LADY CHAMPIONS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 38, 7 October 1931, Page 4

LADY CHAMPIONS

L.G.U. TOURNAMENT PROMINENT PLAYERS COME TO ROTORUA THIS WEEK COURSE IN FINE ORDER The thirty-fifth New Zealand LadI ies Championship Golf Tournament, i which will be commenced on the Arii kikapakapa Course to-morrow, has at- [■ traeted most of the Dominion's lead- ; ing lady golfers and some keen and [ interesting eontests in the various t events are therefore assured. Many of |! the competitors have r ecords. of which they may well be proud and the following brief outline of the golfing careers of some of them will be read with interest. The majority .of the competitors have already arrived in Rotorua and f are practising assiduously in an enI deavour to acquaint themselves with j the various bunkers and hazards that may be encountered when they play in the matches. The course is at present in exeellent order, having been greatly imj proved by the heavy cutting and rolling of the past few weeks. The new grass tees, which have been specially prepared for the meeting, are in fine order and are a great improvement on the old earth ones. Conditions g'enerally, including the weather during the last few days could not have been improved upon and it is to be hoped that these will continue throughout the meeting. Mass O. Kay The winner of last year's Ladies' Amateur Championship of New Zealand, "Was Miss Oliver Kay, of Otago, and if her rounds during the past few days can be taken as any indication, she is well up to her form. On Sunday she succeeded in accomplishing the championship course in 75, which is exceedingly hard to improve upon. During the present golfing season, Miss Kay has already won the Canterbury Provincial Championship, the Manawatu Provincial Championship, the St. Clair Club Championship, and the Otago Club Championship. She has also won the Mellsop Cup for the last five years. Partnered by Miss M. Payton, she also won the New Zealand Championship Foursomes in 1929. Miss B Gaisford Another of the leading golfers entered for the championship is Miss B. Gaisford, of Marton, who is at present playing to a three handicap. Miss Gaisford, during the championship meeting last year was successful in the Innes Cup contest, but since then has greatly improved and should secure further victories at this meeting. During this year she has won the following Open Championships : Masterton, with a score of 75; Napier, with a 75; Southern Hawke's Bay (Dannevirke) , with a 78; Wanganui, with an 84. Miss Gaisford drives a long and straight ball and is an accomplished short work player. Miss E. Cullmg Miss E. Culling, who is one of Auckland's most prominent lady golfers is at present playing on a four handicap. She was runner-up in the Auckland Ladies' Provincial Championship last week. Miss Culling, although not able to defeat Mrs R. L. Wilson in the hard fought concluding Younds of the match, is no mean golfer, and she is certain to be among the last few to remain in the New Zealand championship Mrs Guy Williams Fivje times winner of the New Zealand Championship event and also included in the entries for this year, is Mrs Guy Williams. Mrs Williams has not won this event since 1922, now1, but she 'is still playing her steady game and is a hard person to upset when play reaches a critical stage. Mrs Williams has won the Masterton Club Championship this year and was runner-up at both New Plymouth and Dannevirke in the Provincial Championships. Mrs H. Collinson Mrs H. Collinson, of Manawatu, is another former winner of the New Zealand Ladies' Golf Championship, holding that honour in 1927. She is also included in the entries for this year's championship. Among the more important events which she has contested this year are: The Waipukurau Open Championship, which she won, with a score of 39 on the road out; runner-up in the Manawatu Open Championship, an event which she won in both 1929 and 1930. She also has reached the finals in the Manawatu Club Championship the concluding rounds of which have not yet been played. Misses Payton and Snodgrass. Among the Rotorua lady golfers who have had some suecess in past years in the championship meetings are Miss M. Payton and Miss S. Snodgrass, both of whom are worthy representatives of the Rotorua Club. Neither of these ladies has travelled during this season to tournaments outside the district, but Miss Snodgrass is Rotorua lady champion and Miss Payton is runner-up°and the previous year's champion. Both are steady players and have each held the championship honours of the Rotorua Club for a number of years.