CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Rotorua Morning Post, 29 August 1931, Page 3

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

brinsden's easy win DEMONSTRATION OF HOW . TO CONQUER THE STYMIE. LUSK'S POOR PUTTING. Defeating H. B. Lusk (Middlemore, Auckland), in a run-away victory by eight up and seven to play, G. Brinsden (Auckland) yesterday annexed the open' championship of the Rotorua Club. Both men fell away from the high standard of their play in the earlier rounds. The match was played in perfect golfing weather and a large and interested gallery followed the game. The greens were very true and full of life. Lusk in his match with Goss the morning before, had played a sterling game and had repeated this fine performance in the afternoon when he defeated Tallis. He returned on these occasions with scores of 72 and 71 respectively. Brinsden, on the other hand, had been playing expert golf, on three consecutive outings doing scores of 68. Thev game, however, proved "to be. disappointing juclged on previous performances. Lusk,, particularly, was right off form, and lost the game through his indifferent work on the greens On several greens he missed short and comparatively easy putts, and on others, he took three before he could sink. His main fault was not being up. Brinsden most of time, played well but on occasions was guilty of distinctly mediocre shots. For about four holes after the turn of the first round, he appeared to go to pieces but recovered again at ter but recovered again at the fourteenth. He was four up at the end of the first round and held the lead throughout the match.

The First Round. Both hit away long and straight drives from the first tee, but Lusk with his second, sliced behind the bunkers, taking an approach and two putts, while Brinsden, on the. green with his iron shot, holed for an easy four, to, stand one up. The second was haived, each shooting birdies after driving to the green. At the third, Lusk f ound the green to again beat the Colonel, while Brinsden with an iron from the tee. found .the bunkers to lose the hole. The f ourth found Lusk in the bunker behind the green with his second, but he failed.to extricate himself until his third attempt. He forfeited the hole. The Crossing saw some good golf, and was notable for the accurate approaches of both contestants. It was haived in fours. Brinsden took the sixth by sinking in two with a long putt, to make him two up. At'the seventh, however, after a good drive, he topped his brassie, and on the green, took three putts to sink. Lusk was out in five. The next was uneventful and was haived in bogey. At the Chasms, both were hardly on the green but although Lusk was putting for a two he was uniucky when the ball hit a lump in front of the cup to veer off. The hole was haived in threes. From this stage, play was uninteresting, and the next five holes were. haived in 6 — 5 — 5 — :5 — 3. Sensational Shot. It was at the this stage that the gallery was given the most spectacular shot of the match. Lusk landed on the near edge of the Crater green, while Brinsden found the bunker to the left. He made a spectacular recovery, however, to be only nine inches from the pin, but Lusk, with his putt, laid a perfect stymie on the edge of the hole. Faced by the almost impossible, Brinsden resorted to his niblick and with a light chip shot neatly hurdled his oponent's ball to land square in the cup. Lusk lost. the next through bad putting, taking three on the green. The next was haived in bogey and the final ho^le of the round, was taken hy Brinsden with a perfect long single putt, to be drawn in three to his opponent's four. The conclusion of the first round, found Brinsden holding a lead oi four, a big obstacle to overcome in scratch golf. The Final. Brinsden brought his lead to five up at the ninteenth, when Lusk duffed his second from the fairway and failed to sink a yard putt. Lusk, however, took the next with a three, while his opponent, after trying to approach over the mound behind the bunker, overran the green to find the pit on the other side. He failed to recover and forfeited the hole. Brinsden, four up. Lusk just missed the creelc at the twenty-first, his out shot over-run-ning behind the bunkers, while Brinsden, who over-drove tlie green, approached to within two feet of the hole and sunk in three to Lusk's four. Lusk lost- the next by being short with his second, and taking three on the green. Brinsden sunk for a four, to be six up. Almost Impossible Hurdle. At the Crossing, Brinsden after a good drive duffed his brassie-, but found the green with his next. Lusk also duffed his second, and did not reach the green until his fourth. Brinsden took the hole by sinking a long putt for his' fourth. Lusk again lost the drop by bad putting, leaving him eight down and facing an almost impossible hurdle. The match had become so onesided that the interest of the gallery was dwindling. Lusk, however, improved over the next two holes and won the twenty-fifth after a beautiful aproach which he sunk for a birdie. He also won the twenty-sixth with another birdie after sinking a long putt. The Chasms was haived in three, and Lusk was unfortunate. at the j twenty-eighth, when his third found the bunker to sit hard up against the off side. It was .an extremely diffi- ; cult shot and the attempt failed. When he did get out he took thre-e putts, and lost the hole. Brinsden, seven up. Lusk could not afforci to lost another hole; even if he haived it made Brinsden dormie. . After long drives Brinsden found the green with his second while Lu§k i was short. Brinsden, however, final- ] ised matters by sinking with a long putt, winning the match by eight up and seven.