Under Pressure, But Still Unbeaten

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31198, 24 October 1966, Page 9

Under Pressure, But Still Unbeaten

The defending champion, C. G. Munro of Otago, had a difficult day when the match play in the Canterbury amateur golf championships began at Waimairi Beach yesterday.

In his first round game, he had to hole a long putt to win his game with A. L. Castle, a left-hander who has played little golf in recent years, and in the afternoon he beat G. Nieper after being three down with eight to play.

In his semi-final match this morning, Munro will meet J. W. Clarke (Russley), and E. H. Richards (Russley) will play 1. D. Dobson (Waitikiri). It was not, even by Christchurch amateur standards, a star-studded field which set off on the qualifying rounds in the hot sunshine of Saturday, but there have been a few outstanding performances already. Principal among them was the second round of 67 by B. L. Clegg (Kaiapoi), a gifted young player who is fully familiar with the demands of golf at Waimairi Beach. A round five under the card at this tree-lined course is a remarkable achievement, and Clegg gave full expression to the talents he possesses but which come to light only occasionally. He deserved the distinction of a course record, but during this tournament a temporary green is in use at the sixteenth hole, and so his 67 will not be recognised officially. I Clegg dropped only one shot ' during the round, at the | eleventh, his drive hit trees and 'he had to chip out before playing his approach. Otherwise it I was almost golfing perfection. i At the second hole (440 yards) Ihe put his second three feet 1 behind the hole and had an | eagle three and there were two more birdies before the turn, i his brilliant golf being based ion accurate, long driving and ' irons which usually put him • well within putting range. There were two more birdies [coming home. At the ninth, Clegg holed a putt of 12 feet: | but it was the only one he isank from further out than four feet—testimony to his outstanding skill with his pitch shots and longer irons. Yet he disappeared from the championship proper in the first round—a victim of some extraordinary putting by the Otago Freyberg rosebowl representative, J. R. Howorth. Clegg s card read: OutPar: 4 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 3—35 Clegg: 43 3 43434 3—31 In — Par: 44544453 4—37 Clegg: 45443453 4—36 Richards had an afternoon round of 72, two under par, but the only other players to match the cards were Munro, Dobson and B. K. Franks (Windsor). Lower Temperatures The heat of Saturday changed to much lower temperatures yesterday morning, and there was steady rain for some time. But the afternoon matches finished in pleasant sunshine which helped set off the considerable improvement which has been effected to this testing and cleverly-designed course. There were few complaints about the quality of the greens, although there were many who never quite came to ’ grips with the necessity of hit- | ting the approach putts really firmly. ! Richards followed his fine [ afternoon round on Saturday I with another very good one in beating his Canterbury teammate, R. K. Atkinson. Playing with great accuracy and power, Richards was two under the card when he won at the fifteenth. Clegg, against Howorth, dropped two shots at the first hole, only one thereafter, but was beaten at the fourteenth green. It was a phenomenal display of putting by Howorth, who finished the game with five successive one-putt greens, only one of which was under 20 feet. His last two putts were 25-footers.

Castle played very sound golf against Munro and was one under and one up with a birdie at the sixth. He probably lost the match with two poor putts. He three-putted the seventh, for a half and missed one of 18 inches at the tenth, to be square. Munro birdied the twelfth but lost the next hole. Castle’s only bad drive cost him the sixteenth and he lost the hole to

a birdie four. And then came Munro's 14-foot putt for a half at the eighteenth, and the match. He was 73, Castle 74. If Howorth putted brilliantly, the display by Franks against A. J. McGillivray bordered on the fantastic. In 13 holes he had 11 one-putt greens. Many of them ranged from 15 to 25 feet long. Faulty Direction Richards played soundly to establish a lead of four against Howorth after 10 holes of the second-round match, but then his control of direction faltered. In a typically colourful display, he lost the eleventh and twelfth, took the thirteenth with a birdie, lost the fourteenth to a birdie, and became dormie with a huge putt up and across the slope at the fifteenth, for another birdie. The little-known Nieper had Munro in all sorts of trouble for some time. Munro was inaccurate off the tees, and Nieper, a fine putter, sank one of 20 feet for a birdie at the short seventh and was then two up. Munro’s troubles continued when he was bunkered, for the fourth hole in succession, at the ninth. His wife, caddying for him, offered to get him a bucket and spade. Although he lost the tenth, Munro took the hint. With a grand display of precise golf, he won six holes in succession and took the match 3 and 2. There was a birdie at the twelfth, another at the thirteenth, and he hit the hole but stayed out with a long birdie putt at the fifteenth. Franks could not maintain his putting brilliance against Dobson, who played excellent golf. Dobson hit the ball further and straighter than usual, played some fine irons, and putted very soundly. Two Russley players, A. K. Hynd and Clarke, had a tremendous struggle. Hynd is a solid golfer and Clarke, who has seldom appeared in Canterbury tournaments, impressed with his controlled swing and equable temperament. Putting Lapses Putting lapses cost Hynd holes, and he was three down after seven. He fought his way back to square, but lost the twelfth to a birdie. Hynd had the birdie at the sixteenth, but he went one down again when he missed the seventeenth green, for Clarke hit a fine iron just behind the holes and had a safe three. At the last hole, Hynd hit a good second but Clarke unexpectedly duffed his approach. However, his chip was a beauty —a foot from the hole. Hynd had to sink a 12-footer for a birdie and struck his putt boldly. It hit the back and left of the cup, spun out, sat on the edge, and toppled in again. When they played the nineteenth, Clarke hit two admirable shots to the green, but Hy:.id’s second found outside branches. He made a gallant effort to hole his long putt for 4, but the ball sat on the edge. Results: SENIOR Qualifying Rounds 145: E. H. Richards 75, 70. 148: G. Nieper 75, 73. 149: B. K. Franks 72, 77; A. K. Hynd 74, 75. 150: B. L. Clegg S 3, 67; C. G. Munro 72, 78. 153: I. D. Dobson SI, 72: 154: J. W. Clarke 79, 75. 156: R. K. Atkinson 79, 77. 157: B. T. Quirke 79, 78.

