Gray Wins Otaki Open Golf Championship

Chronicle (Levin), 9 June 1948, Page 2

Gray Wins Otaki Open Golf Championship

The annual open tournament conducted by tlie Otaki Golf Club was played on Sunday and Monday of the King's Birthday weekend. With the fairways and greens in exeelient order, a field of 44 players started in the qualifying roun'd on Sunday morning, a cold soutiierly wind "right off the snow" making conditmns rather unpleasant at the start, but improving a little later on. Mucn the same weather prevailed on 'Monday. j Among the players were a large number of Otaki members and visi- i tors from Levin, Awatapu (Palmerston North; and the Hutt Valley Ciubs of Manor Park, Te Marua and Boulcott. The leaders in the qualifying round were: — W. DAth 74, Z. Oray 76, J. Winterburn 76, J. D'Ath 77, H. Derham 80, E. B. Anderson 80, E. Gray 81, C. G. Atmore 83 and D. P. Todd 83. The first eight were drawn for match play for the cpen champi-onship, Atmore gaining eighth place on the count-back. The remaining players were drawn. for match play on handicap in flights of -eight. In the first round of the cham-. pionship, W. D'Ath beat C. G. Atmore, E. Anderson beat J. D'Ath, J. Winterburn beat H. Derham and Z. Gray beat T. Gray. In the senfifinal Anderson eliminated W. D'Ath and Z. Gray accounted for Winterburn. The final piayed between Anderson and Z. Gray resulted in a win for Gray, who thus becomes the open champion of tlie club for 1 the 1948 season. Zane Gray is tlie i present senior champion of the ; club, having won this title last year.

At the conclusion of the Monday afternoon's play, the president, Mr. S. A. Elliott, thanked all present for having contributed to the success of the tournament and, in presenting trophies to the successful competitors, congratulated them upon their victories. The prize list was as follows: — Winner open championship: Zane Gray; runner-up: E. B. Andersoin. Winner first flight: W. Rzoskd; , runner-up: S. A. Grant (Manor Park). Winner second flight: B. H. Rhodes; runner-up: S. A. Elliott. I Winner third flight: Ned Gray; runner-up: R. Ford (Boulcott). Winner fourth flight: E. J. Jen'seh;. runner-up: L. G. Gimblett. Winner j medal competition played in con-' junction with qualifying round: D. P. Todd (Levin) . Winner bogey [competition played in con junction iwith first round: -Ei >B. Anderson. Winner stableford played in conjunction with semi-finals: S. A. Grant (Manor Park) . Winners of fourball best-ball bogey played Monday afternoon: T. O'Rourke and C. Enoka. Club Notes The Saturday foursomes competition was won by S. A. Elliott and W.'W. Bennett with 81 — 12-— 69, their combination proving mo'st effective and their closest rivals being some strokes behind them. Next Saturday the second card for the Tris Harper Memorial Cup will be played, and on Sunday the club will receive a visit frcm' the Boulcott Club, Lower Hut'.