By "Faetay"
Shanghai, Oct, 29.
SPLENDID, record-breaking card for the course of 144 put the defending champion, A, Ricketts, in a comfortable position at the conclusion of the first 36 holes at Hungjao yesterday when the Shanghai Open Amateur Golf Championship began in ideal weather. His rounds of 74 and 70 put him eight strokes ahead of his nearest rivals, G. D, Nicholl and R. T. Dwyer who each finished at 152. Barring a complete collapse today when the final 36 holes are to be played at Seekingjao, Ricketts, with his lead of eight strokes, can coast his way into the championship for another year, Ricketts game is on much too sound a foundation for anything like a collapse to seem at all probable, Perfect weather ruled for the opening of the tournament, the fairways being in excellent shape" andthe greens at their very best. Hungjao again proved worthy of the best golf Ricketts again came to the top Tike cream in a mille jug.
Again It is a case of "Who's going to be second?" and it looks as though this honour will fall to Nicholl, Dwyer Malvar, the, young Filipino layer who scored a 74 and 81 for 155, His is a very charming personality he isa fine tittie golfer, indicapped as he must be by the extraordinary conglomeration of clubs he carries. They are literally falling to, pieces, In his 74 in the morning, Malvar had two shots. in the bunker on the eft guarding the 10th green where his (ce shot was halt buried in a very awkward corner of the trap, His fourth shot was on the far corner fof the green and he saved his neck by sinking a putt of twenty yards for 'a five, Misfortune befell" him again. on the second round when at the 18th hole he pulled to the left of the green beyond the water.
Rickelts had then joined the gallery to watch Malvar whom he considers to the possessor of the championship. for another year, It was RT. Dwyer whose threat was most serious and he finished in. We for second. place with G. D. Nicholl, with a total of 312, just six strokes' behind Ricketts' score. Remarkably enough, Nicholl and Dwyer returned precisely the same scores for each of the four rounds over the week-end, hig greatest rival Malvar, according 10 his own explanation' {othe writer, was. trying to impress Ricketts with a fancy nnibliek shot which he fluffed into the water, the hole costing him a seven. Malvae is only 24 and in 1981 when only 18 years of age, he finished fourth to Larry Montes, the Manila professional in the Philippines Open Championship.
Malvar and loketts are playing to~ gether at Seckingiao today their play should be worth ware)
Maclennan had a splendid 7 in his frst "round but things began to go Fong when the second round began nd_he found the out of bounds on several occasions a costly business. with penalty stroke and distance and he dissipated his chances with a 90.
Forty-four players took part the average round was 86!—and Yeo only 5,500 yards. Not good. ist ana rotihd round Totat 4 Amateur Got} "nam fe'dspay of control the moments of, Seekinn}ao. 0
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.