GOLF Clements Beats Scott In Final At Shirley

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28259, 23 April 1957, Page 12

GOLF Clements Beats Scott In Final At Shirley

A seven-foot putt, rolling smoothly into the eighteenth hole for a birdie 3, gave R. E. Clements the match play championship at the Christchurch Golf Club’s Easter tournament yesterday. In a final which produced quality golf only in the concluding stages, Clements beat J. G. Scott, 2 up. Clements also won the title last year.

If the golf in the final was of! variable quality, at least the weather made the last day of the tournament an extremely pleasant one. Golf seems particularly suited to the autumn setting and Shirley, responsive as ever to the rain, has seldom looked so attractive. Although there Was no spectacular scoring in the final until late in the day, there was some splendid golf in a semi-final in which Scott took a further step towards golfing maturity by beating the former open champion. R. J. Charles. This match was one of the most spectacular of the tournament, and the result was the most unexpected. Charles was certainly below his best, but it was a most commendable performance by Scott, who responded nobly to every, pressure his opponent exerted.. Scott, who is only 22, has often played brilliant golf on minor occasions, but this must rank as his greatest success so far, and his well-merited win should make him a candidate for the Canterbury Freyberg Rosebowl tournament team.

badly, to a bunker on the far ■ side of the second fairway; a scratch 5 won the fourth for Clements, a scratch 4 the fifth for Scott, a scratch 4 the sixth for Clements, and at the eighth Scott was out of bounds, then in trees, and reached the green in 6. Although Scott was six over scratch after eight holes, he had taken only 11 putts on those eight greens, a fair indication of his loss of form. Clements, after the eighth, was four over, and only one up. Golf Improves The golf after that improved gradually, but in the first 13 holes Scott was in rough or bunkers 14 times and Clements nine times. At the tenth Clements opened out from the tee for the first time, and hit a truly magnificent drive, long enough to warrant his use of a 6-iron second at this 453-yard hole. But the hole was halved in modest 6’s, with some fearfully

Broad of shoulder and strong of wrist, Scott is a driver of considerable length, and against Charles his only fault was with an occasional fairway wood or iron second which left the line. But even from a long way out, the ball usttelly flew straight to the green. There were times when it seemed Charles’s aura of invincibility would blind Scott to the strength of his position, but time and again he rose to the occasion. Out of Form For Charles, it must have been disappointing to be five over scratch for the 15 holes played, for -he is quite unaccustomed to such disclosures of human frailty. By ordinary standards, he played reasonably well, but by his own he was badly out of form. There were a few tee shots which failed to go down the middle, ar. occasional iron wandered, and he missed several short putts, but that could hardly be avoided on some of the greens where Jhe feet of players and the casts of worms had had their way. Scott began the game as he started the previous day, with a birdie 3 at the first hole. This time it required a putt of 40 feet, and when he effected a splendid recovery at the fourth and was down for a birdie 4, Charles missed a putt of six feet for the half and was two down. Scott retained the initiative for the next few holes, and went further ahead when Charles missed a two-footer at the sixth. Scott lost the seventh when he in turn missed a very short putt, but he was striking the ball better and generally putting better than Charles who bore his burden with his usual phlegmatic air._ Later there was an occasional injunction of “Whoa, ball,” or “Roll,” and that, for Charles, was verbosity. He had a four-footer for a win at the eighth, but missed it, and Scott was a little unlucky at the short ninth, when his long putt for a birdie struck the pin; it might well have dropped had the pin been out. On that tricky green, Charles sank a saving putt which suggested he was recovering form. Telling Hole The tenth, however, was the telling hole, and it was played in mounting tension; some boys across the road innocently, cracking flax whips sounded almost irreverent. Charles lost the hole, through three-putting, a golfing crime seldom on his sheet, but.m justice it should be recorded that the ball hung obstinately on the lipAt the eleventh Scott played badly, and lost to a scratch 4. He bowled down a very good putt of 18 feet for a birdie at the twelfth but Charles dropped his putt, of nine feet, for the half. Charles missed a reasonable putt for a win at the short thirteenth, and he lost the next hole when Scott recovered splendidly from a bunker and sank a putt of 10 feet for a regulation 4. Charles, short with his second, chipped through and missed a return putt of eight feet.

