On the Links

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 784, 3 October 1929, Page 14

On the Links

Notes for Golfers

By

SLOW-BACK.

Auckland Golf

The week-end was excellent lor golf, and the courses were at their very best. Alany of the clubs are now winding up their programmes, and eyes will soon be turning to the tennis courts and the water. Thanks, however, to our famous Auckland spring, there is yet another month or so before summer sports will exercise much attraction. The most interesting event of the week was the final of the Glcndowie championship, chiefly because of the very fine performance of C. Allcott. Allcott’s form is pretty well known round Auckland, but his scores of 75 and 70 in the final against Hutchison aro rather over the odds. It was chiefly extraordinary putting that did it, though, in the afternoon at least, the rest of the game was firstclass. The 70 breaks the unofficial record of the course, and incidentally costs E. E. Haider the box of balls, which has been on offer for quite a long while. AA'e hop© that the deadly accuracy of Allcott’s putting will be equalled by that of his bowling this season, especially against the English team, which will need something pretty unusual to dislodge them. The Auckland Club’s championship has been held up to some extent by three of the qualifiers playing at AVanganui. In the five matches played, the most striking result is the defeat of R. D. Wright by AV. A. Donald at the twentieth. AVright’s drive is at present all to pieces, and this caused his downfall. The monotony of the club championship board will bo broken—there are only two names on it since 1920, AVright and Lusk. Dr. F. Macky, whose skill is greater than his consistency, defeated the steady D. AlacCormick by 3 and 2, PI. Plum ley and Dr. Abbott won by ample mai'gins over G. F. Foote and IT. Coverdale, and E. L. Bartleet beat C. X. Jacobsen on the last green by 2 up. Allowing for the uncertainties of the game, either PI. Plumley or AV. S. Ralph ought to win, though R. G. Rainger is playing very solidly just now, and might bring off a surprise. The junior championship qualifying rounds have been played, and the second round on Saturday was chiefly notable for a score of 84 by X. C. AVitcombe off the 18 mark. lie is no longer on 18. Hot only did this Effort enable him to head the qualifying rounds, but he won the handicap and Mr. P. Asser’s trophy for the best * gross round.

Akarana and Glendowie played an inter-club match, seniors at Glendowie, juniors at Akarana. Allcott and Trice won the two top matches for Glendowie, but on the total there was a tie. At Akarana the local juniors were too strong by 8 to 3.

The final of the Pupuke championship was also played between M. E. Thompson and L. J. Minogue. A good game over 35 holes resulted in a win lor Thompson by 4 and 3.

Xow that the championships— except that of the A.G.C.—have been decided, what about that champion of champions match? In Sydney it consists of two rounds of medal play, and creates considerable interest. The suggestion came from Akarana originally, it might be possible to arrange it, although the date will be late.

The N.2, Open ne s first duty in this connection ih to extend very hearty congratulations to A. J. Shaw on his very fine win. There are features about this years open that emphasise the merit of the performance. The weather on the first day was about as bad as it could be, and this after a long spell exceUent golfing days. It rained heavily all the morning, a strong wind driymg the rain well home, and it was cold enough to be fatal to the fine touch, and, though the rain ceased during the afternoon, the cold wind continued without mercy. Very few players got good figures on that Triday, but Shaw did 76 and 75, giving him a clear lead of four strokes. To my mind this first day’s score of Shaw’s is one of the finest things that has been done in Xow Zealand. On Saturday, when conditions were good, lie dropped a stroke or two in the morning, and allowed Moss to come within range. Knowing that either Moss or Horton might well catch him, ho kept up his form and. aided by one or two useful chips, he did a 72. Additional credit accrues to him from the fact that for the first time in a Xew Zealand open a total of 300 was beaten. AVanganui is no easy course, and the scratch score of 75 is hard to beat, and his 299 is one better than the scratch score. Shaw is a most impressive player, who can use all his clubs, and how lie came to play so poorly in Adelaide is a mystery. It is all the more creditable to him that after such a setback he has more than retrieved his reputation, nearly as much credit must go to T. IT. ITorton, whose excellent total of 302 would usually have won. His splendid fourth round of 71 is hardly finer than his total of 155 in the bad weather. Moss, like Horton, must have been handicapped by his slight physique on the first day. His excellent third round of 73 put him in striking distance, but his putting went astray in the fourth, and he could only aggregate 306. If Moss was as good a putter in these events as ho is at Mkldlemore, he would return some startling scores. A. D. S. Duncan and S. Morpeth retrieved some moderate first-day figures by doing well in the decent conditions of Saturday, Morpeth indeed doing a fine 71 in the third round. Last year at Xapier a AVanganui College boy, B. M. Silk, was narrowly beaten in the semi-final by an experienced player, IT. B. Lusk. It is very satisfactory to see him finish fourth among the amateurs in this event. Good luck to him—we want some promising boys.

