Morpeth in the Van

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 263, 27 January 1928, Page 1

Morpeth in the Van

BRILLIANT GOLF AT MIRAMAR

Kirk Tournament Opens

•THE Kirk tournament, speci--1 ally arranged by the New Zealand Oolf Council for the New South Wales visitors, who are to meet New Zealand in the Kirk Windeyer Cup, was opened at Miramar to-day un- gf 1 der windy wJ conditions. (Special to THE SUE.) WELLINGTON, Thurs. 'J'HE feature of the day was Sloan Morpeth’s great round of 70, which equalled the course record. His card, compared with bogey, was :—■

Others. —lX Pharazyn (Napier), 167; M. Duncan (Wellington), 168; J. Harold (Wanganui), 168; lan Macewan (Wellington), 169; J. A. Mangan (Invercargill), 170; P. G. MacDonald (Leura), 170; J. H. Hutcheson (England), 170; Sydney Jones (Australia), 171; A. A. Stitchbury (Miramar), 172; N. R. Jacobsen (Miramar), 172; P. W. Huggins (Nelson), 174; J. T. Bowness (Mornington), 175; T. S. Park (Westport), 177. GUSTY CONDITIONS Miramar -was its gusty worst, and conditions proved very tricky indeed for those inclined to be rattled by winds. The course itself was in perfect condition, and the greens in remarkably good trim, but the fact that the mower had been put over them since Monday made them at least 20 per cent, faster, and this upset the calculations of golfers who went out on the course with a notion that they knew the necessary putting strength. In the circumstances Sloan Morpeth’s brilliant 70, equalling the course record, stamps him as one of the finest amateur golfers in Australia or New Zealand, and his round was all the more remarkable in that it was made wirh apparent ease, at a time when other first-class golfers were struggling to hold their scores to bogey figures. With proved men playing for safety, Morpeth was thinking in terms of par. At nine holes he bettered bogey, and at two holes took one stroke over bogey figures. These were the dogleg seventh, the famous “Hillside,” which, with a treacherous nor-westerly blowing across the fairway, was the downfall of many players, and the. short twelfth, where the amateur champion found a bunker. The rest of the time he was burning up .. the course. At the eighteenth two magnificent shots to a green, over 480 yards away, almost reaped him a two. His round was composed of sparkling shots, superimposed on a level of remarkably consistency. FINE CONSISTENCY Outside Morpeth’s dazzling streak of play, the most remarkable effort of the day was that of the Miramar player, A. E. Conway, who played methodical golf in returning a card of 75, three under bogey, which yet contained a seven and a six. Conway got there by deadly approaching, his mashie work at practically every bogey four on the course netting him a three. At Hillside he three times got into severe trouble.

the ball once being amid some rushes, Conway being lucky to get out at all. The ex-amateur champion, T. H. Horton, ran up a 75 by taking full advantage of the wind every time that he had it In his favour, and using his irons with beautiful precision. At other times he was satisfied to mark bogey figures on his card. A FAMILY TRAIT ' Solid scores were returned by the brothers Black, who play for the Hutt Club, Harold Black causing a surprise by coming in slightly ahead of his brother, while Kenneth Ross, the younger Seifert and Arthur Duncan all played steadily, though Duncan was obviously below form. ERRATIC AUSTRALIANS In the medal results the surprise of the day was the erratic showing of the Australians. William Dobson, an Australian reserve, who began so finely in the last open championship at Miramar, and with 151 lay equal in second place with A. G. Sime at the end of the first day’s play, only to crash badly in the third round, was another player to return a card of 75. It was made by powerful hitting and deadly pitching, and his 153 placed him second to Sloan Morpeth. Business engagements claim him, however, and he will be unable to compete this week. Oil his showing to-day Dobson may find a place against New Zealand in the New South Wales cup team, but as he is more a stroke player than a match player, this is not certain. Nigel Smith, who beat Lee Brown for the Australian Golf Club’s championship at Kensington, after the latter had disposed of Eric Apperley, the New South Wales amateur champion, despite the fact that Apperley did two 74’s, only scratched into ninth place with 160, and W. R. Smith, another member of the cup team, was thirteenth with 164. The fourth cup man was Sydney Jones, who reached the last eight in the Australian amateur. He found Miramar wind tpo much for him, as he did on a previous visit to New Zealand. Lee Brown, who is a fine match player and was runnerup to Apperley in the la,st New South Wales amateur, beating both Frank Murdoch and Alec Russell, went out to hit and, finding hitting fatal, he did not return a card in the morning. His afternoon 76 was sound golf.

Out Total Morpeth .. .. .. 445 333 635 36 Bogey 545 443 545 39 Morpeth 344 425 435 34 Bogey 553 534 455 •39 Th9 best cards returned Sloan Morpeth (Maungawere Total kiekie) W. R. Dobson (Concord, 70 79 149 New South Wales) .. 78 75 153 H. A. Black (Hutt) 78 77 155 T. H. Horton (Masterton) 81 75 156 J. L. Black (Hutt) 78 79 157 A. E. Conway (Miramar) 75 82 157 Ken Ross (Balmacewan) L. Seifert, jun. (Mana78 80 158 watu) A. D. S. Duncan (Well80 79 159 ington) 82 78 160 Nigel Smith (Australia) 81 79 160 H. P. Dale (Eltham) .. H. J. Shanks (Morning84 78 162 ton) 81 81 162 Donald Grant (Shirley) .. 81 81 162 W. R. Smith (Manly) .. 81 83 164 H. B. Lusk (Middlemore) 82 S3 165 A. G. Sime (Westport) 83 82 165 J. Goss (Wanganui) 82 84 166