HORNABROOK'S WIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 116, 13 November 1939, Page 14

HORNABROOK'S WIN

OPEN GOLF TITLE

EXCITING LAST DAY

SOME FINE SCORING

(By "Chipshot.")

Demonstrating not only great golfing ability but a great temperament for the game, J. P. Hornahrook, the Masterton amateur, on Saturday won the New Zealand Open golf championship at bMiramar with -a.-four-round \score of 291, three strokes ahead of Alex Murray, the Auckland professional and four ahead of J. D. Mcintosh, the Wellington professional. By this success Hornabrook added to a remarkable record. In 1935 and 1936 he won tlie national amateur championship, and in 1937 he won the Open in a playoff after Murray, in the final round, had disqualified himself. Hampered for the first two days by the wind, the championship ended on Saturday in a string of fine scores, in the slightly chilly and occasionally gusty northerly. The par of the course, 74, was beaten many times, and Horria T brook topped the list with a magnificent 68, compiled in the third round. The scor-e gave him the Jellicoe Cup, awarded to the competitor scoring the lowest single round. He also won the ' trophy presented by Lord Bledisloe when Governor-General for the amateur returning the lowest score in the Open. After two days of leading the field, Mcintosh was the unlucky man, losing to both Hornabrook and Murray. Mcintosh's phenomenally steady' play over the four rounds deserved a better position than third, for he was the only competitor who did not play a bad round, and his finishing rounds of 74 and 72 when;, the pressure was on represented the finest kind 4of golfing. Not quite the stylist that Hornabrook, Murray, or Shaw is, Mcintosh makes up for the deficiency by a confident attitude and great delicacy on the greens; he was easily the steadiest man of the field.

Homabrook's 68 of the third round was one of the finest he has produced in a notable career. He was on the way to > even better figures when he sliced his drive at the seventh hole and had to pick out from an unplayable position. The hole cost him 7. In spite of it,^ he went out in even fours, and on'the run home he hit every shot in the middle of; the blade and with the maximum of power and control. At the fifteenth he played a marvellous brassie shot into the teeth of the wind. The ball stopped rolling two yards from the pin and he sank, the putt for 3, .the lowest figure yet .returned at the toprnament for one of the most difficult holes of the course.

His afternoon round of 72 was another measure of his greatness. In spite of a 5 and a 6 at the tenth and eleventh holes after carding a 34 for the first nine, he showed courage and resolution. He was tailing-the field, and Murray had already scored his 294 when Hornabrook had to play the seventeenth and eighteenth holes. The champion had at least eleven strokes in hand for the two holes. Hornabrook was calmness itself. : He scored par 4's on both holes; and on the last, with a gallery of close on 2000 looking on, he sank a putt of at least three yards, to make certain of the title. Whether he will last the rest of the week as he lasted the Open has yet to be proved, for eight or nine days on a golf course is tremendously hard work.

Murray came fully on to his fine game on Saturday and his scores of 71 and 69 for the third and fourth rounds were beautifully compiled In particular, his 69 was a grand effort. Unfortunately, he played his second round on bFriday poorly. Off the tee and through the greens he w6s long and. accurate on Saturday, .and, handled his irons with particular skill. If he could riot win the Open, at least he showed himself one of the stylists of the; field. Apart from A. J. Shaw, it is doubtful if anyone hits the ball with less apparent effort than Murray.

. A. E. .Guy, who finished fourth on 297, seemed to have great chances bt victory at the end of the first nine? holes of the third round. He scored the phenomenal total of 31, and with a little luck on the sixth hole would have sunk Jiis tee shot for an ace instead of a 2. He started back honiie after that magnificent run with figures of 5546 for four holes. Then he lost lite grip of his game, and came back in 40; three strokes over par, and those four holes. broke the back of his chances. ■ .:

In the afternoon, however, he scored another beautiful round of 70, four under par.

Shaw, with magnificent control of temperament; could not yet do better than finish with 299. He scored rounds of 74 and 72 on Saturday, and his last round, in particular, was fine. But Shaw, seven times winner of the event, in spite of his admirable temperament, lacked control of his putting. So far during the tournament he has had very bad luck on the greens. A player of his class does not often' miss a two-footer, and that happened on the fourteenth in his final round. '>

