LADIES’ GOLF.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 2, 13 July 1910, Page 10

LADIES’ GOLF.

Auckland Championship Meeting. The annual provincial championship was played during t)ie past week. This is the first chamnionjihip held -on" the new bourse at Middleinore Pare. Naturally comparisons “were made with Onetree Hill. I may say' the conditions which prevailed for th;s were, as usual, wet, so a fair contrast could be made of the-course. Though Middlemore Park was quite as wet, ■the ground being .of a more level nature, one’s progress was not so laborious, and then by far the most important fact, the “lies” are much better, so taking everything into consideration, the new course, though severely tested, came through the ordeal well. There were 13 entries for the championship. FIRST ROUND. The first round was played on Monday morning, 4th July. Miss E. Martin beat Miss J. Richmond, 5 up and 3 to play; Miss M. Alison, beat Miss N. Gorrie, 4 and 3; Miss E. Pierce beat Mrs. W. 'R. Bloomfield, 8 and 7; Miss R. Gorrie beat Miss W. Cotter, 2 and 1; Miss M. Cotter beat Miss N. Coutts, 4 and 3>; Miss H. Buckland, Miss K. Willis and

Miss G. Gorrie had byes. The most notable incident in this round was the defeat of Mrs.. W. R. Bloomfield, who on several occasions has won this chainr ionship. Miss. Ethna Pierce was on ths op of her game, and won all the .syay, though the game was much closer than the result looks. Miss Pierce compiled the round, and did- a record for;.ithe course—92. SECOND ROUND. Miss Martin beat Miss Hazel Buckland, 7 up and 6 to play; Miss E. Pierce beat Miss M. Alison, 1 up at the 19th hole; Miss Rachel Gorrie beat Miss M. Cotter, 5 up and 3; Miss G. Gorrie beat Miss K. Willis, 2 up. THIRD ROUND. This round was most exciting. Miss E. Pierce, whose chance for the championship, was considered almost a certainty, had the most strenuous battle with Miss M. Alison. At no part of the game was Miss Pierce “up” on Miss Alison. At the turn, Miss Alison led 2 up. The match was squared at the 11th, 'and again at the 18th. Playing the 19th, which is a short 3 shot (bogey) hole, Miss Alison went all to pieces, taking 9. Miss Pierce, playing perfect golf, won ithe hole in 3 and the match. Miss G. Gorrie, who played Miss K. Willis, the only outside competitor, and who comes from the Cambridge Club, had! a hard fight. Miss Willis failed to take a very good chance of winning. The Cambridge player has a most attractive style, but her game lacks “sting.” 1 he match ended 2 up in Miss Gorrie’s favour on the home green. Miss Rachel Gorrie had a most meritorious win from Miss M. Cotter, who is playing a good solid game this season. Miss Rachel Gorrie, the youngest competitor this year, is a most promising player, who, I venture to predict, will, at no very distant date, carry oft’ championship honours. THE SEMI-FINAL. Miss G. Gorrie beat Miss Rachel Gorrie 4 up and 2 to play. Miss E. Martin beat Miss E. Pierce 2 up and 1 to play. As was generally expected, the match between Miss Pierce and Miss Martin was a very close one, and there is little doubt that the severe game Miss Pierce had ou the previous day against Miss Alison told very much on her nerves. Her. putting was lamentable, and 0n,’17 greens she missed more or less pasy “putts.” Miss Martin, who has a very easy, .style, played good golf, and fully deserved her win. The first hole was halved in 4’s, the second Miss Pierce missed an easy 3, won the hole in 4. Both got good drives at the third across the swamp; Miss Pierce missing an easy putt, failed to halve the hole. The next, No. 4, was halved in an indifferent 5, after good drives. At the fifth hole Miss Martin got away a beautiful drive, which just reached the green. Miss Pierce, with a well-played tee shot, ran tlirqugh the green. Both players should have got a three here, but halved in 4. The next hole was also halved in 5. No. 7 was badly played throughout. Miss Pierce failed to carry the bunker, had to drop and lose one. Miss Martin, though driving well, could only get an 8 against Miss Pierce’s 9. No. 8, the longest hole on thecourse, was played against a strong head wind, and was halved in 8. and the 9th in 6, thus leaving Miss Martin 1 up at the turn. The next two holes were halved 4 and 6. No. 12: Miss Pierce, playing perfect golf, won the hole in 5, squaring tiie match, haying the honour for the first time since the second hole. Miss. Pierce foozled her drive badly; Miss Martin, making no mistakes, won the hole in 6 against 7. No. 14 was halved in 7, and the 15th Miss Martin won in 6, leaving her 2 up and 3 to go. The 16th hole Miss Pierce won with a perfect 3, reducing the lead to 1 up, but No. 17 Miss Pierce lost through poorplaying, and the match went to , Miss Martin 2 up and 1 to play, Tile’sisters Gorrie had an interesting game,' the cider winning on the 16th green 4 up and 2 to play. THE FINAL. Heavy rain had fallen all through the week, and by Friday morning the course was in a very bad state. The match was started at noon. Miss Gorrie won the honour, and started by playing a beautiful tee shot, which landed bn the green. Miss Martin failed to carry the fence, and had to play her second from under the fence out of long grass. This she did successfully, reaching the green in 3. Miss Gorrie, with two good putts, won the hole in a perfect 3. Both got good drives from the "second tee. Miss Gorrie ran through the green in her second.

