New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-17
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GOLF.
DOUGLAS BEATEN IN FINAL ROUND AT
ATLANTIC CITY
W. II. DAVIS. OF LAKEWOOD. WINS FROM THE
EX-CHAMPIoN BY \ SCORE OF FOUR UP AND

W. II. DAVIS. OF LAKEWOOD. WINS FROM THE
EXCLAMATION by \ SCORE OF FOUR Up AND
TWO TO pLAY-REst'Lrs IN THE HANDICAP.
Atlantic City. " j.. Dec 16 (speciaD.-The last big
golf tournament Of the season leaves the question
OF supremacy in much doubt ever. To-day
Findlay S. Douglas. the ex-champlon. was beaten
in the final round OF the Atlantic City Country
Clubs contest by score OF up and TO play.
His opponent w. II. Davis. OF the Lakewood
Golf Club, who has seldom appeared outside his
home links. and who has won none Of the impor-
tant prizes in this seasons tournaments.
The downfall OF Douglas great surprise
Ever since the amateur championship In July wneh
the Fairfield man succumbed to Hartman the
opinion has been freely expressed that Douglas was
stlll the most finished golfer In the country HIS
defeat to-day will do much to change this estimate
Coming It does at the very end Of the season. the
result is peculiarly unsatisfactory. Hartman
who still holds The title, has several times been
beaten by those supposed to be his interiors III
Skill and In the recent tournament AT LAKEWOOD
he even failed TO qualify. Douglas, however. mas
held his own so successfully that his friends re-
garded this meeting on the Atlantic City links as
his final opportunity to clinch the question OF SUI
premacy. His overthrow is freely commented on
by the golfers gathered here tonight, and the
general opinion seems to be that Davis thoroughly
deserved his victory.
The davis matches were devoted to the final
divisions at match play. but only the Douglas
Davis affair was at thirty-six holes The weather
rather sharp, but there was total absence OF
wind which was a strong point In the contestants
favor The ground was partly frozen In the early
morning. and this made II more than usually diff
cult to play good approach, but as the day wore
on the conditions became delightful.
Starting out the first hole halved in 3. Davis,
who seemed somewhat nervous at meeting man
OF Douglass calbre overplayed his approach TO the
first green. and the ball bounded some thirty feet
beyond the cup. Instead OF taking advantage Of
the opportunity thus offered Douglas made mess
Of putting. and the hole was divided On the
second hole the same fault in evidence, and
Davis won at to ., On the next hole. the third
Douglas won, but his success was due more to his
opponents errors than to his own skilfulness. The
Lakewood drove of bounds while as
Douglas was dead i'm he at TO g. The fourth
was divided In 4, Davis missing easy put to win
in g. Douglas found the bunker on the next, and
sweetly in :. The ex-champion got the sixth,
for a. Neither man was displaying his real form on
the greens, but the ground was rough with heel
that low scores hardly TO be expected. Doug
las. however, made capital put Of fifteen feet on
The next hole is a short one. and Davis carried
the green nicely on his drive. The orthodox two
Douglas having failed to reach the greer, on his
tee shot and recurring three puts to negotiate one
turned for home with the score, up in Davis's
favor racing tne lentn DOM mace NTelcneu WIN
OF putting but Douglas slightly better than
his opponent and won at to .. In golf II is
not always easy to tell just why one man loses
and the other wins, but II any explanation Is to
be given of Douglass downfall II was to be found
in his short game. which particularly erratic.
on the eleventh Douglas missed two easy puts
and lost the hole Davis. however was not any
too accurate for twice drove out of bounds from
the next tee-an error which cost him heavily, as
Douglas got the hole at 8 to o. The thirteenth
was divided in Z. and the fourteenth in 9. but
Douglas evened the score on the next mole; wn sx
teenth was also haved; Davis lost the seventeenth
bv again driving into the bunker but as the Lake
wood man got the eighteenth at to the morning
round ended with matters all even. The cards