The New Zealand Foursomes That foursome play is difficult and full of surprises, the results of the amateur-professional foursomes at AVanganui would seem to bear out. The amateur event is a championship, but in the professional match partners are drawn, which would seem to desti'oy its championship character. It seems a pity to have spoiled the professional match. What matter if the two best pros, did pair off? There are more than two good ones in Xew Zealand. Would Moss and Shaw have beaten Rutter and Fuller this week? We are delighted that two young players should have won the amateur foursomes. AV. B. Reilly, of Patea, has shown distinct promise, and B. J. Smith is certainly one of the coming players. The fact that they combined well in a foursome speaks highly for

their temperamental equipment. On what principle some of the other pairs arranged themselves is hard to say. The New Plymouth pair, Grey and Chong, put up a very solid performance and came very near.

F. Rutter is a highly skilled player who is perhaps a bit short of play, but has exceptional powers. His partner, X. H. Fuller, a promising young professional, and an Auckland boy who served his time with Moss, has as yet had little tournament experience. Their rounds of 74 and 73 made up a magnificent effort, both being better than the scratch score. AVe confess to a strong liking for the foursome, and think well of those who can excel in that form of golf.

Amateurs and Pros. If it were attempted to institute a comparison between the professional and amateur golfers of Britain and America, it would be considered rather humorous. The superiority of the pro. is so marked that when some amateur holds his own in an open event, it is considered an extraordinary feat. It is understood that in these remarks we make the usual necessary exception of R. T. Jones. In Britain, since the rise of that great trio, Vardon, Taylor and Braid, the amateur has had no chance of shining, with the exception of R. H. AVethercd, who lost the Open after a. tie with J. Hutchison some five years ago. C. J. IT. Tolley has won the French Open against the great ones, and there have been odd successes in minor events, but the outstanding fact is that the amateur is not in the same class as the pro. in score play at least. How he would fare in match play he seldom lias a. chance to show. In America, besides Jones, Von Elm has occasionally held his own with the great pros., but no one would class even so fine a player with them. In Australia it is different. A picked team of amateurs might well hold its own with the pros., especially in match play. It is not tha.t the pros, are of poor quality, but that the amateur standard is high. Ivo AVhitton is as good as Rufus Stewart, and both are good enough for the best company. Xow what about ourselves? Since the war two amateurs have won the Open, E. M. Macfarlane at Christchurch in 1925, and S. Morpeth at Dunedin in 1928. This year T. IT. Horton was a really good second to Shaw. Amateurs filled the second, fifth, sixth and thirteenth places at Wanganui, and pros, the other nine. AVe certainly have no amateurs who would as a rule hold Shaw. Moss, Douglas or Mclntosh, though Morpeth or Horton might have occasional successes. The professional standard here, that is, of the best professionals. is certainly superior to the amateur, in spite of the lack of opportunity for competitive play. And talking of professionals, it is interesting to note that 22 took part in the Open, and quite a number of these are our own boys, who have been trained in this country.