Mias Martin approached well, and had a chance for a 3, hut indifferent putting resulted in a half, in '5. Good tee shots at No. 3’took them well over the srwanip and up the field. Miss Martin played a perfect brasaie shot, and should have reached the green in 3, but failed to get ■ there till her fourth.' "Miss Gorrie was on in 5, and though still 1 to the good, Miss-Martin could only get a half in 7; »Miss\Goi‘rie, 1 up. • ■

Nb. 4 was halved in an indifferent 5, after splendid drives; At the fifth hole, .Miss Gorrie, forcing badly, got. into the ploughed land, and had to lift. Playing an excellent iron shot, she nearly reached the green. Miss Martin drove a beautiful ball, just reaching the green; holed out in 4, and won the hole, thus squaring the match. At. No. 6 Miss Martin played a long, low shot, which cleared the swamp, but Miss Gorrie had the bad luck to strike the bank, and the ball rolled into the swamp. Another ball was dropped, with a penalty of 1 stroke. Miss Gorrie played a beautiful iron shot, and was through the green in 4. Miss Martin, making no mistakes, won the hole in 5; Miss Martin, 1 up. At the seventh hole Miss Martin got a useful drive against a nasty eross wind, and was well up the hill. Miss Gorrie was again weak from the tee. Miss Martin was through the green in her third. Miss Gorrie, making a good recovery, looked as though she would snatch a half, but failed to do so through weak putting, Miss Martin winning the hole in 7 to 8; Miss Martin, 2 up. No. 8 was a disastrous hole for Miss Gorrie, who sliced her drive away down to the ninth green. Miss Gorrie was undoubtedly pressing, and her game suffered in consequence. Miss Martin, playing easily, won the hole in 8 to 10; Miss Martin, 3 up. At No. 9, both drove well, into the teeth of a howling rain squall, and both got good second shots. Miss Martin foozled her approach shot, and lost the hole to her opponent, leaving her 2 up at the turn. The tenth was halved in 4, and the eleventh again brought trouble ■to Miss Gorrie, who failed to carry the •hedge, her ball landing in the ditch beyond, but making a good recovery she was through the green in 4. Miss Martin drove a perfect ball well up the rise, and, playing faultless golf, won the hole in 5; Miss Martin, 3 up. At the twelfth hole Miss Martin just cleared the hedge, played a short second, which placed her in an easy position to carry the gully with her third. This, however, she failed to do in the first two attempts. Miss Gorrie, driving to the left, played round the gully, and won the hole in seven, leaving Miss Martin 2 up. The thirteenth hole was halved in six, and at the fourteenth Miss Martin played perfectly, and just missed doing the hole in four through a lump of mud sticking to the ball. The hole was won in five to Miss Gorrie’s six. Miss Martin, 3up and 4to play. The fifteenth proved to be the last hole. Both players got well away from the tee, and both played good second shots. Miss Martin displayed poor judgment here in taking her brassie to clear the hedge. However, her luck was in, and the ball got through somehow. Miss Gorrie had the bad luck to find her second shot just close up to the gate. Taking a sporting chance she went for it, but only managed to get through, and reached the green in her fifth. Miss Martin holed out in 7, and won the match, 4 up and 3 to play, and the championship of 1910. Miss Ethel Martin is a. pupil of the club’s professional, Hood, and is a delightful player to watch, her style being almost perfect and beautifully easy. The holder of the championship, Mrs Guy Williams, did not defend her title. Miss Martin’s win was a most popular one. Putting Competition. After the first round of the championship a putting competition was held, which Was keenly watched by a large number of onlookers. About forty players took part, and the result was a tie between Miss Hull, Miss Jessie Reid and Miss E. Gorrie, who did the three distances in a perfect 6. In the play off Miss Hull won, Miss Jessie Reid being .second. Driving Contest. In the driving contest there was a marked improvement all round. The conditions were three drives within a marked course, out of bounds not counted. Miss Ethna Pierce won with three nice straight drives, which totalled 412 yards. Miss Rachel Gorrie was second, 407 yards; Miss M. Alison, third, 302 yards. Miss Gwen Gorrie drove the longest ball, 166 yards. Bogey Match. On Wednesday, 6th, a bogey match was played in the afternoon, mostly in pour-

