NOTES ON THE PLAY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20274, 7 April 1934, Page 15

NOTES ON THE PLAY.

(Special to the “ Star.’*) AUCKLAND, April 7. Playing Hornabrook, a misjudged putt by Apperly on the first green robbed him of a win in 4. The mistake was atoned for at the third, where the Australian got down in two outts to Hornabrook’s three. The second was halved in fours. Apperly then lost two holes on end, the missing of a simple putt at the fourth and the slicing of his drive into the hazard on the right of the fifth fairway deciding the holes against him. The Australian skipper was equal to holing an awkward putt at the sixth for the half in four, and then played the short seventh as well as his opponent for the I half in three. Hornabrook 1 up. That

even the shortest of putts can be missed Apperly demonstrated at tl»e eighth, failing with one of only a foot, making Hornabrook 2 up. The New Zealander maintained this advantage to the turn by halving it in five. The figures for the nine holes were: Hornabrook 39, Apperly 43. Apperly halved the tenth in three and then lost another hole by driving down the river bank at the eleventh. Here Hoi nixbrook drove into the bunker at the green. After playing three Apperly was in further trouble, running down the bank on the other side of the green, and he availed himself of the local rule to drop out with penalty on the edge of the green and had tnus played five. It was only a question cf Hornabrook recovering from the bunker. When he did so with his first attempt he was conceded the hole and was 3 up. There was little between the pair for the next four holes, Hornabrook winning the thirteenth. With the three lie increased his lead to 5 up at the sixteenth, where Apperly failed on the green, and after halving the seventeenth in four took the next in the same figure, to be six up at the completion of the round. Ruwald v. Menzies. The New South Welshman’s length | from the tee was demonstrated at the I opening hole, where his drive finished ' at the dip on the face of the green, and though he was overstrong with his chip shot, he returned accurately to ensure the half in four. Menzies was also out-driven at the next two holes, but it was the missing of a putt bn the second that lost him the hole, Ruwald getting his in four. Both got good fours at the next, and the game was squared, when Ruwald was bunkered at the fourth, Menzies getting the four. The high standard of golf was maintained at the fifth, halved in fours, and though Ruwald had to play a penalty at the sixth, through driving into the Tamaki, he still got a half in five, Menzies having a long approach putt, which he over-ran. Menzies was astray at the first short hole, the seventh, and became one down when he lost it to his opponent’s three. The eighth hole was full of incident, Ruwald hooking his tee shot into the trees and could only chip out of the trouble. Menzies was a bit unlucky in being trapped .in the bunker with his second, but obtained his four after a long putt had Covered on the edge of the cup. There was no disputing his win at the long ninth, where he got his five with accurate golf, his opponent playing a poor third into the bunker and taking seven. The outward figures were: Menzies 39, Ruwald 41. Two shots in the bunker by Ruwald at the tenth put Menzies two up. He retaliated with a resourceful pitchshot over the sand-trap at the eleventh, where Ruwald retrieved a duffer drive with a fine second and was in a winning position, but failed to hole a fourfooter on the sloping green—a half in four. Confident with the advantage he had gained, the Aucklander cutplayed his opponent in the next two holes, winning them in four to five and three to five and increasing his lead to four up. Menzies’s golf for the remainder of the round was practically faultless. Though he played weak seconds to the twelfth and fourteenth, he retrieved them both and the only hole where his figures were not par was the fifteenth, a yard putt proving beyond him there. Ruwald was moving into his seconds and slicing them consistently, while his driving also let him down. He duffed his tee shot at the fifteenth and sliced the next to get foul of the trees. The Aucklander finished no less than 7 up, winning the fourteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth holes with fours. Dobson v. Horton. Dobson had the honour and dispatched a long low drive with Horton one of even length. Dobson threw away the hole, missing an easy putt, and the hole was halved in fives. At

