SOME KEEN STRUGGLES

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 89, 12 October 1934, Page 4

SOME KEEN STRUGGLES

SHAW BEATS M cINTOSH

DOUGLAS EA TTEES FINAL

(By Telegraph) (Special to tho " Evening Post.")

WANGANUI, October -11.

The weather today waa perfect for the continuation of the New Zealand golf championship tourney. Chief interest centred in the professional semi-finals and the third round of the amateur, which deckled who would contest the semi-finals. The results of the day's play were as follows: — Amateur Championship. Third Round. B. M. Silk beat H. P. Dale, 2 up. I. Macewan beat J. L. Black, 2 up. J. P. JMortlaud beat D. C. Collins, 2 and 1. L. Cathro beat H. A. Black, 3 and 2. Professional Championship. Semi-finals. A. J. Shaw beat j. D. Mclntosh, 2 up. E. S. Douglas,,beat C. C. Clements, 3 and 1. New Zealand Plate. ; Second Round. C. J; Ward beat J. A. Scouler, 7 and 5. ■A. E. Guy beatJ. Goss, 2 and 1. 'K. Ross beat T. H. Horton, 5 and 4.' W. T. Kuru beat J. P, Hornabrook, 1 up. . ■■ . Stroke Handicap. .Amateur. 'W. T. Kuru, 72, 4-6 S. N. H. W. Avion, SO, 8-72. Kapi Tareha, 75, S—72. Professionals.. A. J. Branch, 70. F. Branch, 71.. E; C. Butters, 71. James Watt, 71. , . • . . A characteristic finish by Shaw .in the afternoon saw him turn an apparent defeat tp victory and give him another opportunity of holding for the fourth successive year the professional golf championship of New Zealand. Three down and 6 to play, Shaw's prospects were none too rosy against his opponent, J. Mclntosh, but whereas the latter slipped into a seriee o£ errors, Shaw was infallible, and he clinched his battle with a truly magnificent second shot which lay a foot fronvthe pin at the 18th hole. ■. In the other semi-final, a fiterling recovery was made by Clements, who got square at the 13th hole in the afternoon round after his' opponent, E. S. Douglas, had been 7 up when the first hole of the second round had been played. Douglas,., however,^ again, asserted: himself and won comfortably. It was generally thought that Shaw would not- find a deficit of 2 down too much of a hurdle when play was resumed after lunch,'and this contention was justified when he squared the match at the sixth green. However, he was worse off than ever at the 11th, where he became 3 down, but thereafter he played par golf. Mclntosh could not withstand the challenge, and faulty tee shots in three of the last four holea turned the tide against him. A PATCH OF BAD PLAY. Apart from Shaw's great homeward run, the feature, of the play' was three shocking holes played before the turn was reached. After Shaw squared the game at the sixth hole, he and his opponent fell into- a series of atrocious errors. The seventh waa a chapter qf extraordinary lapses. Shaw pushed his second out and completely fluffed the next, and was relieved to reach the green in 4. Mclntosh hooked his tee shot, and when he cleared the rough scrambled to the green in 4 also. There were two putts each, and an inglorious hole was halved in 8. chaw took 3 to reach the next hole, but Mclntosh lost his opportunity by taking ■three putts, a half in 5 resulting. Shaw then: -completed the chapter -.of errors by hooking. Lite tee. shot at the'next out of bourids.. He lost the hole with another 6, and was 1 down with 0 to play. Mclntosh was the first to get into Ins stride again, and took the next hole, a. short one, with a 2. and the "Long Tom, which followed, with a 4, and was 3 up. Shaw replied-with a 2 at the 12th, the second one-shottcr on the home journey, and also won the 14th, and was only one to the bad. The title-holder played . his iron at, "French Paf-s," the third one-sliotter, to the hack of the green. Mclntosh s was hooked, and only a lucky tobound from the .fence brought the ball back into the fairway. He could still not get his 3, and the match was square. -.There were more, thrills to follow. Mclntosh failed to carry ."Bunker s. Hill" and his third was in the bunker. Shaw duffed his second and was on tho ereen in 3,. only to see his opponent chip out to within a yard from the pin. Shaw s putt was too bold, but fortunately for him was straight, and'hitting, the cup came to rest instead of running another