NOVEL GOLF MATCH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17352, 17 May 1924, Page 12

NOVEL GOLF MATCH.

AMATEUR TO GET A START. LONDON, March 20. The golfer is always lascmaced by a novelty, even u it. is omy a siunt. i\ow no lias been set an intriguing problem. An amateur who plays iron, scratch is to piay the best pail ol two leading professionals, Duncan and Hay, and instead ol being given an allowance of so many stroK.es fie is to receive a start in yards. The course oil which the match is to bo played measures tjOOOyds. flow many yards start should the amateur receive ? At first one jumps to the conclusion that he will need several hundreds -o keep the play level, but lot us see what may happen at just one hole. Both the protessionais, we will assume, drive long balls down the middle of the fairway, whilst the amateur is trapped in a bunker. Under these conditions, he picks the ball out of the hazard an i drops it on the fairway two yards away. These two yards aro the first claim on his allowance. With his second shot he places the ball on the green ten yards from the flag, and both professionals get inside him with their second shots. Now the amateur has two courses open to him. He may putt to get down in two and secure a half he may move his ball nine yards—that is. to within a yard of the hole — and win. If he does that, he will have claimed a start of no more than eleven yard*;. Supposing something like the same thing takes place at each of tli3 other holes, he would require an allow a nee of under two hundred yards to win them all.

As a matter of fact, the amateur is to receive a. start or one fifty yard©, and, provided that he plays anything like his proper game, it 'is probabb that he will gain a runaway victory. Should he make a serious mistake, it will be open for him to surrender the hole, but there will be occasions when 1 y moving his ball a few feet, he will be able to claim a win. Needless to say. the match is creating a deal of interest, and in any case it will be good fun.