Manchester Guardian report 1897

Manchester Guardian report 1897

When will the ‘record’ at St Andrews become impregnable? The Kirkcaldys who had tied for it at 73, seemed to have set their successors a hard task. Then came Mr Tait with 72, and now W.Auchterlonie, the ex-open champion, has brought it to 71. He had a three-yard putt for 70 but preferred to be safely ‘deal’ rather than risk a strong putt for the hole. It is said that the tees were not all at ‘full medal stretch’ but this does not invalidate the record. Auchterlonie was playing a three-ball match with Mr J.J.Wilson and Mr S.R. Crockett. Perhaps Mr Crockett will see his way to an imaginative treatment of the event. It may be well to mention the detailed score of so remarkable an occasion. Out 4,5,4,4,3,5,4,3,4 – 36; in 4,2,4,4,4,4,5,4 – 35: Total 71. Such is the skeleton of the round. Mr Crockett has a great opportunity to clothe it with the flesh of picturesque descriptions , and the sporting public is a very large one.

Crockett playing with Auchterlonie in a 3 balls match at St Andrews in 1897.