GOLF.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 703, 27 August 1903, Page 12

GOLF.

MNAL MATCH FOR THE AUCKLAND GOLF CLUB’S CHAMPIONSHIP. }' .. -fit , ■'■ ~..:.

The final match for the Auckland Golf Club’s Championship took place on Sat«<ay, at the Cornwall Links, the hattie between Hooper and Colbeck attracting quite a large number of spectators who watched every stroke with keen interest. It Was generally expected that Hooper would win, but Colbeck gave him a good run for it, especially in the first round, which he finished with one up, but fell away somewhat during the concluding stages. • Both players led off with good drives. ■k carried the plantation with his , but resulted in a half in 6. The ■ecc.nct hole fell to Hooper in 6to 8. The third was halved in 4, Colbeck just failing to get a 3. The Ringrox hole fell to Hooper in sto 6. The Onehunga fell to Colbeck in 4 to 5, and thereafter he had a run of four successive wins. A well-played 4 by Colbeck at the Elbow hist headed of Hooper’s 5, and the match was all square. The Catacombs hole fell to Colbeck in 5 to 6, who also f secured the Bth hole in 4 to 5, which increased' his lead to 8 up. At Jacob’s Ladder, Hooper was on the green off the tee and he holed a fine putt, and got down in 2, his opponent holing in 4. Cofbeck's tee shot at the Pah lay on the akeehjand two putts gave the hole to Colbeck in 4 to 5, and a 5 to 6 gave him 'Ramparts' hole. 'The match was now 4 ufrfn Colbeck’s favour. At the Amphitheatre, Hooper’s drive reached the green, and he won the hole in 3 to •’>. i ThA' Kth also fell to Hooper in 4 to 6. At the isth Hooper reduced the lead to a m holing in 4 to 5. An indifferent 6 to fW the 18th to Colbeck, and left him dormv two on the firait is holes. Both nlima were on the 17th green in two but i Hooper hoied in 4to 5. The 18th was splendidly halved in 5.

On resuming, both players had good drives, Hooper being slightly off the Hne, his tee shot lying'on the road. Neither of the players were dead with their approach putts. Colbeck was left with a putt of isin to win the hole, but he lost it and seemed to be too nervous, poor golf being shown by both men. The second 'hole was halved in six. Both had good drives at the third, Colbeck s second being on the green, and won the hole in 6to 7. Hooper played the . Ringrox hole perfectly, and won by sto 6, Colbeck’s approach putt being short. indifferent play resulted in Hooper winning the next hole, Hooper being one up., ine Elbow was halved in five. At the eighth Hooper had a pulled drive of poor length, but Colbeck made a very fine tee shot. He topped his iron shot, and a poor half in six resulted Colbeck s drive at the ninth was very fine, but it found a bad lie, and the hole was halved in four, both players holding excellent putts. Colbeck had the advantage off tdie tee at Jacob’s Ladder, and lav on the green, Hooper being beyond it, and the hole was halved in three. -A-t the next hole Colbeck lost his ball off the tee. This was hard luck, as it left him three down and seven to play. However, Colbeck won the Ramparts in 4 to 5, but at the Amphitheatre, Hooper managed to get down in three, Colbeck just failing. Colbeck should have won the next, but accidently moved his ball when right on the hole. Although Colbeck had a great chance of a four at the fifteenth, he overran the hole and took five, Hooper being dead in his fourth. The match ended four up and two to play, Hooper being cheered at the finish.

Mr Muir Fergusson, who is well known amongst golfers as Harry Vardon, is described in “ Vanity Fair,” which a cartoon of him, as follows Born and bred in Scotland, he has been settled in England long enough to be known as a surprising combin avion of the characteristics of the two nationalities; for he became a hard-headed Scot 48 years ago, and he is now a downright Englishman, who makes friends and enemies by his straight speech. , . . He played golf at St. Andrew’s at fourteen, and it is nearly thirty years since he first won the medal there, which he has earned off half-a-dozen times since. He has _ played on most links, he has twice been in the final for the amateur championship, and once all his medals were stolen. He runs the New Zealand Golf Club ; he has a boy who has nearly beaten him, and has played in the Eton eleven ; and he can

play billiards. In London he is w ell known in the Stock Exchange, where he make more money if he made fewer enemies, for he speaks very readily and without circumlocution. An interesting analysis of Henry Vardon’s play for the open championship during the last ten years, and young Tom Morris’s play for same from 1868 to 1872, is a guide to the respective play of then and now. It shows Tom Morris to be better than Vardon, as Morris’s average is 78.25 per round, as against Vardon’s 79.68. Vardon, it must be remembered, has all the advantage of Haskell balls, improved clubs, vastly improved links and greens, and yet his average is a stroke higher than young Tom. Of course, as they were not contemporaries, it is impossible to have an exact comparison, but this is as near as it can be got.