BEST SOUTH-PAW

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 102, 21 July 1927, Page 9

BEST SOUTH-PAW

HONOUR TO L. NETTLEFOLD AUSTRALIAN IN EUROPE Len Nettlefold, Tasmania, at present in Europe, is described as probably the world’s best left-handed player. Ere this is published some details will have been given of his progress in the British open. His performance in the amateur has already been recorded. A few weeks ago in France he was put out of the French Amateur Championship in a sensational match. The “Times” special correspondent recorded: GREAT LEAD LOST “The match of the day was between A. M. Vagliano and L. Nettlefold, in the second round, which ended in a dramatic victory for the French player. In the morning Vagliano had already beaten W. L. Richard, the American golfer and runner-up in last year’s championship, after a grim struggle, and it was thought that this might affect Vagliano’s play against Nettlefold, who had received a walk-over from R. K. Smith.

“For nearly two-thirds of the match Nettlefold seemed a certain winner, for with five holes to play he was four up. Then he lost his grip, allowed Vagliano to win the 14th in four, and from that moment the whole atmosphere of the match was changed. “Vagliano won the 15th and 16th in three each, and the 17th hole also, where Nettlefold got a bad pitch off a fine tee shot and his ball broke into a hidden bunker close to the line of play. That was all square. Both hit good tee shots to the difficult home hole. Vagliano played the odd, a fine iron shot, on to the green, but a little too short. Nettlefold, from an awkward stance, was too strong with his second, and overran the green into the road beyond. He made a gallant recovery, but went 10 yards past the hole, and from there failed to get down in two, leaving Vagliano a most gallant win-

Nettlefold will remember France well, for just before the championship he had an unenviable experience in the Coupe Saint Dennis. He was partnered with C. J. H. Tolley, of England, who won the event with rounds of 73 and 74. Tolley looked like making a brilliant round of under 70, but his last few holes were not clever. Nettlefold with 75 had the next best first round, and J. F. S. Morrison with 76 next. Morrison led the remainder of the field in the afternoon with a 75, having dropped five strokes at two holes after getting out in 35—brilliant golf. This left Nettlefold with the only chance to check Tolley. He reached the turn in 39, and then met with such misfortune as might well have broken the heart of the bravest golfer. His drive to the 10th hole stuck in some soft ground on pitching. At his second and further attempts to get the ball out he only drove it further toward Tasmania. That 1 hole cost him nine strokes, and it speaks volumes for his golf that he still came home in 41, holing a most gallant putt on the home green for a four. BAD BEHAVIOUR “FINAL** GALLERIES The behaviour of the gallery at the recent State championship has been the cause of some comment lately, states an Australian exchange. It has been asked, did it behave with that dignity and restraint which is part and parcel of the Royal and Ancient game? From discussions that have since arisen it is evident that a good man> people don’t think so. Perhaps no championship of recent years has aroused so much interest as the one just concluded. It was almost Australasian in character, with New Zealand, Victoria, and Queensland all being strongly represented. Public imagintaion was stirred, then heightened to a red-hot pitch, as the young Longreefer Walter Smith smashed his way through to the final, leaving a trail of celebrities in his wake. “ISN’T DONE”

The final was witnessed by a record crowd, and it was in the main a Walls' Smith crowd, which in its jubilant desire to see the younger player win his first State championship, unconsciously made it very hard for his opponent, Eric Apperly, to win his second. How would the barrackers for Wally Smith have felt had the crowd been a 60 per cent. Apperly one, which it might easily have been, and demonstrative at that. Barracking at a golf match “isn’t done.” AN ADVENTUROUS ROUND

Talking about galleries, Ivo Whitton once had an adventurous round against a peppery military man, with a goodsized gallery trailing along behind. Militray men are traditionally choleric, colonels and generals even more so, and as Whitton, playing with soulracking accuracy, established an unassailable lead, the military man’s ire began to rise. He fiercely smashed one of his clubs at one hole and continued the assault of them at intervals. His fiercest passion was aroused nearing the end, when W hitton unmercifully “shot home” a 20-footer, beating him of a certain win. It was too much for his simple soldierly soul, as the gallery will long recollect. He turned round and hurled his niblick into the middle of theml