ing rain. As the “ bogey ” is very stiff the frightful weather conditions were all against players, and in favour of bogey, who came through victorious. The result was a tie between Miss Ethel Martin and Miss Winnie Cotter, with a card showing 6 down. Miss Gwen Gorrie, Mrs. Beil (Hawera), Miss Raelrel Gorrie, and Miss M. Alison were 7 down. In the play-off Miss Winnie Cotter won. In the junior bogey competition Miss Shuttleworth won with a score of 7 down, the Misses K. Clark, A. Carr, and V. Dutliie being second, 12 down. Singles and Teams Match. On Thursday morning the medal round handicap singles and teams match was played simultaneously, and resulted in a tie between Miss Jean Richmond, gross score 107, handicap 24 —83, and Miss Winnie Cotter, 104, 21—83. Miss M. Cotter was second with 105, 18, 85. The tie was played off, and Miss Cotter won with four strokes to the good. In the junior medal handicap Miss Marjorie Towle brought in an excellent card of 105 gross, handicap 29, 76. This score brings her handicap down to 25, and Miss Towle now is ranked as a senior player. Miss H. Buckland, 110, 28, 82, and Miss M. MeLean, 119, 37, 82, tied for second place. The teams match was won by Mt. Eden: Mr. W. R. Bloomfield, Miss Jean Richmond, Miss M. Towle, and M ss H. Buckland, with a score of 334. Remuera was second: Misses Cotter (2), C. Draper, and Miss Stevenson, 363. Approaching and Putting. In the afternoon an approaching and putting competition took place, and was keenly contested. The conditions were one ball, Ist distance about 70 yards, 2nd 40 yards, and 3rd about 20 yards. Miss M. Cotter did the three distances in 8 strokes, which was about perfect. Miss E. Pierce and Miss Jessie Reid tied for second place, with 9. In the play-off, Miss Fierce won. After the conclusion of the championship final the prizes were presented by Mr. E. D. O’Rorke (vice president). Afternoon tea was dispensed by the lady members to the large gathering of interested spectators. Mr. W. R. Bloomfield was scorer for the match, and Miss Ethna Pierce referee. Auckland Ladies’ Club. The July medal was played on Monday, 11th. Heavy rain eame on during the course of the match, and only six

players completed the round. Miss M. Alison was the winner with a gross score of 102—18 —84; Miss Vera Duthie, 128—40—88. Wellington. The monthly medal competition was played at Heretaunga on Saturday, July 2, in very bad weather. The winners were: Seniors, Miss S. Brandon, 93 —6— 87; juniors, Mrs Firth, 116 —32 —84. A match between the Hutt and Heretaunga has been arranged for Thursday, July 14th. A match between Miramar and Heretaunga was played at Miramar on July 4. The result was a win for Heretaunga by six games to three, and one game halved. Christchurch Championship. The second round of the championship was played last week, with the following result: —Miss Cowlishaw beat Miss Harley, Miss Cracroft Wilson beat Miss Symis, Miss A. Humphreys beat Miss Gampbell, and Mrs Borthwick beat Miss Wood by default. This week Miss Cowlishaw ami Miss Cracroft Wilson meet Miss Humphreys and Mrs Borthwick. On Monday afternoon a handicap bogey was played for prizes given by Mrs Beals. Miss Phyllis Anderson won, Miss Campbell and Miss Robin tieing for second place. Stratford. The ladies' competition was won last week by Miss Tussell, the trophy being a silver button. Miss Orbell came second, having been beaten by one.