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Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20091, 10 November 1939, Page 4

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TWO ROUNDS OF 74 HONOURS TO AMATEURS FIRST DAY’S RESULTS WEATHER SPOILS PLAY (Pur Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. At the end of the first day’s play in the New Zealand open golf championship, honours are with the amateurs. Of the 115 players competing, only two returned competing, only two returned cards equalling Miramar's scratch score, 74. They are R. H. Glading, Hamilton, who many regard as the coming amateur champion of the Dominion, and the unattached professional, J. D. Mclntosh.

It was unfortunate that a gusty northerly wind, with driving rain, robbed most of the competitors of chances of breaking 74, and many tales of misjudged shots were told when the day’s experiences were being related.

Three professionals appear in the first five, but 11 amateurs, all under 80, lead the next professional. Both last year’s amateur cnampion. “Pax” Smith, and the proressional champion, N. H. Fuller, are competing, but “Bobby” Locke, holder of the open title, as well as several oversea players who would have attended but for tire war, are absent.

In an effort to relieve the urgent problem of caddies, the State Placement Office was asked to provide men, but owing to the fact that players would have had to pay 5s 6d a round, most of the competitors enlisted the services of a friend or did without a caddie. Strangely enough, the number of youngsters present was not sufficient.

In conjunction with to-day's play in the open and qualifying rounds of the amateur and professional championships, players competed for the Jellicoe Cup. for the best single round in the open, and the Bledisloe Cup, for the leading amateur in the open. Although he took only 11 putts for for the first nine holes on the outward journey, which he finished with the sensational figure of 34—three under bogey—Mclntosh provided an anticlimax at the eighteenth with a calamitous six, after taking four putts. He was unlucky in missing a two at the sixteenth, 160yds., where he split the pin with an iron shot that finished nine inches from the hole. Glading, in the circumstances, played immaculate golf, taking 37 both ways. He started promisingly by notching two birdies in the first three holes, but his chip shots were sometimes erratic and he finished the first nine in bogey 37. He picked up a stroke at the fourteenth and returned bogey figures for the succeeding holes until the eighteenth, where he dropped a stroke. After an indifferent outward display for 40, Ewen, the Hutt champion and who finished fifth in the open last year, made a brilliant recovery, finishing the second nine in 35. He was on in two at the tenth, 490yds., and the fifteenth, 450yds., against the wind, where, in addition to the eleventh, he recorded birdies, but he took three putts on the fourteenth.

Scores of Players R. H. Glading (Hamilton) 74 *J. D. Mclntosh (unattached) 74 I. Ewen (Hutt) 75

