Golf.

Southland Times, Issue 18853, 19 June 1920, Page 9

Golf.

(By "deck”). The July Medal and the postponed Flag Match were played together at Ot.utara last week. In the A grade R. A. Wilson won both matches. His medal round was 81 —-3—-78, or one below bogey, an excellent performance with the course in winter order. In the Flag match he had one shot from the 10th tee and hit a ‘‘hummer.” No one got near his peg on Saturday, though G. Henderson finished in the hole on the ISlh, his card reading 84 —5 70. Henderson was not doing too well at the start, being out in an indifferent 46, but he came home with a fine 38 and so succeeded in playing right down to his handicap. The peps of most of the other competitors were to be found between the Kith and the 18th greens. In the B grade W. Thomson came to light with 97 —20 — 77, so that bogey was cracked in both grades. With two shots in hand on the Kith tec Thomson planted his flag within 50 or GO yards of the 10th gieen, so that on this occasion- he would have won both events against the whole ,Jield. Thomson is an improving playerA, A. A. Cram mond threw away the B grade medal and flag match by disqualifying himself. On the schoolhouse green Crammond had a short putt for 3. It was so sho.rt that it looked as if the ball could go nowhere else but into the hole, and Crammond struck rather carelessly at it. In the exasperating way that golf balls have, this ball ran round the tin and sat up on the far side "bf the hole. Disgusted at missing so easy a putt, Crammond snatched up his ball and

failed to finish the hole out. Allowing him another putt he finished the round in 96, which gave him a nett 74, and he would have had five strokes in hand .on the 19th tee for the Flag Match. It is a pity that Crammond did n6t get his round in, as apart from winning both matches he would have had the great satisfaction of knocking four or five strokes off his handicap. There were 29 competitors for these matches.

Next Saturday the first of the Mixed Foursomes put bn the list of fixtures by arrangement with the Ladies’ Club will Dc played. The Queen's Park Golf Club held the first stage of the Flag Match on Wednesday when perfect weather prevailed. The greens were in good order and some good scores were recorded. Fourteen players took part in the match. The best card handed in was that of G. Bert’.nshaw, with a score of 87—22—G0 at the 18th hole. Playing on. he placed his flag in the 20th hole. The second best card was by B. Tangney, whose score showed 87 -—16—71 at the 18th hole. Exhausting his strokes he placed his flag alongside the 19th hole. These two players are both beginners and it is gratifying to see them progressing so well under the tutorship of the coach. Mr Forrest The Saturday players in this match will find it a difficult matter to surpass the score made on Wednesday. By a coincidence two of the men who started the game of golf in InvercargUl were in town on a visit during the week Mr G. G. Barnes, now of Christchurch, and Mr A. M. Howden, now of Auckland. Mr Bernes had a game or two at Otatara, but Mr Bowden’s visit was too short to allow for any golf. To win the highest attainable honour at his first attempt is a feat very rarely achieved by the amateur in any branch of sport, but C, H. J. To!ley, the young Oxford golfer, has done it by winning the British Amateur Championship which is virtually the amateur golf championship of the world. Readers of these notes will remember that on May 29 “Cleek” prepared them by a note in this place for news m big golf of two young players who were c.nrrving all before them —H.. B. Wc-ihercd, the Oxford captain, and C. H. J. lolley, second string in the Oxford team. Tolley is not 24 years of age yet, stands 6ft in his socks and weighs over 14st. He is a tremendous hitter, yet in his short work shows a delicacy of touch remarkable in so big a man. The sort of thing Tolly is capable of was shown in the match against Cambridge at Sunningdale. At the 17th, 322 yds, Tolley pitched his second up to the hole with his niblick and holed a 3. At the IBth, 396 yds, he repeated the performance, again taking his mblick lor his second and holing the putt. The man who can reach a 422 yds green with a drive and a niblick is “some golfer,” as the Americans say. At the 9th hole, 280 yds, Tolley landed his drive in the middle of the green. In the amateur championship Tolley fought his way through to the final, in which he met R. A. Gardner, ex-Ama-teur Champion of U.P.A. and a very fine exponent of the game. Tolley won on the 37th green after a game in which he was never up on his opponent until the 23rd hole was reached. He was two up at the 27th and three up at the 33rd, but the American came again and got square at the 36th —a great recovery at this stage of the game. Tolley, however, settled the argument at the 37th. Doubtless he will get one of the eight places provided for amateurs in the Open Championship, ami it will be interesting to see how he will acquit himself in the severest of ail golf tests —four stroke rounds against the world’s best.