There were other good rounds, with LA. Ewen's 69 of the moaning an especially fine effort. He \yent out in 36 and came back in 33. In the afternoon, however, a drive into the ditch at the thirteenth was expensive. E. S. Douglas, by now an established veteran, scored 71 for the last round. D. O. Whyte, making only his fourth appearance at a national tournament, | gave Guy excellent help on the last two rounds with 73 and 75. George ; Watt, too, played shots superior to ! Homabrook's in their partnership. : j THE FULL SCORES. | Following are the 'full scores iv the open championship:— J. P. Hornabrook 78 73 68 72—291 *A. Murray 75 7!) 71 09^-294 •J. D. Mcintosh - 74 75 74 72—295 *A. E. Guy 75 81 71 70—297 *A. J. Shaw 78 75 74 72—299 B. M. Silk 78 77 71 75— 301 R. U. Glading .... 71 80 75 f»-^302 Rana Wagg .79 77 72. 75—303 L. A. Ewen '75 S2 09 77—303 * 3-. Galloway 79 79 72 74—304 .D. O. Whyte 76 SI 73 75—305 *E. -S. Douglas 77 82 70 71—306 *0- Watt -81 75 77 75—308 W. B, Reilly ■... 79 74 78 78—309 A. R. Kitto 77 72 77 53—309 3. Jeffery 77 83 74 76—3}0 R. B. Cameron , 79, 80 78 74—311 J. P Mortland 77 82 74 79—312 h. Quinn 1.... 77 80 79 7£—3J2 D. H. Graham ... 77 79 78 79—313 J. li. Black 83 76 75 79—313 *J. Weir 78 79-76 80—313 P. G. P. Smith 78 81 77 77—313 •T. S. Galloway 81 84 74 74—313 G. P. Roberts 77 84 76 77—314 *J. A. Clements , ..' 81 79 77 77—314 •W. AUbon -81 82 73 78—314 A.«D. S. Duncan 80 84 77 74—3i5 A. G. Sime 77 84 78 7(5—315 *C. C. Clements .... 79 83 75 78—315 J. Shelly .*;.... 80 81 83 72—316 *R. C. Butters 81 81 80 74—316 I. B. Cromb 83 80 77 76—SjG K. Glendinning 79 82 76 79—310 H. A. Black SO 80 75 52—317 K. J. S. Smith 80 78 SO 79—317 V. F. Kitto 79 81 8! 77—318 *B. Stratmore . v..... - 79 81 70 £2—318 K. ITeiKlersoti 76 83 79 51—319 *A. : H. Dyke 82" 81 75 ,81 —319 A. K. .Doneghue ...- 83- -78 SO 7S—SJ» .t. W. Morrison ;78 S5 79 78—320 . P.. . Qutnn ,78 86 SI .75^-320 «.T. Lambie ........ SI S2 73 85—321 P. W. Dixon .76 87 82 76-^331 •John Wats «««,.( .78. &l - JW. 79—321

J.D.Nash .......... 79 84 82 77—322 J. B. Tunnell ." 81. 84 79 78—322 *N. H. Fuller .......... 80 83 76 81—322 S. C. Taylor ........ SO 84 78 80—322 R.G.Holland SO 84 78 80—322 »D. M. Boyd, SI 81 80 81—323 H. Marshall, jun. .... 86 75 S2 80—323 W. J. Davidge ...... 83 80 7o 86—324 *A. C. Sheriff ........ 81 79 82 83—325, H. D. Gyles 79 80 80 86—32q L. A. Watson ...... 77 84 83 81—325 E. 'J. Pumphrey ...." 81 82 81 81—325 .M. R. Moore 83 80 81 81—325 *R. Jackson 84 SO 83 78—32 a 'E. J. Moriarty '........' 81 84 82 83—330. E. G. Fletcher 80 85 81 86—332, H. H. McLean ........' 81 84 83 86—334 *Denotes professional. . CLUB NEWS. Shandon Club.—Bogey: C. D. Macdonald, 1 down. First stableford, M. Fossey, 33 points. ■ Second stableford, G. Jones. 39" points. Four-, ball best-ball bogey:, T. Welch and. It. B. Robinson, 7 up. _ ....■.', • Paremata Club.—Bogey, E.! V. Croft on a count back from J. D. Shearer. Hidden holes, N. Payne. Stableford, N. Payne (37 points). Handicap adjustment, N. Payne 3/2. Hutt Ladies' Club.—The winners of labt week's flag match were: Seniors, Mrs., Duncan ; juniors, Mrs. Griffen. (

Manor Park' Ladies''Club.^-Medal: Miss Allen (22K 63. Stableford:HUss Dehnehy, 41" points. Bogey: Jfrs. Connery, 1 up. Silver medal: Miss Hogg, 2SO net; Bronze medal: Mrs. Fellows, 286 net. "Sijditer" competition: Wiss Cameron (29); 62. Miss Kerr's trophy: Mrs. Marshall. Two-life final: Mrs. Bilderbeck and. Miss Munro.

FIXTURES. Hutt Ladies' Club.—An extra L.G.U. modal will be played ou Wednesday.