RECORDS GO OVERBOARD

NZ Truth, Issue 1141, 13 October 1927, Page 12

RECORDS GO OVERBOARD

Ladies' Golf Championship Brings Out New Talent

(From "N.Z; Truth's" Palmerston North Representative.) Record entries, perfect weather and good management made the New Zealand ladies' golf championship tournament an outstanding success.

MRS. H. COLLINSON, the successful finalist, is the Manawatu chara-

pion. She possesses a sound golf temperament and played well throughout the tournament.

With such excellent players as Mrs. Guy Williams and Mrs. Dodgshun she needed to m order- to win her way through into the final. Mrs. Collinson, though perhaps not so well known as some of the other contenders ,'for national honors, has won championships at New Plymouth and m Hawkes Bay. This year at Napier she lowered the course record from 79 to 78. In the final with Miss E. Culling (Auckland) she started. off the morning by standing 3 up at the 9th, and at the conclusion of the first 18 holes she had increased her advantage to 6 Soles. With such a lead the result appeared a foregone conclusion, but Miss Culling soon showed what a' game little fighter she is by taking four of the next 9 holes, and lost one only, the rest being halved she stood 2 down at the 27th. She- further reduced her deficit to one down at the 29th, but Mrs. Collinson took, the next; the two following holes were halved and Miss Culling broke bogey to Win the 33rd. Off Form At this stage she appeared to have a lighting chance, but after halving the 34th Mrs. Collinson took the 35th to win 2 and 1. Perhaps the most outstanding lady at the tournament was Miss O. Kay, St. Clair, Dunedin, who twice lowered the Manawatu course record. Miss O. Kay has not yet been away to a championship tpurnament without reducing her handicap. In the Coronation Medal round she covered the course m 77 — two less than the previous best. She encountered difficulties m the Ladies' Golf Union's round, but made amends by lowering her own record of four days' standing, going round m the Donnelly Cup competition m 75.

She also won the Mellsop Cup for the best aggregate m the medal rounds.

Miss Kay is the daughter of the St. Clair professional, and though she is not a stylist, she nevertheless gets remarkable results with her drives and has a deadly putt.

She was badly off form when she went under to Miss D. Horton (Titirangi) m the second round, after an extra hole had to be played to decide the winner.

Mrs. Dodgshun needs no introduction to the golfing public m the Dominion. She was ladies' champion m 1925 and last year was narrowly defeated by Mrs. Kerr, of Timaru, m the final by a putt on the 36th 'green.

Mrs. Dodgshun held the Otago Open

Championship for four years m succession, losing it last year to Mrs. W. D. McCarthy. Mrs. Dodgshun had a good variety of strokes, and that, combined with her experience, gave Mrs. Collinson a very hard row to hoe before the local lady eliminated the ex-champion.-During the Coronation Medal round Mrs. Dodgshun sank a 150 yard approach to hole out m 2, arid caused the genial Manawatu pro., J. R. Galloway, to gesticulate wildly over such a unique occurrence. Miss E. Culling deserves the highest commendation for her plucky uphill fight with Mrs. Collinson m the second half of the championship final. The Auckland lady is not a stranger to the Manawatu Club, for last year she won the open championship, and, going back to Auckland, she bagged the Auckland provincial title. This year she holds the championship of the Middlemore Club. ' Another promising young lady is Miss D. Horton, of Titirangi, who accounted for Miss O. Kay. Sometimes her putting is truly remarkable. Miss M. Payton is also a player of no mean standing. Twice she has been runner-up m the Dominion championships, and this year she gave Miss Culling a stern struggle before losing by one hole. Miss Payton is the Rotorua and South Auckland champion. Show Promise Another redoubtable golfer is Mrs. Guy Williams (Wairarapa)). She was five times lady champion of New Zealand, held the Mellsop Cup seven times, and, after having been runnerup, was successful in 1 taking the Australian title m 1921. This year i she took Miss Culling over 23 holes before a decision was reached. Her name figures three times on the Honors Board m the Manawatu clubhouse as being open champion. Two very promising young South Island ladies are Misses E. Parsons (Amberley) and M. Stevens (St. Clair and Balmacewan). The former, considering she has had only two years m championship golf, has. done very' well to get into the South Island team and to take the South Canterbury championship for the past two years. She qualified for the Canterbury championships this year, but had the misfortune to strike Mjss O. Kay m the first round and "vvas eliminated 4 and 3. Miss M. Stevens is a club mate of both Miss O. ,Kay and Mrs. Dodgshun, and the presence of these two stars of the Otago golf firmament has prevented Miss Stevens from getting further than the finals m several tournaments.