Hartstone wins S.I. golf title after play-off

Press, 1 March 1982, Page 34

Hartstone wins S.I. golf title after play-off

From

BARRY SIMPSON

in Nelson The New Zealand and Waikato representaive, Paul Hartstone, won a four-hole, sudden-death play-off at Nelson yesterday to take the South Island golf title. Hartstone, with fellow North Islanders, Tony Treen and Terry Pulman (both Auckland), scored one-under 287 s for the 72-hole championship played on the Nelson club's course at Tahunanui. The only South Islanders in the hunt were Brent Paterson (289), Jim Lapsley (290) and John Williamson (292), all of Canterbury. Williamson played himself out of contention by carding 76 and 75 in his first two rounds, but

both Paterson and Lapslev were never far from the leaders 'and if either had found his putter more sympathetic could have taken"the title. This applied particularly to Paterson, who commenced the second day’s play on equal terms with Pulman. Greg Turner (Otago). Lapsley. Hartstone and Treen and two strokes behind the leader, Michael Barltrop (Auckland). Treen took the lead after the third round, but Paterson was still only two strokes in arrears with Pulman sitting in second place with 214. However, Paterson's putts would not drop. He was seldom on the green in other than regulation figures, but his putts lipped out from

many distances. Towards the end he appeared quite frustrated with his putting performance. Lapsley had similar problems and said he found the greens so much slower than in Christchurch. Williamson only struck real form in the last round . when he at last came to terms with his putter and carded a three-under 69 — a round which only Hartstone (twice), Pulman. Turner and Treen equalled. Finally, in the suddendeath play-off Treen found the trees twice on the first . hole, bogeyed it and dropped out of the race. Three more holes were played, each to. par before Hartstone at 7.10 p.m. curled in a 4m putt for a birdie and the title. ■ The New Zealand cham-

pion, Terry Cochrane (Auck--land), spo'iled his chances with a four-over 76 in the second round and finished with 291. The leading 15 scorers were:— 287—Paul Hartstone. 69. 75. 74. 69: Terrv Pulman; 69, 75. 70, 73; Tony Treen. 71. 73. 69. 74. 289— Brent Paterson. 74. 70. 71. 74. 290— Jim Lapsley. 73. 71. 73. 73. 291— Michael Barltrop. 70. 72, 74. 75: Terrv Cochrane. 73, 76. 71, 71. 292— Colin Taylor. 74 . 72. 71. 75: John Williamson, 76, 75. 72. 69. 295—Greg Turner. 69. 75. 76. 75. 297— Rod Barltrop, 72. 75. 75 75. 298— Phil Aickin. 78. 75, 71. 74. 299— Mike Atkinson. 74, 72, 77,