THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 12, 1989
NORTHERN OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT
Thrilling M'Lean-Thomson Duel Ends In Tie
Aggregate Of 285 Lowest In History Of Event
Buchanan Castle Player's Brilliant Third Round
ference.
London, April 28. The old drive, he put his second ten yards to the left of the flag, and then, to the rivalry between Hector Thomson amazement of the crowd and the dis- and Jack M'Lean blazed up again gust of himself, he hit his approach putt two yards short, and took a five. the vital dif- in the Northern Open tournament That extra putt made here to-day, and staged a thriller of a finish, in which they tied with aggregates of 285, which is the lowest total recorded in the nine years since the event started.
To-morrow they will play off over 18 holes. and we are certain of a card and pencil duel of ex- ceptional interest.
These men have been news for several years in international golf, and. though they have been rivals on many fields, they have never befor figured in a straight man-to-man all out score test on these lines. Their Scottish and Irish Open Championship finals of a few years back made memorable matches, and Thomson used both of them to outstrip. his friend and
rival, who, until then, had been Scot
land's No. 1 amateur..
+
Half an hour later Thomson came along, and played, like M'Lean, two great strokes out of the book to the green. But he made no mistake with his approach putt, also ten yards from the other side of the green. He struck it beautifully, and his next was a tap in for a 4 to tie.
The old friends and rivals chaffed each other at the finish. "I had to give the lad a break," said M'Lean, as he linked arms with Thomson, and both wont into the clubhouse laughing.
THE CRITICAL THIRD
ROUND
Jack M'Lean gave the tournament story a dramatic twist in this morning's critical round, the round, as they say that finds them out. Playing clock- work golf, with the precision we used to see when he was the most consis- tent amateur in Britain, he went round in a record-breaking 67. The previous lowest score for this course was James M'Dowall's 68.
The calmer, warmer weather made things easier generally, but nobody so
conditions brilliantly harnessed
to
where he took a 5 he covered the second nine in 86, making the ho green (477 yards), wnere bigger and stronger players were taking two woods, with a drive and an iron.
When he heard of his friend M'Lean's 67 he said in frank admira- tion, "Isn't that good. That will give you something to write about."
How They Finished The following are the leading turns showing the details four rounds:---
Jack M'Lean (Buchan-
an Castle) Mr. Hector Thomson
(Williamwood)
Renfrew)
Peter Macqueen
(Bearsden)
more)
J. N. Beagrie (unat-
tached)
their needs-as M'Lean' did in one of Ian Macpherson (E. the best competition rounds ever played on a Scottish course. Before I write some brief impressions of the recordbreaking figures, I must briefly J H. Ballingall (Bal- show the other Thomson challengers of the scene. Beagrie, the young Cruden Bay player, now teaching in a Glasgow store, and Andrew Dowie, Walker Cup trialist of last year, both did 74, and fell 2 strokes further be hind. Beagrie, save for weak chips that give him 5s at the second and third holes, played steadily to go out in 36, with 2 at the sixth but steadi- nesses was not enough,
The surprise packet of the proceed ings was Ian Macpherson, the 22-year- old Elgin golfer, who is now assistant to Tom Dobson at East Renfrewshire, and who, after a final round of 69,
Dowie might have managed more finished. two strokes behind the joint then steadiness had quite a number of leaders. Otherwise the field has an "also putts dropped, as they nearly did, bu ran" look, for no competitor finished he had two 6s, including one at the within half a dozen strokes of Mac-Feighteenth, where he was in the rough nherson.
Remarkable Experience
course.
16 assistant on
this
Macpherson, threw his bright and Even thumbnail biography is un- shining spanner into the works early necessary in this case of two such well- in the final round with his 69, which known players, who have represented gave him an aggregate of 287, leaving both Britain and Scotland, but they Thomson and M'Lean probable 71s to have met here under new circumstances, tie. This brilliant intervention by the with M'Lean in the role of profes- son of the Elgin greenkeeper was, no sional. Since he changed his status doubt, helped by his local knowledge, M'Lean has undergone a marked form; for he began lag, but he came right back to his best to-day, when, in the third round, With 35 out and 34 back. It con- he did a magnificent record-breaking tained some good putts, one or two 67, and made up four strokes to draw missed short ones, and a remarkable experience that ended in a 3 at the level with Thomson.
tenth, a hole of over 500 yards, Even with the aid of the wind, it would have been a remarkable figure by orthodox driving into whins, got out, and then holed a full No. 7 iron stroke.
The whole thing became, in effect, a two men tournament. Noboby else seem- ed to have an earthly chance, for Thomson and M'Lean, with three rounds aggregates of 213, were five strokes ahead of their nearest chal- lenger, with eighteen holes to play.
The last round kept two crowds glued to their
man; some magnetised by M'Lean's morning scintillation; others backing the phlegmatic and consistent Thomson, who had already strung three 71s together. M'Lean, by the luck of the draw, had the chance to set the pace, and thoroughly dramatic ups and down's developed.
Where M'Lean Faltered
Both were at the turn iri 87, M'Lean fell one behind at the tenth, but was actually one ahead on the figures with four holes to go.
He holed out on the last green al- most unnoticed. Interest was focused on the two principals.
M'Lean after picking, up a 2 at the fourth, made a bad mistake, for the nine hole cost him 6, after o bunker and a missed putt of two feet, but he fought grandly for the figures after a 5 at the tenth, and his 3s at the fourteenth fifteenth, gave him the big chance, which, however, was missed at the last gasp the
and
on
home green. He finished in 72.
