FAIRWAY AND ROUGH

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1940, Page 10

FAIRWAY AND ROUGH

(By "Stance.")

ELTHAM TOURNAMENT REILLY AND JEFFERY

The Eltham Golf Club is hopeful of being able to stage a star attraction at the coming Central Taranaki amateur championship. W. B. Reilly, the Wellington provinciat champioh and runner-up to P. G. F. Smith in the New Zealand amateur at Dunedin in 1938, will definitely be competing, and it is hoped that J. Jeffery, the brilliant New Plymouth player, will also be able to take his place in the field. A meeting between this pair, especially in a final, would create considerable interest. Reilly has been playing remarkably consistent golf at Wellington this year, his worst round having been 79. He won the first Central Taranaki title. Jefferey's series of fine rounds at Ngamotu have reduced his handicap to plus two. He is hitting a tremendous ball from the tee, and the rest of his game is sound. If the two could come together . at Eltham the contest would be worth watching. The women will have the Eltham course. to themselves during the coming week-end on the occasion of the annual Central Taranaki women's championship.

Ngamotu Qualifying. The sudden return to playing the ball as it lay played havoc with the scores in the first qualifying round of the championship at Ngamotu on Saturday. Such a quick change would not appear quite fair. To have continued the placing rule would have been far more satisfactory. Strangely enough, many appear to be under a mistaken. impression that Ihe placing rule favours the long handicap player. This may be the case on some unbunkered courses, but in most cases the abolition of the rule before the course becomes firm is all in favour of the longer handicap man. If low and high handicap men are both faced with a bad lie for a long second shot, the low marker has little chance of getting home with his next shot, and he is no better ofi than the old rabbit who can get there in two more. Jelfery in Form. Though J. Jeffery did not play down to his plus two handicap, his 74 was good enough to plaee him at the top of the list. J. Holden and L. H. Johnson were next with 75's. Johnson's score was one of his best to datc and might easily have been two or three less had he been able to chip with his usual accuracy. G M. Chong, 77, was the only other one to break 80. T. Jeffery and P. J. Dixon can do better than the 84's that they returned.