159: A. J. McGillivray 80, 79. 160: P. K. Cleland 77, 83. 161. A. L. Castle 80, 81; J. R. Howorth, 80, 81. 1-62: P. E. Neal 80, 82; J. C. Scott 83, 79. Match Play First Round: Richards beat Atkinson 4 and 3: Howorth beat Clegg 5 and 4; Dobson beat Neal 3 and 4: Franks beat McGillivray 8 and 7; Hynd beat Cleland 2 and 1; Clarke beat Scott 2 and 1; Munro beat Castle 1 up; Nieper beat Quirke 3 and 2. Second Round: Richards beat Howorth 3 and 2; Dobson beat Franks 4 and 3; Clarke beat Hynd at the 19th; Munro beat Nieper 3 and 2. Plate: Atkinson beat Clegg, 1 up: Neal beat McGillivray, 1 up: Cleland beat Scott 4 and 3; Castle beat Quirke 2 and 1. INTERMEDIATE Qualifying Rounds 155: J. I. Dixon 73, 82. 159: P. McHerron, 77, 82. 160: P. B. Vincent 81, 79. 161: B. J. McGuire 80, 81; W. Weatherhead 82. 79. 162: R. S. Challis 80, 82; J. M. Hurley 80, 82. 163: J. G. Patterson 81, 82. 164: R. Hopkinson SO, 84. 165: P. Brady 83, 82. 166: C. Blight 83, 83. 167: L. Clegg 83, 84; J. E. J. Crew 83, 84. 168: O. A. Bowie 84. 84. 169: W. R. Ayers 83, 86; G. Sansom 84, 25. Match Play First round: Dixon beat Hopkinson, 3 and 2; Crew beat McGuire, 2 and 1; Ayers beat Hurley, 5 and 4; Vincent beat Blight, 3 and 1; Weatherhead beat Clegg, 2 and 1; Patterson beat Sansom, 4 and 2; Bowie beat Challis, 2 and 1; Brady beat McHerron. Second round: Dixon beat Crew, 2 and 1; Ayers beat Vincent, 4 and 3; Weatherhead beat Patterson, 2 and 1: Brady beat Bowie, 3 and 2. Plate: McGuire beat Hopkinson, 5 and 4: Hurley beat Blight, 3 and 2; Clegg beat Sanson by default: Challis beat McHerron, 5 and 4. JUNIOR Qualifying Rounds 170: .1. K. McLachlan, S2, 88; R. V. Malthus, 86, 84. 171: K. Perrin, 85, 86; C. R. Weavers, 50, 81. 174: R. G. Chisnall, S 3, 91. 175: W. Sibley, 90, 85; R. Cowan, 88, 87. 176: M. C. Coffins, 88, 88; K. Bergen. 88, 88. 177: A. Gadlianskas, 90, 87. 178: O. W. Pitcaithly, 85, 93. 179: I. L. Kingston, 89 . 90. 181: G. V. Nicholson, 97, 84; B. R. Anderson, 94. 87. 182: P. J. Kelliher, 90, 92. 184: W. N. Rothwell, 88, 96. Match Play First round: McLachlan beat Coppins, 5 and 4; Nicholson beat Chisnall. at the 19th; Cowan beat Kelliher, 8 and 7: Weavers beat Pitcaithly, 8 and 6; Kingston beat Perrin, 2 up; Bergin beat Rothwell, 5 and 4; Anderson beat Sibley, 1 up: Malthus beat Gadlianskas, 1 up. Second round: McLachlan beat Nicholson, 3 and 2; Weavers beat Cowan, 6 and 5; Bergin beat Kingston, 3 and 1: Anderson beat Malthus, 4 and 3. Plate: Chisnall beat Coffins. 5 and 4: Kelliher beat Pitcaithly, at the 19th; Rothwell beat Perrin, 2 up; Sibley beat Giadliankas, 5 and 4. 'THER EVENTS Best gross, 18 holes: B. L. Clegg, 67. Stroke, 36 holes, senior: B. K. Franks, 141. Intermediate: J. M. Hurley, 140. Eighteen-hole stroke. senior: morning, C. G. Munro, 71; afternoon, I. D. Dobson, 70. Intermediate: morning, R. T. Challis, 70; afternoon, W. Weatherhead, 70. Junior: morning, W. Pitcaithly, 68; afternoon, C. R. Weavers, 68.