NOTES ON THE PLAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1880, 14 October 1913, Page 3

NOTES ON THE PLAY.

BRILLIANT WORK BY DOUCLAS.

(?rom Our Special Correspondent.)

Dunedin, October 13,

Rain fell heavily overnight, and when play started in the morning it was still falling, and kept on off and on all day. The greens, which had been very fast, were now quite dead and stiff, and put players in a state of uncertainty, as to what to do on them. Several of tho greens were almost covered with water, but towards midday they wero nearly clear, and the players who started first wore at a disadvantage in having to uso mashieiS on them to clear the wator. Tlie general opinion was that tho players who got tho greens would roturn good scores, as the course is short and rather easy. This was right, for some of our best players wore making 3 and 4 putts on every other 'green, whilo the others ■ were getting down in one. Duncan, the Wellington crack, never seemed to get set in tho first round, and at the thort fifth, after topping his drive into a bunker, and having to pick up and lose two strokes through an unplayable lie, ho holed out in 8, an easy 3 hole. Coming homo ho missed several short putts, and ran up an 83. In the second round, although playing a fine long game, his putting was again at fault, and a 78 was the best ho could do. Should he striko the greens tomorrow lie will not bo far out of the light. Simpson, who partnered him, was playing well, but with a touch of bad luck. Flo holed tho fifteenth twice in a fine 2. Clements required 42 putts in his first round, but he got- going better in the afternoon, and ran up a fine 74, his only mistake being a foot putt missed on tho first green. He ,is playing into form, and will bo very' hard to beat to-morrow. B. Wood was playing good golf, but getting all the bad luck going, and his putting was —woll, awful is just about the word for it. MacEwan, who led in tho morning with a 75, took 85 in his second attempt, a score which any good player can run up on this course and still be olaying woll

lies, of Christchurch, was playing 6uro and steady, risking no long putts and getting all the short ones down, with the result that he ran up two 76's. liis approaching also was really excellent. It remained for Douglas, tho ScotchAmerican professional, to serve up the tit-bit, and alter a 77 in tho morning, ill which his long game up to tho green could have hardly been improved upon, ho served up a now record for the course in tho afternoon with a brilliant 71. liis driving was long, his second shots just tho thing, and liis putting uncanny. Ills only mistake was at the fourteenth, where he overran the green with his second, and got a ditch which caused him to lose a stroke. His scoro is as follows: — 5,4,3,5,3,4,4,5,4,3,5,4,4,5,3,3, 4,3-71. flood, of Auckland, was also going strong in tho morning and rattling his putts at tho back of the hole, and ran up a fine 7G. In his second round ho never gave them tho same cliancc, and the result was an 83 which put him well out of the running. Butters, the local/hope, was playing very careful —rather too careful to score when ho' had chances—and his SDores of 78 —79 represented sound golf. Other professionals, although playing well, found the greens too much for them. "Watt took close on 90 putts in his two rounds, Stewart came to grief in tho rushes, and through several penalty strokes, whilo Hood of Christchurch finished his second round with four sixes.

Wright tops the list among the amateurs, and lie is playing line golf, as liis scores of 79—HO show. Taylor, of Miramar, is playing well, and may improve onto ho knows the course better. The local players did not dp woll, but they will have to be reckoned witli when it comes te matcli play, loung Goss, of Wanganui, was doing the morning round, and got in a 79, but tho long waits in* the afternoon sent liim back, and'an 85 was tho best he could do. Piospects for to-morrow do not look too well, for it is still raining hard, and although Douglas has a good lead and looks like winning, anything might happen on this course. A player may be playing good golf and still be well up in. the 80's. Shrewd golfers givo Clements a good chance, and should he strike tho putting, A. Duncan may cause a surprise. As regards a score it would not surprise mo to see someone return a score of under 70, for there is practically no wind, and at present tho majority of the holes can easily bo reached in two shots. The several couples who were unfortunate in having to start early to-day had a touch of what they had at Heretaunga last year —a hole on green after green surrounded by water.

THE WAIWETU CLUB. The final' of tho ladies' championship under the' auspices of the Waiwetu .Golf Club was played on Saturday, when Miss Turton defeated Miss M. Gaynor. In tho match for first-year players, Miss Rothschild a.nd Miss Hishon tied for first place with a net scoro of 88, and tho next best score (90) was handed in by Miss Poynder.