halved in bogey figures. Both were on the green in two, taking two putts. At the second Miss Gaisford was off the fairway, but played a beautiful mashie approach to recover her position. Miss Kay, however, laid her second three feet from the hole and holed in three to her, opponent’s four. Miss Kay found the bunker at the third, but Miss Gaisford with a fine approach shot was two feet from the pin with her second and sank it in three. Miss Kay was well out of the bunker, but tool: two putts, leaving the match all square. The drives were together at the fourth and both were on the green in two, taking two putts to halve in bogey figures. At the fifth both played great golf and halved the hole in birdie figures. Their drives found the creek but were lifted back without penalty, and two long brassie shots saw both lying on the edge of the green. With her third Miss Kay laid her opponent a dead stymie, but Miss Gaisford played round to hole out with two putts. Miss Kay found the bunker at the short sixth, but Miss Gaisford was on the green and holed a bogey to her opponent's four to stand one up. Long driving at the seventh saw both well on the way with a. drive and brassie apiece. They were on the green with their approaches and both took two putts to halve in bogey fives. BALL STRIKES SPECTATOR. At the eighth Miss Gaisford pulled her drive to the left on to the seventh fairway, the ball landing among the crowd and striking a spectator on the bounce. Miss Kay was straight, but Miss Gaisford hit a beautiful brassie second to lie on the edge of the green. She laid her third approach. putt right beside the hole and sank for a bogey four. Miss Kay missed a short fourth, leaving Miss Gaisford two up. Miss Kay struck trouble at the ninth where the tee shot wa's short and landed in the bunker on the edge of the crater. Miss Gaisford was on the green but missed a chance to increase her lead by being short with her putt. Both took four and halved the hole.

Long drives at the tenth’ saw both lying together, and two long brassie shots placed both balls handy to the green. Miss Gaisford, however, played over the pin with her 4 approach and the ball etuck in loose ground beside a tree just in bounds.. She played a provisional ball on to the green, but decided to endeavour to play the first ball from a very difficult lie. She could not get a right-handed stance and played left-handed with the back of the club. She failed to lift the ball and a second attempt was also fruitless and she conceded the hole. Miss Kay was on the green with her third and holed two fine putts, taking a birdie five, leaving Miss Gaisford one up. At the eleventh both were on the green in two, and the hole was halved in bogey fours. Miss Kay sliced her tee shot into the bunker -on the right at the twelfth, but Miss Gaisford. was on the green-and holed a bogey three to hei- opponent’s four. Miss Gaisford was two up. Both were lying in a handy position on the green from their tee shots at the thirteenth, and the hole was halved in bogey threes. Two good drives at the fourteenth put both well on the way, but Miss Gaisford sliced into the bunker on the right of the green, and Miss Kay was on the. edge of the green with a straight second and.holed a bogey four. Miss Gaisford was too strong with her bunker shot and ran across the green into the second bunker, taking six. Miss Gaisford was one up. LEAD ALTERNATES. The Marton player regained her lead at the next where after both were on the edge of the green with' their seconds Miss Kay was short with her approach putt and took six to her opponent’s bogey five—Miss Gaisford two up. At the 16th, the Lake Hole, both pulled into the rough on the right. Miss Gaisford had the better position and played out well to lie on the edge of the green, narrowly missing a bunker, but Miss Kay, who was lying almost among the trees, had to take a short chop shot to reach the fairway. She played a beautiful third on to the green and recovered her position, but Miss Gaisford laid her ball close to the pin with a good approach putt and holed in four to Miss Kay’s five—Miss Gaisford three up. Miss Gaisford was lying in a handy position on the green from the tee at the seventeenth. Miss Kay was a little strong and overran the pin to lie on the edge of the bunker on the far side. She had hard luck with her second, which lipped the cup and jumped over the hole on the other side.- Miss Gaisford had a comparatively short easy putt for a half but missed. Miss Kay took the hole with a bogey three to stand two down. Both drives were level at. the 18th, bi Miss Kay had the better position under the trees to the right. She found the green with a good second, but Miss Gaisford, hitting over a, tree, found the bunker to the left of the gree t. She played well out, but ran past the pin and Miss Kay sank in two putts to take the hole with a. birdie four to Miss Gaisford's bogey. —Miss Gaisford one up. THE LAST EIGHTEEN HOLES. MTSS KAY LOSES STEADINESS. Rotorua, Last Night. With a lead of one up at the conclusion of the morning round Miss B. Gaisford went ahead to win the New Zealand Ladies’ amateur ehampionship decisively by five and four. Miss Gaisford iplly maintained her strengtfe g®d steadiness grf the morning

play but the champion, Miss O. Kay, fell away on the greens and dropped steadily back to lose the match and the title at the fourteenth.

