FROM FAIRWAY AND ROUGH

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1934, Page 10

FROM FAIRWAY AND ROUGH

GOOD CONDITIONS PREVAIL

GREAT CONTEST ON HAWERA LINKS

THE VISIT OF A BRITISH TEAM.

(By

“Stance.”)

The course at Waiwakaiho was in far better order on Saturday than it Ips been for a long time. The greens were more even, and there was a lot of run on the fairways. As was only to be expected the scoring showed a big improvement. There were three net cards of under 70, and two fine rounds of well under 80 by G. M. Chong and T. A. Thomson.

Chong had a disastrous start of 5 6 6, but then struck a patch and reached the turn in 38. Coming home he reeled off some beautiful golf for a 37, giving him 75 for the full round.

Thomson commenced in sensational fashion with 4 4 3 4 4 3 3, wonderfully accurate iron, shots to‘ the pin being the deciding factor. When he teed up at the eighth he required a- 3 for a 32 out. However, disaster was in store for him as he put his tee shot out of bounds and required 6 for the hole. Nevertheless, he reached the turn in 35. On the homeward journey his golf was not so good, and he recorded 76 for the round. This will now reduce his handicap sufficiently to make him eligible to compete in the Dominion championships at Belmont in October. R. J. Brokenshire continues to improve and his card of 85—17—68 will further reduce his handicap. L. M. Ward also showed a return to his best, his card of 88—20—68 being a fine effort. This player would do even better if he allowed his arms to go away from his body after he has hit the ball. The teams’ match was not quite the success that it was on the first occasion. There were far too many defections, and these in many cases nullified fine efforts on the part of other members of a team. This is far from satisfactory, and on a future occasion it might be possible to draw the teams after the completion of the round. Visit of Eltham Team.

A strong team from Eltham will make the journey to New Plymouth this weekend and play the return inter-club match. The big bunkers at Waiwakaiho usually trouble the visitors, and the home team is hard to beat on its own course. Nevertheless the games between the four top pairs should.be full of interest. S. Clark’s Good Round.

Conditions at Fitzroy were ideal on i_..turday and the scoring much improved. The feature of the day was the fine score of S. Clark in the second qualifying round of the senior championship. After a somewhat indifferent start with a 5 and a 6 he reeled off 2 4 4 4 4 5 4 to reach the turn in 38. He commenced the second half in grand style with 4 3 3 3, but the first again cost him 5. Two fours and a five followed and he had only to get a four at the last to establish a course record. Two fine shots saw him reach the edge of the green, but his putter 1 . him down and he required four more. before the ball disappeared from sight. A. K. Smart’s 82 was also a good effort, and his nett 66 gave him the medal handicap. He was runner-up in the championship last year and, should he retain this' form, he will be prominent this time. C. Granger was again going well and his 87 placed him second on the qualifying list. The match play will commence this week-end.

There were no surprises in the first round of the Fitzroy junior event, though many of the games were well contested, C. White having to go to the 19th before he could dispose of B. S. Whiteside. The Draw for Saturday.

The following is the draw for the first round of the senior championship:— S. Clark v. W. Short; A. K. Smart v. C. Hurford; J. Lobb v. J. McLock; C. Granger v. H. Jacka. The following is the corrected draw for the second round of the junior championship:—G. Pullen v. W. O Jones; D. Weir v. H. S. Wagstaff; B. Chapman v. C. White; L. Freethy v. I. Beckbessinger.

Should Play at New Plymouth. It is now practically certain fhat the British amateur team will come on to New Zealand after competing at Melbourne. McLean and Garnett will prove wonderful drawing cards in this country, and the committee of the New Plymouth Club should lose no time in getting in communication with the Golf Council to endeavour to include New Plymouth in the visitors’ itinerary. A match between the four visitors apd a Taranaki team picked from Conway, Chong, Dale, L. Quin, F. Quin, Abbott and O’Callaghan would attract a great gate.

Splendid Match at Havvera. R. S. Ward and C. Sturrock produced some great golf in a Hawera club Anderson Cup semi-final on the Fairfeld links at the week-end. Both on a 7 handicap, they finished the 18 holes all square in 78 each, playing 3 below their handicaps, and it required three more holes before Ward clinched matters with a birdie 4 at the long third hole. The match was a marvel of consistency and the difference between the two was almost negligible. Ward secured a lead on the first hole, but was never more than one up, while Sturrock brought the game back to all square no fewer than five times. It is rarely that such an even and consistently sound match has taken place at Fairfield.

Sturrock dropped the first hole by taking 4, but immediately made up the leeway with a birdie 4 at the 420-yard second. The third was halved in par fives. Ward obtained the lead again with a birdie 4 at the fourth, only to lose it immediately when Sturrock holed for 2 at Crater. The next four holes were halved in 5,4, 5 5 and the pair turned fdr home all square and each with 39. The tenth saw Ward 1 up again when Sturrock took 4 and the position remained at tha- for three holes done in 5,4, 5. Ward dropped a stroke at the par 4 fourteenth and Sturrock drew level again. Sturrock took 4 for the next, but squared at the sixteenth through Ward’s mistake. Ward took the seventeenth with a birdie 4 but Sturrock was not to be outdonfe and also produced a birdie 4 at the last hole to square the game for the fifth time. Each came in with 39.

The fight was on every inch of the way and the nineteenth was halved in bogey threes. The twentieth was done inpar fives, too, and then Sturrock went down through Ho fault of his own at the 462-yard twenty-first. He was down in an estimable par 5, but it was not good enough—Ward produced a magnificent birdie at the longest hole on the course and finished the match there and then with a glorious climax to a remarkable match