From Tee To Green

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 229, 26 September 1940, Page 22

From Tee To Green

! H. Randrup added to a long golfing history lie recalls liis first championship win in Canterbury 34 years ago—when he defeated 22-year-old C. Howden in" the final of the Pupuke championship. Howden, who has been playing consistently during the season, is a member of a family well known in Auckland golf. Powerfully built, he is a particularly long hitter and has possibilities in first-class golf. He was beaten in a match in which fortunes varied in different periods, but with Randrup' never behind, and in which the experience of the winner in windy conditions was a vital factor. The game went the full 3G holes and Randrup, after being four up at one stage, was two up at half way. In the second round he made a substantial increase in his lead, making it five up after seven holes. Then the pendulum swung in Howden's favour and he won five of the next seven holes to get square. Over the next few Randrup took and lost the lead, but was one up when they- went to the 3oth. There How-den topped his drive into the gully, butimade a sensational recovery, playing a Ivo. 7 to the green and getting a hair. Howden hit a long drive at the final hole and tried in vain for a three to get square again, eventually missing the return; as Randrup got a sound four he won the title, two up.

Possession of the Hnnna Mug had practically been decided in favour of Titirangi in consequence of the big margin in its favour in the first series of matches with Auckland in April. Last Sunday's play saw the margin retained and the play did not throw any new light 011 the strength of the two clubs, as neither presented its best team. The two series showed, however, that on its own course Titirangi is superior this season, while at Middlemore the local players can hold their own. In April the Middlemore B team emerged with a margin of successes, but the senior team was well beaten at Titirangi. The positions were reversed on Sunday when the players changed courses. • » • • centred in the meeting of the Xo. 1 players and the leading four-ball. Brinsden and Young v. Williams and Bartleet. The four-ball was an excellent match with plenty of highlights—and victory to Auckland. Brinsden could not remain for the afternoon singles and the spotlight was on the meeting of Williams (last year's Middlemore champion, who goes back into the Army next week after an operation) and Young. Again the honours went to Auckland, both contests going to the eighteenth.

In the four-ball match Young and Brinsden, in turn, won the first two holes with the only 4, but the Auckland pair got square when Bartleet played a grand second to within a couple of feet of the piri at the fifth to score one of the several birdie threes of the game. Brinsden replied with one from off the green at the sixth and the lead of 1 up the Titirangi pair kept to the turn. Williams got a 2 at the tenth to square and the Auckland pair did well to get the half at the thirteenth where Young missed a 10-footer for 2. A3 by Williams at the fourteenth was very timely and for the first time Auckland were in the lead. Bartleet had a chance to make it dormy 2 at the sixteenth green, but missed. Eventually on the eighteenth green Williams did well to get a longisli putt down for a half in 4 and maintain the 1 up lead. It was high-class golf, with the winners coming home in 32 to the opposition's 34. Brinsden and the Auckland pair had approximate rounds of 74, while Young marred his medal score at the third, at least, where he got foul of the fairway bunker. • • •

The match between Williams and Young saw Young lose his grip on the game towards the cud and slip into errors with the pressure on. The J itirangi player was 2up playing the fifteenth. There Williams plaved a mashie second and nearly holed it, his 3 being a certain winner. He squared the match when Young hooked ins second into the trees at the sixteenth. At the seventeenth Young was in trouble with a tee shot sliced to the trees and when lie went home from bunker to bunker he could not get the five Williams 1 up. Both required a o at the last hole. , ,

Several clubs this season have substituted for the championships a scratch match play contest, the real difference being that the winner s name will not go on the championship board, a position which will obtain lor the duration. Last year's champion at North Shore, W. Wheeler has struck form again, and in the first qualifying 1 round for match play carded a 72, his best perI formance on the course. Last Saturday he was again in good form and wanted a 4 at the last hole for a 73. He miss-hit a spoon from the fairway and then took a 6. Wheeler was out in 36, and as he started home with a 6 there could have been few mistakes in the remainder of the half. H. Preston, jun., who has been playing consistently during the season, was in second place, but 12 strokes worse than Wheeler's aggregate of 147. # # • A clear-cut win in Maungakiekie's bogey competition was scored by C. C. Ewen with a card of 3 up, the next best being the consistent J. D. Shanly, 1 up. Ewen had a medal round of 78 (40 —38), and there was not a fi on the card. Shanly was 2 up at the eleventh hole and then commenced winning and losing holes, including the eighteenth. His medal round was 73. The next day in a four ball scramble he found a very useful partner in L. C. Winter, and they finished 8 up and duly won. J. Stedman was the winner of the morning scramble, and deserved the success as his stroke round was 73. « • « * Paddy Quinn, of Akarana, started his hosts at Titirangi, A. V. Shorter and O. Garland, last Friday in playing a brilliant round of 69 in a four-ball with C. Lawson as his partner. There were only two fives in Quinn's score, and one of them came at the short fourteenth. He started and ended with a 3 and his halves were 34 and 35. * • • • A consistent player at Titirangi this season. B. T. Laycock won the Stableford on Saturday and played a round »*f 74. the scratch score. This included sixes at the fifth and twelfth holes, and a compensating 2 at the fourteenth. Runner-up was R. B. Hardy, who reserved for the next day a better effort. He then had a stroke round of 74 in the Stableford, and aggregated 39 points, against his 36 of the day. before.

There was an early upset in the junior championship at Middlemore. After he had tied' in the qualifying play with S. B. Morris, and been beaten on the count back, H. w. Hotson was defeated In the first round by R. O. Gardner, 3 and 2. A veteran of Auckland golf. Gardner has been responsible for surprises in much more important championships than he is now playing In. and very often it has been the competitor who qualified at the top that he has eliminated. Hotson did quite well in the early part of the captain's prize. His 83 (net 70). with a Similar round by Morris, was the best performance of the qualifying play. Some of the other competitors must have been surprised to find that they still have a century in their bag. It takes a lot of bad shots to run a medal score up to three figures.