GOLF.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 611, 14 September 1909, Page 6

GOLF.

CHAMPIONSHIPS AT AUCKLAND. FIRST DAY'S PLAY. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.l m, XT Auckland, September 13. # llio A en* Zealand golf championship meetopened at Cornwall Park links to-day in weather. The links ■were in splendid orclor, the fine weather of the past we<3: havins improved the green. ihe play to-day was confined to the fiTst two rounds of the Open Championship, and some good golf was shown. .Clements, the Wanganui professional, led in tne _first.ronnd with a score of 80, being 5 better tnan bogey/' His nearest attendants wero /a s l *,' l)u l ncan ,'< Wellin ff t 01 1) 82, F. S. Hood" (Auckland professional) 82, J. £. Bidwill (Wairarapa). 82, A. J. Abbott (Wellington) 83, •J. Forbes (St. Clair) 83, J. C. Burns (Auckland) 5' B (Christchnrch) 85, and G. M. Martin (Wellington professional) 85. F; G. Hood,« J. Hood, and G. B. Crowley made the good scores of. 39 each on the home journey in tho first round. ' 'In ihe second round W. B. Colbeck led with the fine sconvof 79, and C. Smith (Dunedin) H- ana J. A. Clements 82 were his nearest atgndants/ A- S - Duncan, F. G. Hood, J. C. Bidwill, and J. Watt (Dunedin professional) each made 84, while D. Hood (Christchurch professional) and B. B. .Wood . each equalled Tjogey. •. i .Clements, the.present- open champion, was at the . end. of the-day's play by four strokes, tho leading aggregate scores bemcr:— W. A» Clements ..; IG2 A. Duncan ; inn F. s. Hood - m J, E. Bidwill jpg W. B..Colbeck .7..., 168 J. C. Burns . ..... 171 A. J. Abbott 171 H. C; Smith .... 172 D.Hood jf2 Tho ,Open Championship will be concluded'! to-day, , ana tne . Amateur Championship com-1 menced. ' i The details of the best scores in each round were ns foilow:— First .Round.—.]". C.. Clements (owes 0), 4, 3, M, 0, •!, 3, 5-40. In 4, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, G, 5-40. Total, 80. ' ' , Second Round.—W.-B. Colbeck (owes-4), -1, 3, 5, 3, 6, G, 3, 6—40. In 4, 1, 3, 4, 4, G, 0, 4, 5 -m. Total, 79. The day's totals arc as follow.:—