the second Horton returned the compliment, missing a two-footer, and the hole was halved in fives. To the third Dobson’s tee shot was poor and he did not connect cleanly with his second, Horton taking the hole in 4 to 5. Horton 1 up. The fourth was halved, in fives, with Dobson sinking a three-foot putt to make the match all square at the fifth. A twelve-footer was sunk by Dobson at the sixth and he took the hole in 3 to 4, while at the next he brilliantly sank a twenty-footer, taking the hole in 2 to 3. The eighth was halved in fours, but Dobson got into the bunker at the ninth, taking seven for the hole to Horton’s five. Dobson 1 tip. The tenth went to Horton and the pair were all square. The eleventh was halved in fours and then Horton hit a screamer. At the twelfth, Dobson getting under the trees, Horton won the hole in 4 to 5 and was 1 up. Horton sliced his tee shot at the thirteenth and Dobson won the hole in 3 to 5, making them all square again. Trouble again came Dobson's way at the fourteenth, where he found the bunker and took five for the hole to Horton’s four. Dobson was bunkered at the fifteenth and Horton won the hole—2 up again. At the sixteenth Dobson got into trouble under the pines, but recovering with two perfect strokes, halved the hole in fours. To the seventeenth, Horten from under the gums made a great effort to reach the green, but bumped into the bunker and he lost the hole in 4 to 5. At the eighteenth, Horton had a stroke of luck, slicing his drive. The ball sailed for the pines, but hit a branch and dropped into the fairway. Being short with his ne_*t he lost the hole to Dobson, making him all square for the , morning round.

Hughes Beats Wright. Against Wright, Hughes gave early evidence of his usual nervousness. He duffed his drive at the second, but, after reaching the green in 3, stymied his opponent for a half in 5. He again mishit his drive tp the third, but recovered well to reach the green with his second. Wright played only a fair second, and his putt knocked Hughes s ball dead to the hole. Finally Wright got his putt down for 4 and the halt. At the fifth, Wright was fortunate in having a good lie, and recovered cleverly to finish just beyond the green. Hughes’s second found a bunker, but he got out well and scratched a naif in 5. Up to this stage Hughes nad been everlastingly recovering from missed shots. He was weak from the tee, and at the sixth his ball finished in the Tamaki. He conceded a hole to become 2 down. His tee shot to the seventh was a beauty and he holed the two for a win. Again he rose to the occasion at the eighth, where he holed a pretty putt of 6yds for a win in 3. Match all square. A miserable drive had Hughes doing all the work at the long ninth, but, thanks to a poorly-judged third by Wright, he was able to get a half in 6. Scores. Wright 39, Hughes 40. No change was recorded at the tenth or at the twelfth. Hughes played a grand second stOpshot over the trees and then hit the hole for the 3. Wright, however, got his 4 and the match was still square. The golf was now good, and Hughe* earned applause when his tee shot to the thirteenth split the pin all the way. Wright essayed an iron shot, but the ball kicked to a bunker. Hughes had no difficulty in getting his o to become 1 up. Long drives characterised the fourteenth, and Hughes downed his for the 3 to become 2 up. He was now playing sparkling golf, and he hit his second close to the pin at the fifteenth and comfortably annexed a 3 up lead. Wright had much the better drive to the sixteenth, and Hughes was left a stymie to lose the hole in 5 to 4. Wright pulled his lee shot to the seventeenth and then sliced his second into a bunker. Hughes, whose long drive had left him favourably placed, made no mistake with his second. Hughes approach putted well, and Wright, having only just got out of the bunker, lost the hole to a 4. Hughes was now 3 up, and had played the eight holes corning in: 3,4, 4,3, 3,4, 5,4, total 30. He met trouble with the bunkers at the eighteenth, where Wright’s two good shots placed the issue beyond doubt. Hughes thus finished 2 up on the morning’s play. Hughes increased his lead in the and won comfortably. (A review of yesterday’* play in the foursomes appears on Page 11.) PAST RESULTS. 1927 N.Z. won from Victoria at Rose Bay. 1928 N.Z. lost to N.S.W. at Miramar. 1928—N.Z. lost to N.S.W. at Commonwealth. 1930—N.Z. won from N.S.W. at Shirley. 1932—N.Z. lost to N.S.W. at Rose Bay.