GOLF IN THE RAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 152, 29 June 1934, Page 6

GOLF IN THE RAIN

SURPRISES AT SANDWICH COTTON’S RECORD ROUND FAILURE OF SARAZEN LONDON, July 27. The first round oi the golf championship at Sandwich quickly yielded surprises. Rain fell in torrents half the morning, succeeded by a high wind. A feature of the day was the unexpected strength of tne challenge which a number of the lesscr-Known young British professionals offered to the Americans. Sarazcn went out early partnered by Hodson, of London, taking ail the spectators willing to face a drenching. Sarazcn failed to live up to his nor. mal automatic perfection, and dropped a stroke here and there. He took 3? to the turn, and even had a six on the homeward journey. Only a great finish of 4344 gave him a reasonable round of 75, while his partner, whose efforts were generally ignored by the gallery, had a 71. ’Then came news that the little known Manchester professional, Taggart. had done a round of 70, including only 21 putts. Cotton gave a truly wonderful display. He was out in 31 and home in 36. a total of eleven unaer bogey. Cotton drove colossal distances, and made only two slight mistakes during his machine-like performance, be pas bunkered at the eleventh, and pushed his tee shot into the rough the eighteenth, but played a spoon shot brilliantly to the middle of the green. Shute’s driving was erratic, but he made splendid recoveries* Fred Taggart, the 28-year-old Wilms-low-Cheshirc professional, provided a real surprise. lie started, by holing a chip shot. Kirkwood was erratic, missing several very short putts, "AlacDonald-Smiih could not find the greens. Later, despite the difficult wind, tin re came quite a rush of fine rounds, niostlv by young and little-known British players. There were six 71’s, live 72’s and eight 73’s, ahead of all Americans except the holder of the title, Shute. Finally, as a climax', Henry Cotton arrived after a wonderful 67. equalling Ila go n’s record for ihe course.