Golf championship no clue to fifth Freyberg place

Press, 26 April 1979, Page 28

Golf championship no clue to fifth Freyberg place

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

If the Canterbury match-play golf championships only added to the difficulties selecting the Freyberg Rosebowl team this year, at least the selectors still have time on their side, and a lot of golf ahead before the Choice has to be made. But the tournament, played in pleasant weather at Shirley, re-affirmed the claims of Geoff Saunders and Des Turner, two of the best amateurs in the country. And if Bruce Taylor did not have a good tournament, he has only recently returned to

the game, and there is no doubt that the Canterbury captain of recent years will be in the side again. Mark Street, winner of the Australian junior championship at Easter, is almost certain to be retained. But there is intense competition for the fifth place, and the reserve position. In the norma! course of events the 1978 reserve, John Williamson, might have been expected to move into the side. But his form recently has been very disappointing. He, like the others, has most of a Woodward Cup sea-

son and a string of representative fixtures in which to reinforce his claims. Then there is Stephen Street, and Dennis Beggs, who was dropped last season after previous good service. Beggs, with his quiet ways and his ancient putter, produced some fine golf in going down narrowly to Saunders in the second round of the championship. He must have a good chance again. Murray Brown’s determined golf which took him to a hard-fought final with Saunders must have advanced his standing immensely. He is a far sounder player than he used to

be, and his driving throughout the tournament was most impressive. Ricky Vincent, highly regarded as a young player with a good technique and a splendid temperament, played convincingly until his game lost some of its rhythm in the middle stages of his semi-final with Brown. But there is no doubt that Vincent is an outstanding prospect, and his performances in the weeks ahead will be of especial interest.

The winner of the championship plate, Fred Poskitt, must also be considered, although his reputation is based more on stroke than match play. Of the considerable group competing for the last place or two, Brown probably did himself more good than any of the others. But if a state of some confusion remains, this 1979 tournament will be remembered, in particular, for the semi-final between Saunders and Turner.

The golf, during the first nine holes especially, was of spectacular quality. Match play in these tournaments has rarely produced anything to equal the thrust and parry of this purple patch. It needed only a par for Saunders to win the first hole, but Turner’s delightfully easy pitch shot gave him a birdie at 2. Back came Saunders with a 10m birdie putt at the short third. Saunders’ judgment of pace with the putt and the chip was quite magnificent. At the long fourth it was Turner’s turn — a birdie from almost 3m and

the very long fifth (540 m was halved — in birdies. Saunders there had a putt of more than 4m. They were both on the difficult 210 m seventh and had their pars. Only at the eighth was there a decline: perhaps the television camera at the back of the green had some effect. But they both played poor seconds and the pin placement, with the hole just below the steep ridge, made recovery difficult. They halved the hole in fives, one over. The lapse was a brief one. At the par-5 ninth, 445 m, Turner’* two splen-

) did shots put him pinhigh, 10m from the hole; t Saunders was ‘lsm short r of the green. But the most t delicate little pitch shot 1 had his ball on the green, taking the borrow, and > going down for an eagle 3. s Turner’s putt Was superb t too — it barely missed i the hole. So at the turn Turner, s one under the card, and , with four birdies, was an incredible two down. He had had 14 putts, Saunders only 12. It was magi nificent entertainment — and the pity of it was that f it had to be committed to , memory. It deserved • recording on film.