WIN FOR WILLS

Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1935, Page 10

WIN FOR WILLS

SOUTH TARANAKI GOLF FINAL OF CHAMPIONSHIP DEFEAT OF J. TARRANT HIGH STANDARD PUTTING BANNERMAN IN FAIRFIELD H. P. Wills, Eltham, for the second year in succession, won the South Taranaki golf title by defeating J. Tarrant, Hawera, 5 up and 4 to pla yesterday. Experience, confidence and an uncanny ability>to hole 10ft. and 12ft. putts gave him the win, though the golf was not particularly thrilling. The event was played on the Hawera Club’s course, the heavy wind of the previous day still blowing. The Fairfield Handicap was won by W. Bannerman, the .Tertius by K. S. Handley and the Quartus by G. M. Hughes. The tournament as a whole was splendidly successful and in spite of the wind and the rain good scoring resulted. Wills and Tarrant both went through to the final of the championship against stiff opposition. Wills in defeating S. Lovell in the semi-final was slightly the better, though the golf of both was below their form. Reaching the turn in 41, Wills was 1 up, and wins at the 10th. and 15th. gave him the match. At the 15th. a one-shot hole, he was about 15 yards from the pin and in marram. He took a niblick and playgd a perfect shot, the ball scuttling across the green and into the hole. Lovell played well, but he lacked the steadiness of Wills. J. Stewart started off with a sensational chip from off the green for a two against Tarrant, and the hole was a prelude to exciting golf. With birdie fours Tarrant won the second and third, but he lost the next two, won the sixth, halved the seventh and aft— losing the eighth, turned for home with an advantage of 1 up. He won the 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th, and after losing the 15th, halved the sixteenth for the match. Both went out in 39 and Tarrant was even fours for the seven holes plhyed on the return. He completed the round, taking 77, including a seven on the last. FAIRFIELD HANDICAP. Bannerman, who beat Meuli in the semi-final when Meuli lost his ball in the ditch at the 18th, was better than Currie in the final of the Fairfield. Currie earlier had done well in defeating O’Callaghan, but. his golf deteriorated in the afternoon, and Bannerman’s 87 was too steady.

K. S. Handley, who won many trophies at the prizegiving, played wonderfully consistent golf for the three days to win the Tertius Handicap. He averaged about 85 for the rounds he played and he was altogether too steady for Sharp. A feature of the semi-finals of the j Quartus Handicap was that both were won on the 19th, Hobday sinking a 10yard putt for a two against Rutherfurd. In the final, however, Hughes was too steady for his younger opponent, and , reeled off an 83 to an 89.

Tarrant won the toss and Wills took ‘ the first drive in the final, hitting a low shot, which after ricochetting off 1 the edge of the tee finished close to the green. Tarrant pushed a good drive out and both were about 10ft. away with 1 their seconds. The putts failed to go ' down, a half in four resulting. Tarrant ' outdrove Wills by 70 yards at the second, hitting a great ball of 250 yards. ' Wills was pin. high in three, while Tarrant lay 15f£. away with his third. ' He missed narrowly with the putt and Wills ran a 10ft. putt downhill into the hole for a half. Trouble came at the third for Tarrant. His first curved over the hedge and out of bounds and his second he spooned out to the right, playing his third with an iron rather poorly. A brassie recovery took the ball well down, but Wills, whose drive was perfect, was 20 yards from the pin with his second . Tarrant’s approach was poor and ; he conceded the hole. TARRANT UNLUCKY. The fourth was halved in fives, but at the next Tarrant was decidedly unlucky. Wills played safely out of marram grass, but Tarrant’s well-played stopping shot hit the edge of a bank and ran through. Wills’ putt stopped short and a-half resulted. Wills made the lead 2 up by winning the sixth in four to five after Tarrant again showed lack of courage with an approach. The seventh was another tragedy for Tarrant. Both played good tee shots, but Tarrant hooked his iron second out of bounds. He dropped another and was pin high, though off the green. Wills was well through with his second, but he chipped up. well. Tarrant’s- approach stopped 20 feet away and his approach putt was a foot short. Wills took the regulation two putts, winning in five to six. Wills pushed his tee shot safely out to the right at the eighth, but Tarrant’s ball swooped over the out-of-bounds fence on the tail of a dangerous hook. He took another which landed on the fairway and apparently pitched through the fence. The third, from the tee, was safe. Search showed the second shot almost under the fence and Tarrant had to climb over it to play the ball on to the fairway. His fourth was short of the green. Wills pitched his third to within 10 feet ox the pin and sank the putt. Tarrant picked up. A fine drive paved the way for a par four at the ninth, Wills making his first poor shot with an iron second. They turned for home with Wills 3 up. The tenth was halved in threes and the 11th in fives, when Tarrant had a great chance for a win. Wills, however, laid a dead stymie on the lip of the hole, and Tarrant from two feet away could not negotiate it. It was one of the few lucky breaks Wills had during the round. The 12th gave Wills an op- ; portunity of demonstrating his fine putt- • ing. He put his tee shot into a bank of marram, and Tarrant, out to the right, - pitched up to within 18 feet. Wills nib- - licked his way out of the rough to about 1 10 feet from the pin and rolled the ' downhill putt into the can. WILLS CLINCHES MATCH. The 13th was halved in five. after each had taken three to reach the 328 yards L green. The 14th saw Wills victorious. Tarrant was short of the green with his second and his third was well past. He could not hole the return. Wills stepped up smartly to his 10ft. putt and ; sent it into the hole. Mr. H. G. Dickie, M.P., patron of the Hawera Club, presented the prizes and congratulated the club and the officials in charge on the success of the tournament. The trophies, he said, were well spread, and the number of visitors contributed greatly .to the success of the tournament.

Mr. Imlay Saunders, returning thanks on behalf of the visitors, said the fact that players returned year after year to the tournament was indication of its success, and members of the Wanganui Club, to which he belonged, looked forward to the event. The improvements by bunkering several greens were great and he hoped the club would carry on with the policy. The groundsman and

the caterers had both done their jobs well and the players were fortunate in having Mr. L. J. Bull to run the tournament. Detailed results are:— CHAMPIONSHIP. Semi-finals. H. P. Wills beat S. Lovell, 3 and 2. J. Tarrant beat J. Stewart, 3 and 2. Final. Wills beat Tarrant 5 and 4. FAIRFIELD HANDICAP. Semi-finals. W. Bannerman beat M. Meuli, 1 up. A. B. Currie beat W. A. O’Callaghan, 4 and 3. Final. Bannerman beat Currie, 4 and 2. TERTIUS HANDICAP. Semi-finals. K. Handley beat F. Walker, 6 and 5. W. A. Sharp beat J. C. Robb, 6 and 5. Final. Handley beat Sharp, 6 and 5. QUARTOS HANDICAP. Semi-finals. G. M. Hughes beat J. V. Gordon at the 19th. C. A. Hobday beat J. S. Rutherfurd at the 19th. Final. Hughes beat Hobday, 2 and 1. SECOND BOGEY COMPETITION. R. Wills 2 up. L. Brathwaite, 1 up. FOUR-BALL BOGEY. W. S. Gibson and A. W. Lawn, 4 up.