By winning the highest prize for the Dominion’s lady golfers Miss Gaisford completed an exceptionally successful season. She won the Masterton open championship and established a new course record of 75, in addition to the Napier, Dannevirke and Wanganui championships. The greens were inclined to be fast but were playing very true. A gallery of over 500 followed the game. Miss Kay lost the match on her green work, which over the final holes was never reliable. She was a trifle unlucky in missing putts, but any luck in the game was evenly divided. A feature of the game was the consistent long and straight driving of both players on practically every hole, their tee shots tying within a few yards of each other on the fairways. Both were very reliable in approaching but here also Miss Kay fell away somewhat from her earlier steadiness.

Neither did so well at the first as in the opening round, requiring three each to reach the green. The hole was halved in fives. Both were lying near the edge of the green at the second, in opposite corners. Miss Gaisford was short with her second and Miss Kay after running past the pin needed a ten-foot putt to win but lipped the cup and the hole was halved in fours. Miss Gaisford over-ran the. green with her drive at the third but Miss Kay was in a. handy position. Both, had short seconds and Miss Kay was beside the pin with her third, putting for a win. Miss Gaisford missed a short shot and the hole was halved in bogey fours. Miss Gaisford outdrove Miss Kay at the fourth and was on the green in two. Miss Kay’s second was a good recovery and with a neat approach and a three-foot putt she halved the hole in bogey four. Miss Kay found the creek at the fifth but brought the ball back without a penalty. She duffed her second, however, the ball travelling low, striking the bank of the creek on the opposite side and rolling, back into the gully. She took a brassie to lift the ball beautifully out of a very difficult lie but was a stroke behind Miss Gaisford, who hit a very long second to lie in a handy position. Miss Gaisford was on the green in three and Miss Kay in four, both taking two to sink the ball. Miss Gaisford was two up. As in the morning round Miss Kay struck bunker trouble at the sixth. Miss Gaisford was again on the green and holed in bogey three to her opponent’s four. Miss Gaisford was three up. Long drives and very strong seconds at the Seventh saw both handj' to the green but Miss Gaisford was short with her approach and found a bunker. Miss Kay laid a good approach near the pin and holed in birdie four to her opponent’s six. , Miss Gaisford was two up. Both made good drives at the eighth but slurred their seconds. Miss Gaisford overran the pin with a long approach but Miss Gaisford was again close and sank the ball in bogey four. Miss Kay took an extra putt to stand three down. The ninth was again a bad hole. Both tee shots were together in a bunker on the near side of the green. Miss Kay chipped out but the ball struck a ridge on the edge of the green and failed to get on. Miss Gaisford was more fortunate, her ball also striking the ridge but bouncing on to the green. Miss Kay was on the green with her third but each took two putts. Miss Gaisford was four up. The tenth was a good hole, both hitting very long drives and good seconds. One approach and two putts in each case took them out to halve in birdie fives. At the eleventh Miss Gaisford hit the only bad drive of the round, pulling badly to the left to just reach the fairway. Miss Kay also pulled to the left but had plenty of distance to land in the rough in a bad lie. Miss Gaisford topped her. second badly and was not up to Miss Kay’s first. Miss Kay hit well out of the rough to find the green and sank in bogey four to her opponent’s five. Miss Gaisford was three up. Miss Gaisford was on, the green at the twelfth but Miss Kay again found a bunker on the right. She recovered, . however, with a beautiful niblick chip to lie right beside the pin. Miss Gaisford took two putts and the hole was halved in bogey three.

Both were on the green from the tee at the thirteenth, but Miss Kay took, three putts. Miss Gaisford required only two, to stand four up. M>ss Gaisford clinched the match at the fourteenth when after both had hit good drives she placed a beautiful long second on the green. Miss Kay’s second was high and to the right and the third ran past the pin. Miss Gaisford was Tying right beside the hole for this, and when Miss Kay failed to find the cup with her fourth the match was placed beyond doubt. Miss Gaisford holed in four, her opponent not sinking her ball. . Other results are:—

Second bogey handicap (played in conjunction with the, Rattray Cup): Mips N. Innes (Manawatu), 1 down. Opposite division; Migs C. Bray (Titirangi), 2 down. Rattray Cup (for the best two aggregate bogey scores): Mrs. D. Stout (Wellington). Mrs. Stout tied with Miss R. Pharazyn (Napier), 6 down, but won the tie on the score over the last, nine holes.