*A. Guy (Poverty Bay) 75 ’"A. Murray (Tltirangi) 75 Eric Henderson (Masterton) 7(1 D. Whyte (Wellington) 76 L. Quinn (Waiwetu) 77 J. Jeffery (New Plymouth) .... 77 J. Mortland (Taihape) 77 A. Sime (Otago) 77 D. Graham (Wellington) 77 A. R. Kitto (Seafield) 77 George Roberts (Hutt) 77 E. S. Douglas (Otago) 77 P. Quinn (Akarana) 78 *J. Weir (Te Awamutu) 78 B. M. Silk (Wanganui) 78 P. G. E. Smith (Akarana) 78 J. P. Ilornabrook (Masterton) .. 78 *A. J. Shaw (unattached) 78 R. Cameron (Masterton) 79 J. Nash (Rangimarie) 79 K. Glendinning (Manawatu) 79 Rana Wagg (Hutt) 79 *B. Stratmore (unattached) 79 R. F. Kitto (Seafield Country) . . 79 W. B. Reilly (Hutt) 79 *C. C. Clements (Auckland) 79 Stuart Taylor (Hutt) 80 J. Shelly (Miramar) 80 R. Holland (Waiwetu) 80 H. A. Black (Miramar) 80 A. D. S. Duncan (Wellington) .. 80 *N. H. Fuller (unattached) 80 E. J. Pumphrey (Christchurch) .. 81 J. Parker (Wellington) 81 E. Moriarly (Manor Park) 81 J. Tunnell (Rangimarie) 81 *J. A. Clements (unattached) .. 81 *D. M. Boyd (Shandon) 81 *A. C. Sheriff (Chisholm Park) .. 81 *W. Allbon (unattached) 81 * George Watt (Wanganui) 81 «T. S. Galloway (Rotorua) 81 *Jo'hn Lambie (Hastings) 81 *R. C. Butters (Miramar) 81 L. Minilie (Shandon) 82 R. Hayward (Shandon) 82 F. Bryant (unattached) 82 J. Goss (Wanganui) 82 *A. Dyke (Maraenui) 82 J. L. Black (Hutt) 83 W. Davidge (Titirangi) 83 I. B. Cromb (Christchurch) 83 M. Moore (Miramar) 83 C. Swinburne (Titahi) 84 T. Gibson (Eltham) 84 ’Mack Henderson (unattached) .. 84 G. A. Ussher (Timaru) 84 *B. J. Smith, jun. (Invercargill) .. 84 E. Butler (Manor Park) 85 K. Williams (Masterton) 85 R. Carr (Titirangi) 85 H. Lorigstaff (Napier) 85 G. Melvin (Hamilton) 86 B. Kicrnan (Greytown) 86 A. Clelland (Tui Glen) 87 D. B. Stratmore (Mornington) .. 87 P. Maughan (Te Kuiti) 88 ’'”l'. 11.I 1 . Dyke (Motueka) 88 .1. E. Nicolaus (Shandon) 88 F. Huggins (Nelson) 89 B. Caul ton (Grcymouth) 90 1). Collins (Wellington) 92 A fairly large gallery followed "Pax" Smith and Fuller, amateur and professional champions respectively. Smith was watched with interest in view of his play since wining his title at Balmacewan last year. Although slight in figure. Smith hits a true ball

and his approach shots, seemingly effortless, usually land well within easy reach of the pin. His card read: Out—s, 4,6, 4,3, 4, 6. 4, 5—41. In—5, 4,3, 4,3, 4,4, 5, 5 —37. His tee shot at the seventeenth seemed to be caught by the wind, finishing on top of a knoll well away from the line. In spite of this he got a five, but missed again at the last, where he was short with his chip shot. Fuller made amends for a scratchy 44 out by finishing one better than bogey over •the second nine. His card showed: Out—s, 7, 4. 5,4, 3,6, 6, 4—44. In—4, 5,3, 3,5, 5,3, 4,4, 36. He began disastrously at the first, taking three putts, although returning a scratch five. He found the flax at the eighth and had to play back on to the fairway. A birdie at the tenth set him properly on the course homewards, and he did everything right from there onwards.

Guy’s Form

Guy, popularly known as the “scientific smiter,” found little difficulty in keeping a good line, but short putts spoilt his chance of getting even 'further up on the list. Among the veterans, Douglas, the Otago professional, returned good figures. He was out in 37 and home in 40. He was unlucky to miss a simple putt at the second for a bogey four, and again at the sixth against the wind, he needed a five. Douglas, however, can always turn on something out of the ordinary, and he recovered with several birdies to finish in 77.

Hornabrook and Shaw played level over the first six. The Masterton player missed a two-fooler at the first and was through at the second, but he recovered well. He came home in 40. Shaw’s third drive went through, but he succeeded in getting a bogey five. He was playing well, being one over fours for the first six holes. He took three putts at the eighth and failed to get on in two at the ninth. Shaw see-sawed over the second nine for bogey 37.

Murray, who has been tipped as the winner of the professional title (his year, returned bogey 37 over the first nine with an eagle three at the long third. His game lacked little of the brilliance that won him the title at Christchurch in 1935 and gave him first place at Hamilton in 1937, when he was disqualified for a practice pull. Brian Silk played steadily throughout for a score of 78 —37 out and 41 home. He had one bad patch at the eighteenth, where he was bunkered and took six.

Basil Smith, jun., who was the outstanding player at last year’s char‘d pionships, was consistently unlucky with his putts, which lipped the hole, but his play was obviously not an indication of his true form.