HASTINGS TOURNEY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 194, 2 September 1937, Page 15

HASTINGS TOURNEY

"Styinie") '

Garrod's Downfall To Harrison HOBBS'S FINE ROUND

(By

The Hastings Golf Club tournament, the eleventh annual event, just concluded was tlie most successful tio club has yet staged, ^nrt if tio visiting competitors are to "be taken seriously, the best they have yet attended. Originally tbe entries "wero just one short of the hundred, but ihe wet opening morning caused. ten withdrawals. However, the rain stopped before the finish of the morning rounds, and gradually improved tkereon, for the two concluding -days' play to be finished ln fine though dull conditions. There was also a fall-ing-off in the wind, which at no time was anything like strong. Competitors were present from Gisborne to Wellington and inade up lialf of the big field of 90 that tock part. The organisation in the capable hands .of Mr R. L. McNiven, secretary of the Hastings Club, was notliing slxort of perfect, and lie is to.be congratulated on the success of his ivell-tliought-out plans and the manner in which they ,were carried out to a finish. Undoubtedly the success of the meeting is largely due to his eiforts. He was ably backed' up with a qualifiecL band of asjoistants who left nothing to chance. Credit 'is also due to Mr H. H.' Edwards, the honqrary greens superintendent of the Hastings Club, and his efficient and hardworking staff for the condition of the greens and fairways The greens were in first-class order while -the fairways were as good as the past weather conditions would permit. Good Performances. H. S. Budd, formerly of Hastings And now a member of tiie strong Masterton Club, had the liouour of wmning" the special trophy for the best aggr.e--gate score (150) compiled' in the two qualifying rounds. His first round of 51, "beating the course par by two •trokes, was a very fine efiort under the Wet conditions prevaiiiiig. Budd's round, however, was cclipsed in the first round of the play-off by a card of 68 returned by J. R. Hobbs, which constitutes a record over present; outlay with par 73 and in open competition. The hot pace he set can be realised when it is recorded that he scored six hirdies over the first eight holes. Recorffing par figures at the fourth and sixth with one over par at the ninth, his first half totalled 32 as against a par 37. He continued on to reel off par figures in the second half with a variation of a birdie at the twelfth and one over at the thirteenth, to return a 36, total 68. TJnfortunately for himself he could not retain this standard and returned a 79 for his second round, eventually being eliminated in tbe second -round the play-off by D. G. Sutherlands . A Surprlse Paoket. 11. G. Sutheriand .also created a senaation by eliminating the strong favourite of the field, H. S. Budd, in the first round of match play in the morning and contifiuing on in the afterhoon to defeat Hobbs, who had bui'ned up the course with his 68 in the morning round. Sutheriand, however, weiit overboard the next morning wheii he met T. Garrod in the semi-final for the lat,ter to go under to R. I. Harrison, Napier, in the final. T. Gatrod's downfall can be iaid to his proclivity to hit occasional wild tee ■hots, for it wfls particulariy noticeable thafj that was when It. I. Harrison •cored over him. His out-of-bound shot at the third cost him tliat hole. At the sixth he wds cautioiis and took an iron for his tee shot, apparently to guard against another out of bounds, but he hboked his ball iflto an impossible lie in the ti-tfee. He recovered splendidly from two other Wild shots, but until he gets bettef control of those tee shots he will always find liimself stfugglmg against a steady straight piayer of Harrison' s calibre. Harrison, by his steadiness and straightness, -undoUbtedly won ihroUgh. He was sliorter than Garrod by twenty o>f thirty yards in most of his driveS, but made-up for this by his accuracy in approaChing and tbe reliability of his putting. Central Hawke's Bay Play. Hot schting tesulted irt tlie mednl Match on Maharakeke links, a number of players beating the bogey of tlie course. The winner turned up in «L Brflthwaite with a 79 less 16^-60. The handicapper is faced by a probiem if this sort of thing continues. 15. Jiillington, 6n© "of the most cOilsiStdflt piayers in the club, was again among the leaders with & uet 70. His 76 off the stick wag the best green score and his handicap has also be^n rdduced. B, JohanEen WaS unlucky, as his nett 69 would have won the Competition on most Saturdays. The Central Hawke's Bay championihip takes place on Maharakeke today, to-morrow and Saturday of this week, Excellent entries liave beeii received, and as the course is now in great order, evervthing points to a highly successful tourney.