MORPETH LEADS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 146, 10 September 1927, Page 13

MORPETH LEADS

FIGHTING GOLF AT HAMILTON

MORNING ROUND IN AMATEUR FINAL

OX the first 18 holes of the li pionship this morning: established a lead of 3 up 01 T>AIN fell continuously throughoui the morning. Practicably the only difference between the players was on the greens Horton had one of his worst attacks of weakness in this department, whil Morpeth was putting very firmly and well. Early in the game Morpeth was inclined to be lacking in direction from the tees, and Horton was playing perfect long shots, with one or two exceptions. From the time Morpeth, after being short with libs tee shot at the first made up with an iron and got a three and Horton played his second from tin: | rough and took four, the fight was on Horton gave away a chance with three putts at the second after two magnificent shots, which reached the green Morpeth had taken four to reach the green, and he sank a 10-footer for a half. Horton got it back with a brilliarn approach, which gave him a possible three at the third. Morpeth, being short with his approach and putt, picked up. Morpeth won the fourth after a brilliant second from the rough, Horton being short round the green. Twc fours followed, and Horton won the next with a wonderful three to a perfect four. The 7th was halved. Horton got tc one up with a four to five at the Sth, but the match was squared at the turr where Morpeth laid his third dead anc Horton missed a four-footer. Morpeth lipped for a two at the 10th. Horton took three putts, Morpeth becoming one up. Horton bunkered his third at the next and Morpeth his second. Horton missed a three-foot putt. Morpeth winning in five to six. Two fours followed and Morpeth with a 10ft putt, won the 13th in four to five. Threes halved the short hole and Morpeth gave a chance at the 15th by putting his tee shot out of bounds The next two holes were halved and Morpeth won the last and became three up by laying Horton an impossible stymie. Both were out in 39. YESTERDAY'S PLAY Both the amateur matches yesterday were fought out to nearly the last hole. In the final stages Horton played the best golf, his afternoon round, to the stage wheer his match finished, was three over fours, including thre putts on the last two greens; after he was dormie four. Morpeth, to the same stage, was five over fours. Opinions vary as to the probable ultimate winner. BELL LEADS FIRST In the Horton-Bell match Bell opened the score 1 up at the third in the morning, after excellent puttinghad saved him at two holes. For a time after that the golf was not by any means good, and .Bell, who was playing the better, gradually got away to a lead of three up, Horton giving up one hole, and being very scratchy with his short game. Then Bell had two lots of three putts on the 13th and 14th, and Horton seized the opportunity to reduce th lead to the one up in favour of Bell that it was at lunch. HORTON GRADUAL.LY WINS The afternoon saw much better golf, i The pair started away with a half in threes, and Horton squared with a 4 at the long second, both having pulled their iron seconds. A half in fours followed, and Horton got the lead for the first time in the day at the fourth, where he got a great 4, Bell beingshort with his run-up. Horton also won the fifth in 4 to 5, but to the sixth he pulled his tee shot wildly into the rough and, even though Bell gave him every chance, could not get a half. BAD LUCK Bell, having brought the lead back to one again, suffered the misfortune of an almost unplayable stymie on the seventh, where he had a good chance of a win, and after that he gradually went down. Horton won the eighth hole with a perfect 4, and the ninth saw two wild tee shots. Horton tapped his second, and Bell, from the rough, made a point of reaching the fairway. Eventually one putt each halved it in 5. Bell started home with a well-played putt for a 3, reducing the lead again. He nullified that by half, topping his next tee shot and taking 5 to 4. Perfect fours halved the next, and then Bell put two balls into a ditch on the right, and eventually gave up the hole when Horton was 1 in 2, with a magnificent second. Horton holed out a perfect 2 at the short 14th, and was then dormie 4. He took three putts on the next green, and let Bell in for a good 4, but the next hole and the match were virtually over when Bell topped his second going to the 15th, Horton halving the hole to win 3 and 2. SIIVIE CARRIES ON Sime, of Westport, having moved irresistibly through four rounds, quickly showed that he was going to bo hard to put out, and that, the South Island would go down fighting. He started out 3,4,4 in the morning, and that put him two up. Three other holes changed hands on the way out, two of them in Morpeth’s favour. Morpeth throughout the morning was not playing his long game well. However, he started home with 3.3,4,4,3,4, and this put him one in the lead, an position he maintained over the next three holes. SHORT GAME FAILURE Sime wiped off this deficiency at the first hole in the afternoon, but lost it again through bad short play at the third. A couple of' holes later poor short play again cost him a hole, but he kept Morpeth in check by placing him a stymie at the eighth. He looked like squaring at the ninth. Here Sime nit two great shots to get the green. Morpeth topped his drive, sliced his second into the rough, and finally reached the green with his next Sime laid his third stone dead, but Morpeth holed a long difficult putt for a half. Three halves in fours followed, and then Morpeth again sank a long putt on the 13th. this time for a win. but lie lost a hole at the short one per medium of three putts. Two more halves followed at the 15th and 16th in good golf, and the end came at the 17th. where Sime played his second boldly for the green, md went over into the rough, Morpeth playing two perfect shots, to get nicely on the green and win with 4 to 5. Professional Final Of the professional final between Mclntosh and R. Butters. Miramar,

ial of the Amateur Golf Chamoau Morpeth (Titiraniri), lias T. H. Horton (Masterton). little can be said but that the two ployed almost perfect golf. A fair wind was blowing and Mclntosh did a 74 in the morning to be 4 up at lunch time. In the afternoon Butters caught two holes back, but lost them again, and the match ended, without any particular incident, 5 and 4 in McIntosh's favour. AN ERROR It was stated in THE SUN yesterday l that X. Bell took seven putts on the 13tli and 14th greens. This was obviously an error in transmission and should have read three. Occasions have occurred* ih golf history where a player has taken five putts, but seven would be too appalling.