Thomson did his figure-fighting, too. At both sixth and tenth holes he blast ed recoveries out of bunkers to get a 4 in each case, and though he dropped The story boils down essentially a stroke at the fourth, his ball was after all, however, to the eighteenth, buried, and hardly visible in the bun- or 72nd hole, where M'Lean took three ker. His second to the thirteenth, putts when two would have put him from a hanging lie, was magnificent, high and dry as the winner,
though he missed the eight feet putt for a 3.
His second to this hole of 477 yards was played with an iron, which is a At the next hole his ball was in a complete confirmation of the clubhouse pitch mark on the green, but he jump- flag sign of the wind change from yes-ed it out, and then missed a putt of terday, and even from this morning. | four feet, In the end he had two It was right behind the players at the 4s to get to tie, and I have narrated home hole, and stronger than in the how he did it in the end. His round third round. After a gloriously-placed also was 72,
THE SMOOTH COMFORT OF MENNEN LATHER SHAVE MAKES ANY MAN SINGI
Try it and
you'll sing too!
WILTS YOUR WHISKERS AND HOW
Plain or
extra coolness une
from the tee, and put his secon?"
through the grech and on to the gravel
under the clubhouse windows.
Don did 73 to share the 219 bracket, greens in after being beaten by the several instances, including the eigh
aputt of teenth, where he poked about four feet off the line. Robert Neill, one of the Western district's pro- minent mateurs, failed to respond to a wonderful start of one putt on four of the first five greens and had a 78 for 220; and Ballingall, taking 76, further emphasised that the guilt was with the players and not the putting
surfaces.
warmer
home
re-
of the
72 74 67 72 285
71 71 71 72 285
75 73 70 69 287
76 74 73 70 293
70 76 76 72 294
74 71 74 75 294
76 76 70 73 295
William Cattell (Cru-
den Bay) Mr. R. Neill (Troon) 73 74 73 75 205 W. Spark (Lanark) 74 74 77 71 296 G.
Durward (Ban- chory)
Wm. Don (Duff House
Royal)
Mr. A. Dowie (St. An-
drews)
John Campbell (Bal-
nagask) JK Jaffrey, jun.
(Deeside)
76 78 70 72 296
69 77 73 78 297
75 70 74 79.208
75-7874 71 298
74 83 72 70 299 W. Orr (Gourock) 76 78 71 74 299 The following show the aggregate for the first two rounds and the details of the last two:- Don Sutherland (Van-
'couver)
Mr. Jack Pressley (Fra- W. Anderson (Murcar) 154 73 73 300
serburgh) Magk Seymour (unat-
tached) W. M. Hastings (Baras-
sie)....
Mr. D Cameron (Kir-
kintilloch)
H. Murray (Hawick).
M'Lean putted more like his best self.; and, frankly, reacting to the weather and the incentive of coming HOME CRICKET up from behind
he went out · all. eagerness, but striking the ball with an almost automatic ease. His iron play, which has troubled him off and on for some time, was superb, and he stroke at the nearly holed his tee fourth, and his pitch to the seventeen. His One 5
Brilliant
Bowling Feats
150 76 74 300
153 77 71 301
150 75 76 301
150 78.73.801.
148 79 74 301 153 74 76 803
Thanks to some really brilliant bowling by Wellard, who took 10 wickets in the course of the match for 130 runs. Somerset scored a
His only mistakes were made at the thirteenth, where he took his one 5 of the round, and at the fifteenth, where he pitched sort and had to hole a stiff putt for his, 4. At the thirteenth, the long uphill hole, he did not get enough lift on his spoon' stroke, and it sho about 15 yards over the green, and, for the first time in seven since he came here, he failed at the very fine victory over Sussex in fifteenth to get a 8.
the County cricket championship. - by 9 wickets.
Here are his figures:-
Out
rounds
4 4 4 2 4 3 4 44-33 In 4 3 4 5 8 4:4.3 4-84: When he cracked a picture of a
It was a low-scoring match. spoon to the home-green, four yards
Oxford University fared very to the right of, the flam his & for the badly at the hands of Derbyshire woord Was practically ABSUZA whose powerful bowling proved far Leen, now right on his teas, went too good for the undergraduates. for the Shit the blog, and was ap-
Copson was unplayable, returning plauded when he put down the next
Meantime, rumour Was making the remarkable figures of 5 for 12 things even more exciting with news and 5-for 9. Alfred Pope also of Thomson, who was coming along helped himself to some cheap half an hour behind M'Lean, They said he was having trouble with his wickets in Oxford's second innings, putter, and what with this and that when he took 5: for 80 to assist he was fatally opening the door, The Copson to skittle University out Best commentary on all that is that Thomson did another 71; his third in
for a meagre 47. succession, which, considering that he was trying to hold lle overnight load hunted by the pack, was a per- Derbyshire ––310. (McIndoe 4 for 85) fectly respectable score for this criti-and 72 (8. Pether 5 for 7).
cal stage of evente, i dr
Thomson did misă à yard putt for
:
At Oxford, Oxford University lost to Derbyshire by 169 runs.
··| Oxford--72 (Copson 5 for 12) and 47 (Conson 5 for 9. Alfred Popa 5 for 80).
At Hove, Somerset beat Sussex, By wickets. 2-
* 2 at the fourth, after holding quite a whale at the third, but he was out in 85, taking pains and time over his putts. His only real break was at the tenth where he drove into a bun- Sussex-178 (Wellard 6 for 67) and keriput his third into a bunker and 158 (Wellard 4 for 68),
As prabuelangit adhata wand in- Somerset-250. (J. Carnford & for 84)...
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