GOLFER SLOAN MORPETH

NZ Truth, Issue 1194, 18 October 1928, Page 16

GOLFER SLOAN MORPETH

Second Amateur Open Champion In Ten Years

' • (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Golf Correspondent:) If modesty were monej, Sloan Moi-peth would be a millionaire. There are many virtues required m the complement of a successful golfer and the Aucldander has them all. '■

TO the casual observer, Morpeth is .. merely a^ quiet, unconcerned goiter, .; playing; to beat nobody by "The Colonel;" (unmoved' by galleries or chats ab.out. the good cards '■ .which have already r.ea,ch.ed < the club house. • » Following . a- course record- of 70 shortly before the championship 'meeting 'opened/ Ken., Ross,, the : Dunedln medico, who has been always knocking for titles, headed -the ■; first day's aggregate with l's2|, an- unlucky 78, in the.: morning being ; succeeded' by a brilliant; 74' iii the afternoon. . ■ : . . Horton, the Masterton champion, who lost- his title to Morpeth; last year, had a patchy 81 m. the morning,, but m .the afternoon he returned 72, which was good enough to give him a. leg m for the Jellicoe Cup for the best single round m ; tne four. This honor he shared with the pro , E. S. Douglas, 'who returned a 72 m the third round. , The bourse up' till the week-end was badly m need of rain, and the greens had been clipped so closely that ball control became a matter for experts. Mclntosh, who. has all . the .gear inhis equipment to smash records, and beat anything, but for his impetuosity, headed the. list at the conclusion of the ; third . round, with Ken. Ross holding second place, while Douglas and Morpeth were still m handy positions due to their solidity, ■ bordering on brilliancy. A. G. Sime was a trifle patchy m his early : rounds, but he is playing consistently' good golf without luck.: It will be surprising if he does not get a good way through the amateur championship, and tho'se-who meet him will appreciate his fighting qualities. The concluding day of the open was a triumph for Morpeth, and his performance stamps him as one of the most solid golfers of the day. It was probably only human nature 1 that someone should apprise him of the card returned ' by Shaw, and the demand on Sloan's ability was that he should do the last six holes m two over fours to carry off the open. But the right; temperament was very apparent, and Morpeth heeded not the stressing call; which was made upon him; He just played on, m his 'usual style. , i His fihi&h was really dramatic. , Requiring" a. -five to win him the open, he was into 1 the bunker with his second, but delicately chipped out about 25 feet from the pin.

Morpeth calmly contemplated the situation and, taking his putter, he dwelt slightly. The ball was carefully addressed, and the dramatic silence, that followed was. broken by a' d.ull click as the putter se.nt. the ball away on its mission. On a.nd ,pn ;it sped, losing its momentum as it approached the cup. „ • . . . ' "He's, got • it," somebody • audiblywhispered- as- the ball fell m, leaving; an amateur the. winner of . the Open Championship for 1928. ".:■■' ■■•■ This is the second time since the be•'ginning of the war that- an amateur has carried off the open, the. last wininer being E. M. Macfarlane, of Christchurch, m 1925. • was one of the first m, and Mqrpeth was the only player with any prospects of heading the pro.'s aggregate of 305. But these things sometinies happen, as they did this year.. Douglas, who won the open when the championship meeting was • last field at Balmacewen, required a 74 m his; last round to gain him the title, and he played valiantly, but had to be content with 78. . ■.■•■...'■■>•'■ - Following -his brilliant 72 . m the : 'se'cond round, which . sho.uld have been a 68 only for four short putts badly, missed. Horton again lost his confidence on the greens, and returned an 82 m the third round which prejudiced his chances. \ .:. \'--- ■ Horton, however, is so useful m his long play and with- his irons, that he must lie, regarded as a contender, though Iwhoever beats Morpeth' will needy, to Vproduce, some /-wonderful golf, .'providing-, that the;. Aucklander is on -: . :^is ; kame]fr ... \.. : v../.; . „«,. : ■ "'■ Up tillHhelcompletion of the open, the best golf had been shown by Moi;peth. He was sotind with wood, 'iron and sputter,' and it is very apparent tlhat the splendid form he displayed m last ..year's^ ' championship, when he scored... very decisive 'Victories m each ipatch except one, was the forerunner of more : brijjiant efforts to come. .- :' 1 Morplethi^started the gaime When. '■' he was a boy of twelve and • has' played m New' Zealand, Australia, England and Scotland. His New Zealand record is an interesting ■ one.' ■.•"■■■■■ ■ '. - ■■■■_■■ In 1914 and m 1919 he was beaten by Arthur (Duncan m the semi-final of the amatem-; 'fhefecore m each- instance ■being -2 and ,1$ ij^tthti championship '.meeting, J: w.h"eh!v l sCV'kwddd ; was '■ playing, Morpeth was runner-up m the open and beat Ken. Ross m the final of the amateur.