BIG GOLF TOURNEYS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 53, 4 March 1939, Page 4

BIG GOLF TOURNEYS

NEW ZEALAND PLANS THE CENTENARY YEAR PRIZE MONEY WILL TOTAL £2OOO The New Zealand Golf Council ha: decided to hold three big Centenary golf tournaments toward the end o the year. It is proposed to hold th< main event, the Centenary oper championship, at Miramar, Welling ton, in November, and this will bi preceded by preliminary tournament: at Auckland and Christchurch. The northern tournament will bi field on October 23 and 24, and prob ably it will be played at either Titirang: or Middlemore. The Christ churc.i event will be played on November 2 and 3, just prior to the New Zealand Cup racing carnival.

Prize money, wnich will total at least £2OOO, will be allotted to the three centres, and this should provide sufficient inducement to overseas players. It is almost certain that some Australian and American professionals will take part, and it is hoped that arrangements can be made tor two or three British professionals to make the trip.

Regarding the prize monev the council reports that it was agreed that the prize for the first professional at the three championships should be 70 per cent, of the total allotted Based on £3OO for both Auckland and the first professional

would get £2OO at each; at Wellington, in November, where the championship will be played as the annual New Zealand championships, the winning professional in the open will get £5OO, and the winner of the professional championship £350. The prize for the professional foursomes will be £75 each. There are possibilities of this sum being increased as the Auckland Advisory Committee is endeavouring to have the prize money augmented to £5OO. says “Rover,” in the New Zealand Herald.

It is interesting to note that the record gate for any tournament was when Bobby Jones won his fourth national championship in a row. On that occasion, the United States amateur championship, a total of £11,134 was collected. The record in England was when Great Britain met the United States in the Ryder Cup matches in 1933. In two days the surplus, after deducting tax and expenses, was £lBOO.

Prior to the war, the open championship of Germany carried prize money totalling £5OO. and this was lhe largest golf fund at that time. The British open championship fund is now £5OO. and the largest sum offered in Europe for golf is the Daily Mail tournament, for which £2OOO is provided.

One of the biggest tournaments yet held was in Melbourne in November. 1934. during the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. For the open chamnionshin the chief nrizes were:—First. £1000; second, £400; third, £200; and fourth. £lOO. The winner was James Thompson, the Scottish-American. In the match-play championshin. which was won b.v Leo Diegel. the first prize was £5OO, the second £2OO, and the third and fourth £lOO each,