GOLF.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 224, 21 March 1914, Page 7

GOLF.

According to English newspapers, New Zealand has turned out a verv distinguished golfer, and his name is Harold Gillies. During the past season in Britain he carried oft, at Sandwich, the St. Georgo's Vase, which is described as th« most co*»; y i rop i iy - cvcr p U i up to competition in golf—it is of solid gold—and lie figured prominently at St. Andrews' in the British amateur championship. He was beaten at the nineteenth hole in the fifth round by Hilton, who proved to be the winner of the event. But he did still better in the Freudi open championship at Chantilly, a little later. T-hi3 i* a matter of seventy-two holes of stroke play, and with the exception of Vardon and Bay, who were in America at the time, the best golfing talent of the world wa* there. "For three rounds," says one recorder, "'Gillies', in the most amazing manner, bade defiance to them all, and held the top place for himself. No amateur has ever led the field for three rounds in any open cham ; pionship, and it is not often that a professional has ever done so either. That is where this feat was quite phenomenal. Again, Gillies golfed his best till ho nearly dropped. He knew that George Duncan—the winner of the professional tournament tho week before—wa3 pressing him hard, and that he had not a stroke to spare. Still, by an enormous effort, and despite one piece of outrageously bad luck, he kept hislead, and at the end of the third round it-looked as if \t would still be a lead of two strokes, when, alas, on the home green he lost a stroke in the putting. Instead of having a lead of two over tho terrible George for tho last round, he now had a lead of only one. Thviv is not much difference between one and two—it may Be nil accounted for by the verv smallest of putts—but in a case of this kind the moral effect of it was enormous. On coming oil' the home green someone said to him, 'You still lead, Gillies,' and he turned with a little mol- ' ancholy smile and responded, 'Yes, but one stroke is not much to lead Duncan ■by, is it?" The effect was visible at the first tee in the afternoon. He knew the responsibility. He look an infinity of pains, far too much, lie addressed his tall until he was sick of looking at it any more, and then he topped it miserably into the -bunker in front of him.' Anil with that went his chance of winning the championship, for Dnr.can made no mistakes'. "Some may think of Hilton and some of Edward Blaekwcll,'' writes another clitic, "but for my part when it conies ,< to the stock-taking of this wonderful i Bcason, and considering who is* entitled j to the distinction of being regarded as , the leading British amateur for this time, my man is Harold Gillies, of Up- ' per Wimpole Street. He i« not only a | great amateur player, but he is a, profoundly interesting individual. He rises to the office of chief amateur golfer of^ the season—at least, we will agree that

my readers will put him there— withVaiS having won a championship. Ho iff J§f|9| interesting psychological study, is peculiarly attractive as a EvWert'SsM contemplation in this regard. He frJlfl West End consulting surgeon, and vsjw| keen and clover. He makes his 'RwjljS his- first Interest in life, and just .bfjnj tne~ golf drop in when it can, andthß|'jpH the extraordinary part of it. He s*ijul iitilc mall Jji stature; in demeanoittJHH is terribly solemn, suggesting; .MH that he is about to put his OppOlW-flffl the operating table—which in a does—and he, belongs to th« tard-jthjjjgfl ing and slow-playing school A tanJMßfl of his methods is the extreme e te«d||JHH with which hj» holds his head. Tfrljaß the secret of much of his succeSfc tcHH back swing of his club is slow an) MjMH but his follow-through is very gWfllJßfl full, and he gets a really cxtradrdilmH length with his #«4|9fl true, as seems established by Uf!|nfl that a golfer Is getting to his ittrf fVHH he has, just passed thirty, Gillies ttfJMH Ing to it now. If he remains &s~f(OHMH he is he ougkt to win the big IIIH championship; if he becomes the jMH bit better, nothing can stop him-fjißjlM