KEEN GOLF

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 April 1939, Page 5

KEEN GOLF

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONALS AT MASTERTON MASTERTON PLAYERS BEATEN. PRAISE FOR HORNABROOK. “He is a great golfer and is the equal if not the superior of any amateur we have in Australia,” declared Norman von Nida, the Australian professional golfer, when ’referring to J. P. Hornabrook, the former open and amateur champion. Von Nida and Eric Cremin. another Australian professional, defeated K. Williams, the Masterton professional, and Hornabrook, 2 up after a keen match at the Lansdowne links yesterday afternoon. Play at times rose to a.high standard With Hornabrook. who'returned the best card, the dominating figure throughout. The visitors won 2 up after being 2 down at the turn. It was a very even match, though the Australians did not reveal their true form till the last few holes. The course and the greens were very dry, making putting difficult. bu‘ there were indications that the visitors will be hard to beat when they get on to well-watered turf. Cremin was particularly adept at putting, and the driving all round was magnificent. Hornabrook returned the best figures. He went out in 34 (three under par) and came home in 37 (one over par). Von Nida went out in 39 and home in 36; Cremin out in 39 and home in 38; and Williams out in 39 and home in 43.

Hornabrook and Williams opened with birdie fours to win the first hole but the next was halved in bogey fours. The Masterton players won the third with bogey three to four. All overdrove the fourth, 260 yards, Williams going 45 yards past. This was halved by Hornabrook and von Nida in birdie threes. Perfect drives were executed at the fifth, 388 yards, and each had only a chip to the green, but because it was so fast the visitors had to take three puts. The hole was won by Hornabrook and Williams in bogey fours. With a magnificent drive von Nida was only 30 yards from the green at the next hole, 422 yards, and won in bogey four. The seventh was halved in bordie fours by every player, Cremin being unlucky to miss a six-foot putt for a three. Regulation threes were taken at the eighth, which was halved, as was the ninth, in birdie fours. At this hole there was some wonderful driving and beautiful iron seconds to the green. With a down wind at the tenth, 391 • yards, all had small chips to the green and the hole was halved in bogey fours. The Masterton players were astray at the eleventh with their tee shots and had to take a penalty, the hole going to the visitors in bogey four to five.

The next was halved in regulation fours after more magnificent driving and short chip shots. At this stage the Australian were beginning to get the strength of the course. The fourteenth was halved in bogey fives, the fifteenth in bogey fours, and from there von Nida scored three birdies in succession with 3-3-4 to take the match.