i J.'A. Clements (Wanganm) B0 82—102 , A. S.. Duncan (Wellington) ...... 82 8-I—l t'C > I''. G. Hood-(Auckland) - 82 ■ 81—IMi ■ -1..C. Bidwill (Wairarapa) 82 81—ltd I W. 13. C'olbeclc (Auckland) ......... 89 . 79—113 i J. O. Burns (Auckland) 84 87—171 i A. J. Abholt'(Wellington) S3 83—172 i H. C. .Smith (Dtago) IK) 82—1V2 : ,1). Hood, (Christchurcli) \ 87 85—172 i li. B. Wood (Christchurch) 88 85—17.'! C. C. Holmes (Wairarapa) 88 SO—l7-1 : .J.--Forbes (St. Clair) . 83 92—175 i G. Martin (Wellington) 85 .91—176 J. AVatt (Duncdin) 93 84—177 J. Harold (Wanganiii) 89 88—177 h H. T. Gillies (Auckland) 87 91—178 H. B. Lnsk (Christchurch) .- '85 A3—178 i J. irCormicl; (Gisborne) ......... 91 : 91—182 W, Reid' (Wellington) ............... 90 93—183 P. Upton (Auckland) 93 91—184 K. Duncan (Wellington) ...' 9-1 90—184 A. M'Clnrk. (Wellington), ............ 90 95—185 C. K. Sams (Christchurch) S9 97—186 •3J.- K. Cox (Timaru) » 88 99—187 -13. K. I'earce (Wellington) ......... 92 97—189 A. B. Lawrence (Wairarapa) flj 95—190 A. Strang (Manawjitu) 100' 93—193 Colondl Tusou (Service) ............ 99 -94—193 H. Didsbhry (Wellington) ......... 95 98—193 C. St. G. Gore (Wellington) 101 92—193 C. D. Kennedy (Gisborne) ......... 94 100—194 F. Ross (Cambridge) 95 99—194 A. M. Howden (Waitemata) 101 93—107 , J. B. Lusk (Auckland) ............ 99 ■ 98—197 p E-A.-Dargaville (Aucklandy 101 97—198 L. Bonnington (Christchurch) ... 103 96—199 P. Trolovo (Christchurch) 100 99—199 W. Strang (Manawatu) 98 102—200 \V. -E.' Barker (Gisborne) . 99 ,104—203 C. A. Fen wick. (Qtago) 110' 110—220 : In the first round, J. R. Crowley, 88; A. N. 'Borraud, 94; H. D. Bamfoid, 86; E. D. O'Eourke, 96; A. W. Gillies, 97; E.. G. Morpeth, 95; E. T. Tate, 94; J. O. Jamieson, 104; G. D. Morpeth, 104; and R. B. Willock, 105, returned cards, but.did not do 60 in the second round. H. R. Cooper, .A. W. Murray, C. E. Kusabs, and H. B. Watson did not rieturn cards in. either round. ■ : ' NOTES ON THE PLAT. ' ). V IBf Tolecronb.-Snorinl' Correspondent.* ' -.' Auckland, September 13. . The weather, was absolute ■ perfection - for tho opening, of the golf 'championship tournament meeting, to-day. Notwithstanding this, however, the 6cores were not so. good as was anticipated, and the lowest score.recorded, that of 79 by Colbeck, docs no't convey the real value of his game. The two" rounds of • Clements, the young professional, were the result of sound ; and careful play under-a great disadvantage, which troubled all the other competitors not a ■little. The conrso is puggy and enppy right through.. The greens are keen as billiard tables,'and the ground so soft that there is absolutely no run on - the ball.,' The variation in the scores was simply ludicrous, the difficulties being in the way of some players : from -start'to finish. 'At the eighteenth hole, for instance, Wood, the Christchurch champion, ■drove a perfect ball, but when, he came up to play his second he found a niblick was required. The ball lay in one of- the many: cups which penalise the perfect drive, and it took him three :more to dig his ball out. An incident like this has, a penalising effect uppn 6omo players, 'and this, to ■ some extent, accounts for the great' variety, of. scores. Duncan's rounds were 'somewhat patchy. In the afternoon he. went <sut in 40. and started home with a splendid card, but cracked up at the amphitheatre, and put on threef sixes and a' five.- In'the morning he was 16 for the same holes, yet he came in with' an 84, and so remained square with Hood, the professional, who,- singularly enough, put 'up the same score as Duncan, his opponent in both rounds. ■Martin, tho Wellington ■ professional, had •tho. misfortune to break his mashib during tho tu Do ? n -round, and so was handicapped. Abbott, of Wellington, , played - splendidly, but, curiously enough, went all to pieces when he had surmounted the difficulties; ' . A player who has made his iirst appearance m New Zealand championships; is J. Forbes, of Dirnedin, who came in with .175 for .tho -two rounds. - He is -a sound, steady player, and keeps wonderfully straight on the "pin.' He should do well before tho week-end. His luck was certainly not.in to-day. : , A curious incident occurred when Duncan and Hood were flaying the sixteenth. Abbott •and 'Clements were , playing the .fifteenth' hole, Yui .parallel and close to {He sixteenth. Abbott, coming, down,, played Duncan's ball by mistake, and- made-' a - poor shot. Duncan coming, up, discovered tho mistake. Abbott's approach was brought back, and he had to play again, and plumped fair on the green,'wiiilst Duncan had to drop a ( ball, and, after the > delay and flurry, played a foozle and lost, the Hole. lho . intense keenness of tho greens made absolutely every putt uncertain, : and thero was a,great tendency to not give : tho hole a chaace; but the real trouble is through ■ tho green, and even the best. players wince i t . e ?. their beautiful drive or iron below the horizon. . . Didsbury played an excellent round, considwas going over the course for the p -j 1 e " a nd_many of tho holes-were blind. : lieid was oil his game, but did not equal m- ( . Ivh , ose total f0 L r - day's play ,vas : p;,i -n than the best score.fl i Llrar J a who equaUed Arthur. Duncans 166, played a very hot game at the finish coming in with 40 for tho' last' nine. His long, game was excellent. 5 n ' 6, » and Promises well. Shonld ram set in. the links will be very bad : as the pug country becomes a 1 quagmire, \xnd 1 view" Bdisappears8disappears entirely from j attendance: was.small, but large ! enough to bo m tho wuy much .too, often.