OPEN GOLF TITLE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 183, 6 July 1937, Page 7

OPEN GOLF TITLE

FIRST ROUND SCORES. TWO PLAYERS SET RECORD. NEW ZEALANDER TAKES 83. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. ) Received July 6, 11.25 a.m. LONDON, July 5.

The first round of the open golf championship was played to-day in a strong westerly wind which almost dried the rainsoaked Burnside and Carnoustie courses. The leaders in the first round are Boomer and Hor-ton-Smith with 69, a record for Burnside. Other good scores were the following : —E. It. Whitcombe and Sarazen, 70; Hagen, Shute, Locke, Nelson, AV. H. Green and Stc.Vouse, 71; Manero, Faulkner, Dennis,' Perry, Boyer, and Dudley, 72; Picard, Hancock, McMinn, Collinge, Smither, Alastair McLeod, Jack McLean, Cotton, Dellamagne, and Rees, 73; Laidlaw, Anderson, Gregor - Mclntosh, McPherson, James Adams, and Guldahl, 74; Lacey, 75.

Kirkwood is well down with 77 and Padgham (the, holder) with 78. The Nety Zealander, Tom Walker, took 83, and the Australian, B. Russell, 86. Sarazen played at Burnside and was out in 32. He putted magnificently. Two unknown Midlanders, Green and Stenhouse, returned splendid 71’s at Burnside, where Dellamagne went out in 33 bu_t floundered on the homeward round, taking 40. The qualifying rounds are being played on the medal course at Burnside, the championship course being reserved for the subsequent play.

HISTORY OF THE “OPEN.” The British open golf championship was instituted l>y the Prestwick Gon Club in 1860, and until 1892 it was decided over 30 holes. As nearly 300 entries are received, it is necessary to play qualifying rounds in order to reduce the field to a reasonable number. Half the entrants will play one qualifying round on the first day on one course, and the other half play on the championship links. The order of play and the courses will be reversed on Lhe second day. The hundred competitors returning the lowest aggregate scores and those tiei.ng tor the lUOth place will then play one round on the championship links on Wednesday and one on Thursday. The field is then reduced to 40 —in previous years it was 60 —a.nd ties for 40th place. Two rounds are played on Friday and the aggregate scores of the four rounds will decide the championship. Many golfers are of the opinion that scores in the qualifying rounds should also be aken into consideration, and a move in that direction is being made. for the most important event in Great Britain, and one that is considered to be a world championship, the prize money is small. ’Hie first prize is £IOO and the total amounts to only £SOO. There are 10 other tournaments held during the year with prizes totalling £10,635, but the capital value to a professional winning the open probably runs into some thousands of pounds. . The Carnoustie course previously measured 6701 ya.rds, but it lias been lengthened to 7135 yards lor the championship. The last time the open was played there Yvas in 1931 and i. D. Armour, United States, won with a total of 296, his rounds being 73 75, 77 <and 71. Carnoustie is regarded as having the most difficult finish of all courses in the world. The amateur course record, <O. is held by Hector Thomson, British amateur champion in 1936, while seven professionals have returned scores of 71. . . A. H. Padgham is the present holder of the title.