ON THE LINKS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 138, 1 September 1927, Page 9

ON THE LINKS

-(By

E. C. ROBIESON.)

Tareha Wins at Last

First National Golf Title

Brilliant Final at Hamilton

(THE SUN'S Special Representative) HAMILTON, Tuesday. After endeavours extending over several years Kapi Tareha, the Napier champion, has at last gained a national honour in New Zealand golf. He won it when he and Frank Fryer finished first in the New Zealand foursomes championship at Hamilton to-day, after a fight the briliance of which was most appreciated by the gallery. These two had played into third posiion in the morning, and little attention came their way until they had completed the first half of the afternoon and final round. They did not seem to be going well, and Sloan Morpeth, Auckland, and Mcßeth, Hamilton, were holding their own fairly well in the leading position gained in the morning. The brothers Black, who were in second position, had not continued the brilliance of their second half in the morning, and having gone out in 45 were no longer of much interest. T. H. Horton, Masterton, and Arthur Duncan, Wellington, were much better in the afternoon, but their morning’s deficit was too heavy. They started away brilliantly with 3,5, 3 in the afternoon, then Duncan topped his tee shot, and that was the end of an\ hopes of brilliancy. MORPETH’S BAD LUCK The Morpeth - Mcßeth combination reached the turn in 41, but the gods, using Leo Quin as agent, had taken a hand in things at the eighth, where Quin played an iron second before the green was clear, and the ball caught Morpeth on his elbow. This hnd some effect on his game afterwards, but it is doubtful whether it really made any difference. Anyhow, the gods distributed their goods evenly and left Tareha and Fryer to finish the last holes in a torrent of rain—and the lull strain was on by then. Shortly after Morpeth, at the turn, came Tareha-Fryer with a 40, and the tenth changed the complexion of the championship. THE LEAD LOST Morpeth pulled his tee shot, making a point of correcting a slice which cost him a stroke after his arm was injured. The side took four for the short tenth, and Tareha, coming after, placed a magnificent iron shot (191 yards) eight feet from the pin, FTyer holing the next, so that Tareha-Fryer assumed a lead of one stroke. Right grimly did they hold to it. Morpeth added 5,4, 5,4, which brought the leaders in on another stroke, for they recorded 4,5, 5, 3. Then Kapi evened the fifteenth, which Morpeth-Mcßeth had done in a perfect 4, by sinking a 15-footer.

a M wa P nH t L Mcß ? th had recorded d J-" 9 five at the sixshotth" j K^ P ' hit a Sreat tee shot and Fryer finished it with a magnificent second, and with * hl four. rth Shot ’ 3 brilliant Rutt for RAIN pelts down w T b ® n ' wh ile the rain pelted down the againS4 W ft on - t 0 record two 'fives the 5> to ' Vln the Kirk Cups for of the Y ’- thls beins the first year tition n?A° nSh i P foursome compecidedly popular one ” 6 Wi "' a Tareha-Fryer, two huge hitters hnd StVsL? 81-1 7 58 -IB ‘* has°y o h t e Ig&FW Plaved a omte R - M '. CeorKe ' Auckland, Played quite consistently to gain third position, seven strokes behfnS the T-? OUldins ’ Auc kland, and Bellingham, Hamilton, filled fourth pace with a total of 164. N. Bell and r/ Colbeck, Hamilton, did nothing dmg,^a ? d tied with th * Black ?Dgton rS ’ and J ' and M * I)uncan - WellMOSS AND SHAW BRILLIANT , T he Professional foursome championJ lip - w^ n t where it was expected to go, r,? Moss « Auckland, and A. J Shaw, Napier—which is one of the best golf combinations of the Dominion. They recorded 76 and 75 on an 80 bogey, and little more is required to record their performance. J. Mclntosh, Masterton, and R. But-tn-s, Miramar, also broke 80 on both occasions, and played golf with little flaw. OPEN PROSPECTS Speculation is now general on the fate of the open and amateur titles. Shaw, Moss, Mclntosh, Horton, Morpeth, Bell, Dobson of Sydney, and Tareha, cannot be overlooked as possibilities for the open. All of them tire playing well, though to-day’s pairing did not assist much as an indication of form. Dobson will play only in the open. Horton, Tareha. Morpeth. Bell. Goss, and Quin are at the moment the most outstanding prospects for the amateur t tie. This will be Quin’s last championship. He is playing better golf than ever, but has to play in an elastic glove since his hand was strained on the Australian visit. He remarks that he has had enough golf, and has not the time now. Horton is playing as well as ever, and Tareha’s success in the foursomes may benefit his game. So far the South Island representation has not shown any marked form, though Sime and Wright have possibilities.