The Fourth International Amateur Golf Team Invitational Championship, sponsored this year by the Republic of China, saw more and better players in competition. This year, 160 entries from 37 countries made it the largest tournament yet held. Standards were higher, and new records were set. In the fierce competition, the ROC team emerged champion, and ROC individual players took both first and second.
The tournament, lasting four days, began in September 9. At the Tamsui course, teams representing countries all over the world met and exceeded standards of the Eisenhower amateur golf tournament last year in America. There were only 39 teams; the U.S. won first, Japan took second, and the ROC, third.
According to this year's rules, an eligible player's handicap limit was four. Some countries sent veterans of last year's tournament.
By contrast, most of this year's ROC players were newcomers to tournament golf.
All the teams played almost equally well, filling the tournament with tension from the beginning. On the first day Sweden pulled ahead. Four days and 72 holes later, the ROC team had won the group competition with a score of 576. Sweden's second was 589, followed by South Africa with 590, Spain with 591, and the Philippines, 594. The closeness of the scores suggests the intensity of the play.
In keeping with Chinese tradition, the ROC team presented its first-place trophy to a delighted Krister Kinell of Sweden for the spirit of her play. Toufit Azis is another player who will never forget the day. Azis is not considered to be among the best players of his team. But on the second hole of the second day, his driven ball hit the flag and dropped into the cup. A hole-in-one on a 163 yard par 3 hole! He was awarded a special prize.
The Taiwan players' performance speaks for the methods of the ROC Golf Association: golfers must get up at the crack of dawn each day and run 40 minutes before playing their 18; players must also carry their own bags.
The beautiful Tamsui course, scene of the tournament, fronts the sea. Improvements are constant. A three-story European-style clubhouse was just completed. After the ROC's 1981 success, it looks forward to ever-widening popularity.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
The Invitational--a Triumph for ROC Entrants.
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