Lusk and Gouiding Meet in Golf Final

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 325, 10 April 1928, Page 9

Lusk and Gouiding Meet in Golf Final

SEMI-FINALS PLAYED TIDMARSH’S FINE FIGHT 1 S a result of the semi-finals in "*■ the Provincial Golf Championship, H. B. Lusk and T. A. Gouiding are playing off the final this afternoon at Middlemore. The sensation of the morning was the brilliant fight made by H. W. Tidmarsh, who was down all the way, but took Lusk to the last green and only lost the match there by taking three putts. Gouiding played magnificent golf to put out R. D. Wright and prove himself a better player than he is generally given credit for. Rain fell throughout the matches, and at times assumed the proportions of a downpour. Gouiding led Wright all the way, and in the latter stages Wright fell down on his putting. Gouiding was inclined to cut his wood .shots, but his iron play was practically perfect. He started away 3 4 4 4, and was then two up. He lost the fifth, getting into trouble with his tee shot. The next two were halved in fours, and Wright took three putts at the eighth, losing the hole and finishing the first half two down. Gouiding out 38, Wright 40. Halves in fours and fives followed, three holes changing hands and Gouiding becoming three up by taking two of them. The 15th was halved in five, Wright taking three putts as he did at the 14th. • A brilliant four at the 16th gave Gouiding a win, 4 and 2. Lusk established an early lead on Tidmarsh. Lusk was two up at the fifth, and the gallery’s attention was drawn to the pair at the sixth. Lusk required three shots to get away from the tee, two of the balls finding the Tamaki. Tidmarsh put his first into the Tamaki, his second on the fairway. Tidmarsh won the sixth and seventh, and played “The Mounds" perfectly, only to become one down again when Lusk sunk a 40ft. approach shot. The next five holes were halved in 5 3 4 4 4. At the 15th Lusk laid his third dead after duffing his second, while Tidmarsh got a very bad kick from a beautifully-played second and took five. Tidmarsh two down. Lusk put his second at the next hole into the gorse, leaving the hole. He played two terrible shots to the next hole, Tidmarsh squaring the match with a four. Lusk took three putts on the 17th, letting Tidmarsh in for a half in five, but at the last, with the score all square, Tidmarsh took three puts for 20 feet and Lusk went to the final. Following the final, the prizes won during the tournament are being presented by his Excellency the Gover-nor-General. Her Excellency is also present.

DEFEAT OF MORPETH

LUSK'S EXCELLENT GOLF

Lusk yesterday defeated his most formidable opponent when he eliminated Sloan Morpeth, New Zealand amateur champion. Conditions continued ideal as far as the weather was concerned, but for a long hitter of Morpeth’s calibre the course conditions were not nearly as suitable as they might have been. His long driving was too much for several of the holes, and the possibilities of striking serious trouble from it were such that he took irons where more than 99 per cent, of golfers would have used wood. The results were by no means successful, and Morpeth’s apparent inability to play a high pitch with a tendency to stop let him down on more than one occasion.

Morpeth started by driving pin-high alongside the green at the 313 yards first, and a half in four resulted, and a half in five against the wind at the long second followed. Then Morpeth required three putts on the third, ditched a long drive at the next, and fell short into the creek with his second at the fifth, all of which Lusk took advantage of. The next was very badly played, though a half in five resulted, and Morpeth took three putts for a half at the short “Tamaki.” Morpeth nearly reached the eighth green —268 yards—with an iron, and got a three, which reduced the lead to two up. and this was the position when the pair started for home, Lusk having gone out in 39. Lusk won the 10th, and Morpeth did not make any impression on him again until the 13th, where he secured a three, Lusk having pulled badly into the rough. The next was halved, and Morpeth reduced the lead to one at the 15th. A lot of thought fell to the players at the next, both taking three to reach the green after drives sliced to the next fairway. Two fives went on, and the 17th was halved in sixes, Lusk having a chance of a five until Morpeth laid him a stymie. The pair went to the last hole with Lusk one hole to the good, and Morpeth could not better the five that Lusk was down in. It was an interesting battle between two old champions, but Lusk was right down to it, and certainly played the better golf. ANOTHER CHAMPION WINS While the gallery was watching the Lusk-Morpetli battle another ex-cham-pion, R. I). Wright, was having a sterling battle with the dour P. J. Western. The two went out in 39 and were allsquare at the turn. Western starting back as he did in the morning, with a three at the 10th, which was too good

