NEW ZEALAND GOLF.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1552, 23 September 1912, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND GOLF.

IH. WRIGHT DEFEATS A. DUNCANAN EXCITING FINISH. BUTTERS WINS THE PROFESSIONAL HATCH. ' The Herutaunga links on Saturday, although spotted with pools of casual ivater, Were sufficiently dried up to enable the piny to go forward, and about 11 o'clock the third round of the amateur championship' vas plujcd.-oli, with the following result:— Third Round. A Duncan beat J. Harold, 3 up and 1. K. Duncan beat 11. Gillies, 7 np and 6. H. Wright beat A. Kcnnndny, 3up and 2. B. B. Wood boat J. Ooss, 3 up and 1. The play was not particularly interesting, that of Duncan and Harold being the best. Harold 'played a dogged game, and stuck to his' formidable opponent with marked pertinacity. . i Kennaday did hot do as well as was expected, but his drives did not run on the saturated course, and handicapped him a lot. Cioss put up a good fight against AVood,' but was not consistent, and on a dry course would most likely not have done as well as he did. Scmi-Finals. Shortly after 2.30 p.m. A. Duncan and H. E. Wright started off to. contest the semi-final round of the amateur championship. They botli got in good drives, and were on the green in two. Duncan's second lay about eight feet from the hole, and when ho went down with a brilliant putt the spectators—especially the knowing ones—concluded that he was a', last up to. form, and expected to fee nme exceptional play; Duncan drove ?irst, and got in a fairlv long and straight : chot, but Wright had the misfortune to hit a tree and land in a gorse bnsh. He fniled to got his ball out, and surrendered the hole. The third hole Duncan did comfortably in three accurate shots, and started on the fourth with a lead of three up. This they halved in five, 'neither boms very good. At tho fifth they both drove over to the right,, and had nasty lies for their approach. Wright, however, got nut best, and won the hole in three. With his next drive, Wright »ot off the fairway, and did not get a very good second. Duncan's approach landed in a pool of water, and Iny dead on tho cdje of the green, and Wright won the hole. Tho seventh was halved. Wright nearly recovered from a poor d-rivovith. a brilliant-second. At the eighth, Wright out-drove Duncan, but the hole was halved. The ninth wns halved y in three, and they started for home,-Duncan one

up. . ■■■--.' ■-.■••■• . The tenth was halved in four, and likewise the eleventh. At tho twelfth, both drove fairly well, and tlie balls-landed dose together, only Wright's-was in a dry, bunker and .Duncan's'in-n patch of long] pss. Wright got out of the bunker fairly well, only skyed his ball somewhat and it fell dead. Duncan's second brought him within easy approach of the, green , . He todly mulled his approach, however, and .Wrisrht won the hole, thus makin" them all square. At the thirteenth, Duncan made a bad drive and missed an easy putt, and gave Wright the hole. At the' fourteenth, Duncan' badly, topped his drive and landed in a ,handy rush , , bush, ■from which he failed :to extract'his ball, so he picked out and' gave fright the hole. ,y\t the fiftceiitli,* .• Diihcn'n failed to. get up : with- his first, and : Wright wqn the hole in three, thus making him dormi three. At the sixteenth; Wright made a short drive, and his second went but' of bounds, so Duncan won" , the hole. At the seventeenth both'drove fairly long balls and WrigKt got off the fairway-with his second, but got on to the green with his third. Duncan had .a long putt to.win, but he just missed it, and enabled his opponent to halve the hole, thus giving him tho game, 2 up and one to play.' The game was full of interest from tho start, and at the finish became very exciting. The play, considering the state of the links, wns good, though at times must have been very.disheartening to the ■ p!nvi»rs. The' numerous pools of water proved a great handicap and spoiled several perfect strokes. Duncan was driving a much shorter ball than he generally does, and towards the end appeared to tire. The Christch'ureh man mado a , fine recovery coming in. and played much more.consistently . than Duncan, though loss brilliantly on the jroins-out holes. W. Turnbull was fora caddie for Wright, and J. Galloway for Duncan. . Tho other semi-final game between B. B. Wood and K. Duncan -was loss interesting than tho first. Duncan had an easy win over ICapi Tareha in the previous round, but Tareha was playing badly, and it was not a surprise when he was badly beaten by Wood. At the first hole Woo'd won with a long putt in four, ■■ the sanie number gave him the second as well. The third wns halved in three, Wood's approach lying , dead.' Driving from the fourth tee, Wood*hit a tree, but with a good brassey stroke for , his second managed to halve the hole in five. At the fifth Duncan hit a tree with his drive, but got on to the green with a clean masliio'6hot, and the hole was halved in four. The sixth was also halved, both taking five. Duncan was unfortunate in driving into water, nnd Wood missed his cleek shot. Duncan last the seventh with a seven: against a five. He got a good drive, but a bad brassey shot, nnd sliced his Triashie stroke. The eighth, Wood also won in four. Duncan was on the green in three, but took four putts to go down. Wood again won the ninth in four, and tho tenth with a three. ■ At the eleventh Duncan drove into a bunker, and, failing to get out after two efforts, picked up and gavo Wood the hole, thus making him seven up and six to play. Professionals' Match. In the semi-final of the Professionals' Match, Simpson beat M"Ewan 1 up after a very close game, and Butters beat Hood 1 up also. The play in both games was steady, and, considering the condition of the. links, good.

In the final Butters bent Simpson four up , and two to play. The piny going out was better than coming in, and at the eleventh holo they were all square; from the eleventh home Butters picked up and won fairly comfortably.

Tuson Cup. The following is the result of tho Tuson Cup:— - Christchurch v. Wellington. B. B. Wood J v-A. Duncan \ 11. E. Wright 1 v. K. Duncan ..... 0 A. V. Kennaday ... It, W. Horton 0 W. Hnrman 1 v. W. E. Reid ... 0 H. K. Brittan 0 v. C. Gore 1 S. P. Sleigh' 1 t.E. T. George ... 0 B. Douglas 0 v. W. li. ]>-cs 1 Goo. Rhodes 0 v. L. C. Hales ... 1 Total l\ Total 3i Four-ball. H. E. Wright nnd A. Kennaday (0) v. A. Dimcnn and W. Horton (1)} n. B. Wood and H. Brittan (1) v. K. Duncan and W. E. Reid (0); W. Hnrman and S. Sleigh (I) v. C. Gore and E. T. George (0) ; B. Douglas nnd G. Rhodes <(0) v. W. B. Lees and L. C. Hales (1). Christcluirch thus wins the cup by 61 to 51. ' Medal Handicap. ' The play-oft" of the tio between J. Wagg, Dr. Buck, and B. Douglas, resulted in a wjn for: ,1. Wegg (82), 1; B. Douglas (Sit), 2. Putting Competition. Tho nutting competition was won by A. D. K. Duncan. Championship Final. The final of the championship (tho first round) will commence to-day upon the arrival of the H. 4 .train from Lambtnn Station at Horotnunga. The gocond round after the arrival of the spi-cial train leaving Tininbton Station at 12.55. The special tlnin has teen guaranteed by the club, so it is hoped that the visitors will travel by it. " s