GOLF.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14829, 21 November 1913, Page 14

GOLF.

FRENCH OPEIT CHAMPIONSHIP. FINE PLAY BY A NEW ZEALANDER. (FROM OT7R OWN COKKESPONDENT.) LONDON, October 16. Quito the feature of tho first day's play at ChantilTy, in the Open Golf Championship of France, was the fine form of H. D. Gil'.ies, late of Auckland, whoeo performance caused considerable surprise. At the end of the 6eoond round he led the whole field -with an advantage of two strokes, and that field embraced practically all tie profeseiona 1 etrength of Great Britain and France except the two old champions, Vardon and Kay, who ore still in America. A correspondent at Chajitilly writes that "Gillies has been m good form this season, and in the amateur championship at St. Andrew's ho mado a. fine exhibition. He had no intention of entering for the French event. He vms taking ft holiday at "Wimereux, near Boulogne, when he ■ was notified of the date, and thought, he misht as well ro over and see the professionals play, not thinking, he cays, that at tho end of tho first day so many of the professionals would be watching him. Hie two rounds of 75' and 76, which gave him an aggregate of 151, represented really magnificent golf under difficult conditions, for the best of the professionals agreed before the day was far advanced that any ecore that broke 80 ought to be good enough for anything. GiL'iee scored chiefly by his long, straight driving,, his putting now and then being his only weakness. In the afternoon he did great things with the -wooden clubs. Nothing better in tho way of drives and seconds was dono all day than the way in which, he got to the fourteenth green in two shots, the green being about 500 yards from tho toeing ground. At the eighteenth, -150 yards, he was past tho flag with a drivo and an iron. Hia card of 76 was as follows: — Out: 5, A, A, 4, 4, 4, 5, 4, 4—38. In: 5, 4, 5, A, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4—38. This brilliant success of the amatenr overshadowed everything." At tho end of the day the leading scores were:—Gilliee 151, Sherlock IS"3, Gassiat 155, Massy 156, Duncan 157. The special correspondent of "The Times" wrote: —"Chantilly is a stern test of wooden club play, and in this part of the game Gil'ies scarcely mado a mistake. The consistent accuracy of his second shots could not have been surpassed, and his only real slip in "the first round was at tho home hole, where he imparted just a little hook to his driv-e, with the result that he found the bunker, but he managed to get a 5. He was bunkered at the first hole, but that was his misfortune rather than his fault. For about an hour in the morning a mist hung over the course, and Gilliee was one of those who had to start in it. ■He had only a vague idea of tho line of the first green, and that waa tho chief reason that hia shot went into the hazard. His approaching was excellent. At the thirteenth ho pitched dead with his niblick for a. 3, and at the seventeenth ho laid his maahie- shot dead for a 4. Few people followed Gillie 3, most of the spectators thinking that the brilliant goh would be provided by the crack professionals. Those who did go with him in the afternoon, had a special treat to themselves. If only his putting had be«n steady ho would have been out in 35 instead of 38, although the latter woe a. good score. He continued to hit beautiful shots, and he was homo in 2 at tho fourteenth hole, which measures 475 yards, and down in 4, and when ho had finished the fifteenth he needed to do the last three holes in par figures of 3, 5, and 4 in order to equal hi 3 morning round. The sixteenth is a hole of 225 yards, and Gillies hit bis drive to the right. He pitched well, but on a green of somewhat wend and wonderful undulations, his curly put of two yards for a 3 ran jivst past the hole, and a 4 was registered. He got his 5 at the seventeenth, and at the eighteenth, which measures 450 yards, he hit a great drive, and he was on the far side of the green with his iron—a noteworthy feat >even with a slight following wind. Then it was that he had for the first time during tho day a large crowd" of onlookers. QUprge Duncan and Rowland Jones, and tho people following them, who going to the adjoining sixteenth, stopped to watch Gillies hole oat. He had a difficult downhill put of 20 yords to play, but he struck it perfectly, and" for some time "he looked like holing it. Tho ball stopped six inches short, however, and he , had to be content with a 4."

Yesterday, however, the -winner of the championship proved to be George Duncan. Sisth on the list tho previous day with 157, he placed himself second at the end of the morning round by means of a brilliant return of -73, and made certain of victory later by ucccmplishing an almost equally brilliant 74. His winning agresute was thua 304.

''G;!lies," eaya the "Morning Poet," "spoilt his chsncee by taking 42 to go out in the morning. Still he made ~ remarkable recovery coming koine, and returning a card of Tβ, actually retained ius position of leader at the cod oi 54 holes nlay. He had bad )uck at the seventh, where, pnttin? from the edge of the green, hie bail lipped the ho':e. He just missed another putt at th« ninth, and drove o;i to tie road at the eleventh. At the fifteenth he hrongit off a putt of five yards. Tho dctaile of his morning , round were;— Oat: 5, 5, 5, 4, 5, 4, 5, 3, 6—42. Home: 4, 6, 3, 3, 4, % 3, 6, S—36. Total, Tβ. Giliiea'a aftornooa round was disastrous. At the first hole he topped hsa drive, and, niter being twice bunkered, registered a 7. At the seventeenth he drove on to the top of • bunker, and with his second found another bunker. He got well out of this, but afterwards waa too strong wjfh his putt, and got into c, guily. He took 7. Gillies played the eighteenth rather carelessly, and registered a" 6.

In the end the honour of being firet aaa. teur fell to ih« New Zesiacder; who wxs fiith with. 311.