for Wright. After that, however, Wright put on much the same figures that Western produced to the discomfort of H. Wiggins in the morning. After halving the 11th, where he took three putts after reaching the ereen with his tee shot—266 yards—Wright scored two under fours to the 16th, and that was too good for Western, and the match ended 3 and 2. RUN OF STYMIES The match between H. W. Tidmarsh and "\\ . .X. Abbott was notabie for two things, the first being that Tidmarsh went out in level fours in spite of a six at the ninth, and there were four stymies in the event. Playing confidently and well, Tidmarsh, aided with two stymies against Abbott in the first four holes, soon assumed a lead of 4 up. This was nearly his undoing, for at the 11th, where the doctor laid him a stymie, he played for the hole, instead of being content to make the keeping of his lead the first consideration. The result was that he knocked the other ball nearer the hole, and still had to play a stymie. lie lost the hole, and he followed this by losing two of the next three. However, going to the 17th, Abbott caught a crossbunker with his tee shot, and a pot with his third, and the match ended there 2 and 1. E. L. Bartleet, the tennis champion, went down to T. A. Goulding, exchampion of the Maungakiekie Club, in a display of golf that was only moderately good. Goulding graduallv picked up a lead, taking advantage of mistakes by Bartleet, until he was in the happy position of 4 up and 4 to play. Bartleet made a last desperate effort, and reduced this to dormy two. but he could only secure a. half at the 17th, and the match ended there. The bogey competition played in the morning resulted in a tie, E. E. Bartleet (6), L. W. Delph (4) and H. W. Tidmarsh (3) being 4 up on bogey, making a play-off necessary. There was also a tie in the afternoon medal competition. E. J. Croxson’s score being 80, 7 —73, and R. R. Kissling's SI. S—--73. AKARANA CLUB COMPETITIONS AT EASTER Yesterday a 36-hole stroke competition was played by members of the Akarana Golf Club. Results were as followsW. G. Surman, SB, 90, 178—31, 144: IE M Dykes, 97, 96. 193—45, 145; F. Preston, 95, 96. 191—44, 147; R. H. Potter, 94. 104, 195—48, 150: L. Wilson. 104. 99. 203 48, 155; W. Turbott, 92, S 9, 181 —26, 155; J. Swanson, 88, 94, 182—2 4, 158; S. .McRobie, 101, 23, 194—36, 15S. An 18-hole bogey competition resulted as follows:—H. M. Dykes (18), 2 up: S. Mcßobie (14). 1 up: W. G. Surman (13), square; L. Wilson, F. Preston and J. McKenzie, 1 down. A stroke competition plaved on Easte»Saturday resulted as follows:—II. a Clarke, 83—9, 74; J. McKenzie, 84—10, 74; J. Swanson, S6—l2, 74; H. Dykes. 100—24 76; W. Turbott, 94—13. 81; W. McFarlane 95—14, 81; W. T. Surman, 101—17, 84; s! H. Street, 110—24. 86; G. Bacon, 107—20, 87; A. A. French, 107 —20, 87. SOUTHLAND CHAMPIONSHIP WIN FOR C. A. MASTERS Press Association. INVERCARGILL, Monday. The Southland golf tournament concluded to-day in magnificent weather. The championship of the province was won by C. A. Masters, Invercargill, and the junior championship by J. A. Templeton, St. Clair. MANAWATU SEMI-FINALS Press Association. PALMERSTON N., Monday. The following will contest the semifinals of the Manawatu Easter Golf championship to-morrow; O. H. Druce (Manawatu), 1... B. Rhodes (Wanganui). W. A. Keeling (Manawatu), and H. Blyth (Shannon).