Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-20
JAMES NEW GOLF CHAMPION
chicago Player Downs Yale Man in Pore
noon and Afternoon.
GOLFERS ARE DRENcHED IN THE RAIN
Byers Plays Well In the B~eeinnins,
but Young PIttsburger Proves
20 BE Unreliable on
the Greens.

GLENvIEw GOLF COURSE, Ill, July
N. James Of Glenview, q 10
year-old boy, today won the highest golnng
honors that can come to an amateur in
the United States by defeating Eben NJ.
Byers OF the Allegheny Golf club Of Pitts
burg, Pa. in the finals Of the annual
Championship tournament. His victory was
decisive, as shown both by the medal
scores and the hole play. He finished
four UP and two to play, with a spectac-
ular putt Of az least ten yards over the
uneven, NSter-soaked surface Of the sew
enth green, and even before he had
hshed his ball out of the cup he was
grabbed by. his wildly cheering eliminates
and hoisted on their shoulders.
James medal score was. morning. out
As. in 80; afternoon. out A, in 81, for
seven holes. Byers was. morning, out
40, in a.; afternoon, out a.. in 80, for
seven holes.
The young champion won his laurels on
the green's. Both drove beautifully all
day. Occasionally a ball would go wrong,
but this was due more to the slippery
condition Of the tees than to faulty form.
There was little to choose In this re-
spect, but when James used his cleek. his
midiron or his putter, his shots were 80
true as TO excite enthusiastic CONNIE
from willie" Smith, Auchterlonie, Leslie
ana other veteran professionals, who
learned the game on the sand dunes OF
Scotland. Time and again he laid long
approach pitches dead for the hole and
only once or twice during the long. trying
contest did he fail to negotiate his puts.
Tall and slender, with the fragile limbs
OF an overgrown boy, he used every ounce
OF his weight to the best advantage In his
drives and brasseys and seldom failed to
cover 200 yards from the tee.
where Byers Loses.
Byers lost the game on the greens. AT
Yale and in the east the young Pitts
burger gained the reputation Of being
unreliable IN his short game, unbeatable
at times, and without fully lacking In
accuracy at others. Today was his on
day. Three times he had short puts to
win the hole, and twice, had he putted
down from short distances, the hole would
have been halved. In every instance-n'
failed. He rimmed the cup four times
but as former Champion Travis said wher
Byers defeated him, ut is not what .
man ought to do at golf. but what NJ
does, that counts and In the delicat'
play on the greens Byers was found want
ing.
gil, Probably a golf championship was nevel
0eClueu uuutT SUM
Part Of the morning play was during
rainstorm that was almost q deluge. DC
'casIonally the rain would let up a little
Then 1t would let down a great deal more
and great pools of water formed on tn
already thoroughly soaked course. tn
play was entirely over the nrst nine hole
OF the eighteen-hole course, several OF tn
green's OF the last nine being entirely un
der water.
The gallery that followed the two con
~testants was probably the largest tina
ever witnessed q golf game in this country
Undeterred by the storm, society turned gu
in full force and fully 1000 golfers.
third OF them women. trudged through tn
,driving rain behind the players.
Compelled to Drain Course.
A large body Of workmen were bus
v early this morning working on the mrs
nine holes of the course, draining on tn
casual water Of the green's and putting tn
course in as good condition as possible
but last nights heavy rain had 80 thor
'oughly soaked the already sodden groun
that their efforts were Of little avail.
Notwithstanding the unfavorable copdi
Hions, a fair-sized gallery was presen
when play was called and followed the pla
closely.
James was 2 up at the end of the mornin
pIav Tha madal aCOre.