J. G. SCOTT

weak putting. Scott had another shank at the eleventh, which he lost to a scratch ~4, but at that point he found himself, and as he improved, so did Clements. Clements has a style which would not suit many, but his free swing, his graceful short approaches, and his knowing touch with -his putter are all marks of the natural golfer. As the final neared its end he really looked a champion. But Scott looked the part too, and there were some thrilling passages over the last few holes. Scott, two down, was bunkered at the short thirteenth, but he came out bravely and sank a longish putt for his half in 3’s. At the 440-yard fourteenth, Clements got to the back of the green with a 7-iron from the rough, a magnificent blow, and this too was halved. Clements played a tee shot at the fifteenth, 185 yards, which did not leave the line, and finished nine feet short of the pin. With the pressure on, Scott played a superb 4-iron, to six feet of the pin. Clements boldly sank his putt. Scott’s wavered on the brink and after an interminable period fell for a half in birdie 2’s.

Scott won the sixteenth with an excellent chip, and was well, on with his second at the seventeenth. Clements, from the back of the green, lipped the cup and Scott narrowly failed to hole a putt of 15 feet for a win. Last Hole

The game ended in circumstances which reflected the greatest credit on Scott and on the game itself. Clements did not have the honour, but drove first, and it was a magnificent shot down the middle. Scott could have recalled the shot and made Clements play after him. but he was no doubt as well aware as any that Clements would not knowingly take an unfair advantage, and he refused the referee’s offer. His own drive was a good one, his second well on the green, but outside Clements’s approach. Scott was very close with his putt of nine or 10 feet, but Clements, from six or seven feet, putted surely, for his birdie. Beth players were one under scratch for the last seven holes. Clements had a round of 76, Scott 79.

Scott at that stage was playing to scratch figures, and was three up with four to go. He deserved the victory he won at the next green, but it was an unfortunate experience for Charles, whose tee shot was bunkered. The ball was partly embedded, and Charles had to try to keep his feet in a little sea of mud to play his shot. He failed to move the ball at the first attempt, and lost the hole to a careful 4. D. C. Watson Loses

The prizes for the three-day tournament were presented by Mrs R. W. Morgan, wife of the president of the Christchurch club. Results:—

Senior Championship, Semi-finals. —J. G. Scott beat R. J. Charles, 4 and 3; R. E. Clements beat D. C. Watson. 2 and 1. Final: Clements beat Scott, 2 up. Easter Plate.—Semi-finals: G. P. Vesty beat W. J. McGavock, 4 and 3; R. J. Ramsay beat M. W. Stanley, 4 and 3. Final: Vesty beat Ramsay. 2 and 1. Senior Match Handicap.—Semifinals: A. I. Charles beat F. Marshall. 2 up; J. D. Bull beat J. Mackay, 5 and 4. Final: Bull beat Charles, 1 up. Intermediate Match Handicap.— Semi-finals: W. K. L. Dougall beat P. Holt, 7 and 6; E. S. Henderson beat R. Townsend, 3 and 1. Final: Henderson beat Dougall, 5 and 4. Junior Match Handicap.—Semifinals: R. F. Smith beat H. B. Stewart, 2 up; R. K. Baty beat J. Tregear, 2 and 1. Final: Smith beat Baty, 3 and 2.

In the other semi-final, D. C. Watson was quite unable to reproduce his good form of the previous day, and although he was never far behind, he did not win the lead. He was often inaccurate with his irons, some of his tee shots went sadly astray, and even his chipping, usually a model of virtue, was‘sometimes sinfully inaccurate. Clements hit the ball straighter from the tees than usual, and once he had established a lead, he played well within himself. Clements had a round of 77, Watson one of 80. When the final began, there was a slight suggestion of medieval protocol, with the conquered Charles pulling Scott’s trolley. Charles’s presence might have meant much to Scott, but for a time at least he had to make bricks without straw. Few such finals can have had so dismal a start. Clements was not playing well, but he should have been; able tp establish a commanding i lead over Scott, who was prob-, ably suffering from the after: effects of his stem morning tussle. It was for a while strongly suggestive of the village cricket match, with the exertion expended having little relation to the result achieved. At the first Clements went from rough to bunker; he three-putted the second; at the short third Scott miss-hit his. tee shot incredibly

Humphreys Cup (foursome bogey handicap): K. D. Foxton and R. S. Wakefield, 1 down; M. W. Stanley and R. K. Atkinson, 2 down; P. Holt and S. Tunnicliff, 4 down. Bogey Handicap.—H. J. Gosset, 2 down; C. L. Sturge, 4 down.