six feet, a half resulting. . THE DECIDING HOLES, At the penultimate hole Mclutosh pulled his second through the hunker and was eight yards short with his. third. Shaw rimmed the hole with an eight-yard put for 3, and Mclntosh; in a-desperate ■eftort to save the hole, went in and out of the cup Shaw holed in 4to sand was now 1 up The match was as good as over when'Mclntosh hooked his last drive into the rough? Shaw nfade no mistake about cementing his victory by placing an iron spectacularly a foot from the' pin. After playing a 4 to .reach the .green/ Mclntosh held out his hand to congratulate his conqueror.. . ' ' ' ~1 . Shaw produced his real Rolt on the last nine holes, which he completed in 33. Clements looked to have hardly a remote chance when he resumed' his game with DouMas 0 down and .lost the first hole, but he played sterling golf onward to the turn, which he reached in 34, to be still 2 down. He got square with six holes to play, but Douglas was his master and won 3 and 1. Douglas had a round of 70 in the morning coming home in 33, and took 73 in the afternoon. Two years ago he was runnerup to Shaw at Hcretannga. Douglas won the title once as far back as 1921, and is still a great fighter, though he will be 50 next May* NOTES.ON THE AMATEURS. Of the amateurs Cathro confirmed the o-ood impression that he has created localy by turning the tables on H. A. Black, who defeated him in the-semi-final at Palmerston North in 1930. ■ Silk's victory over Dale was made easy by Dale's poor tactics. Dale presented several holes to Silk by trying to pitch shots on to the fast greens instead of running them. Silk, .however, was always his master. MortUuid, the unassuming young player from Tailmpc, got the first advantage in his game with Collins when he holed a birdie at the third hole, and he was never behind afterwards. His meeting with Cathro is keenly awaited. Dr. Ross, though he is not the player who was tho mainstay of New Zealand s Kiik-Windeyer Cup teams for several years, reached the. semi-final of the Blediuloe- Sbieldr.by defeating, Bartleet and Horton. . Against tho Aucklander he holed- birdies in succession, at the eighth and ninth .holes, and this turned the game, in his favour, thbugh-it did not finish until the 18th.■.:Horton in the afternoon could do nothing right against Ross, and was no less than 7 down at the turn. Still 5 down at the 14th. he hooked his tee shot over the fence when, he had the honour. Before Robs teed up Horton turned to him and remarked: "That will do; your match." Of the others Kuru again defeated A. Sime, and.then accounted for J. P. Hornabrook, and thus brought himself ™™ipi; into the limelight. His,round of/2, 4-68 in the'morning won him.the 'medal handicap. . ' CATHRO'S DEFEAT OF BLACK. In the championship match with H. A. Black Cathro commenced by taking the first hole. He was on the green nicely with his sficond, while Black was short and left himself a long putt for his fourth, which he missed. Black squared at the second, when he laid Cathro a stymie, but at the third Cathro put _ a beautiful second two feet from the pin, an 4 .flack, ftfter two -putt*, gay« aim

the hole. The next two were halved in par figures, but at the sixth Cathro was pin high with his second while Black was short, Cirthro .taking the hole 4 to 5 and establishing « lead of 2 up. From then on to the 16th every hole was halved, both players giving a fine exhibition of the long game but being weak with their putts, except at the eighth, where Black holed a long one. At the "Encampment" Cathro was in the hole and out again with his chip shot, halving after Black had placed a beautiful wood second on the green. Cathro's bad putting at "French Pass" enabled Black to -halve that hole after he had put bis first tee shot into the trees. At the Kith both had good drives but got into trouble in the rough with their seconds, Cathro getting out with an iron ancl,Black burying, his still further in the long grass. Black won applause when he got out with his fourth, just through the green, but Cathro laid his chip approach dead, leaving Black his approach to halve and save the match. This was too much, and the honours went to Cathro. Cathro went out iv 35.