New-York tribune., 1903-04-20
GOLF.
Change IN Championship Play I'm
farOrQbly ReceiJed.

A change so radical as that announced yesterday
rsga-ding the eOnditiOrs Of the next amateur golf
championship seer2s certain TO meet with adverse
criticism in this city where the feeling has always
been 81 favor OF preliminary mccall rounds Inquiry
among metropolitan golfers yesterday revealed
great deal OF curiosity 90 how the vote stood
at the committee meeting. but beyond sayins that
Il was not nari1aOCs Netur.n Bal-o1. the secFe-
tary refused 20 talk
II is evident that the decision to abandon the
usual preliminary neIel round and substitute the
all match play system has created some surprise
and little issatisfactOn srHOrg local golfers
Walter J. Travis. twice amateur Champion and nov
metropolitan champion said;
Il thoroughly believe In the retention of the pre-
linnIrary round. All match play IS undoubtedly a
step backward. 7 sail 10 see any advantage what
ever in disca-ding the GuaIfy.as round and having
match play only. Match play is open 70 the OBJ
lection that there j. greater chance % a com
para5iveiy poor player working Eis way oy easy
matches to the final In big field. say OF 80 tna1
in field OF thirtytwo. IL assisted oy the luck q
the draw as the tiiirty-tso have proved in a way
their superiority the remaining S Tie losical
proof this may be SO;.nd by reducing the NUMBER
OF qualifers. for instance 10 eight Any one ot ts
qusiaers may reasonably be counted on 20 give his
opponent a TAR better match thaD player |Ho' AZ
score play. would hEish n. say. tne seventeenth
place.
# am OF the opinion that eighteen hole match
play ROUNDS between players OF almost equal rank
do not afford s1y conclusive test Take. Tor n
stance the last British cha u,D.onshD. " no believes
that Mr. Hutehihgs AIT- Fry the runner up ls
as good as Mess Ball Hilton OF MaXWeI- II
the matches Ead been CT thirty-slx holes believe
Mr. Hutchnzs never would have wen out
Allan Kennaday. champion OF the New Jersey
State Golf Association Is another whose opinions
as 10 the best os holding the cnas1pi9n7hip
do not coincide with methods just announced 0s
the executive committee Mr.. KeEusday declared
emDha tfeaIfy that in LIS Judgment the best way
70 play the amateur championship = TO have a
qualifying round wf;h thirty-twO PLAYERS eligible
TO continue match play.
4 champion Of another strong sectional league.
the Connecticut state Golf Association is Charles
II seeIev Mr. Seeie. likewise regrets the change
In view OF these statements from players holding
the three most important local golf titles. it is EVIL
dent that so far tie metropolitan district Ls
concerned the committee has not made a poprla-
change. In fact. much mystery has attended
the committees procedure. and 50 Ettle IS known
Of the real reasons for the o. Saturday night.
that good many players are disposed TO critlcise
the vision S o[ 5 IaaEins , aay G SH 1 DE- osi "a az AZ t
A. Jhs last meeting in February the exec1tIs-
committee was erapowered t. arrange ~ Ills .
oI thc ctanl ~ tf,i - ,Iss-~--
Instead OF passing the matter at once the con-
their opinions. Who these sixty are nobody ap-
pears to know and the COMMIT T-Iar, aaS M - ~
answers received favored the all match play rounds.
rant for tts action but so Iona; as the sEners &
tnirty-nne letters are unknown the real value
| of the referendum is questionable
! The system used Iast year permitted slxty-four
| players TO qualify at eighteen holes. medsi play.
These sixty-fOUr then continued ct match play,
| eighteen holes until the semi-fuals. which to-
the finals. thirty nCleS
Under the method the entire field viii os
| drawn match play on the opening day. ana Will
| continue TO play eighteen hole rounds az match
play until the finals. which will be at thirty-siX
holes. Under the English method u drawing oyeS
a championship played may be run on IN tour
days but owing large fields in these tcurra-
ments the first round IS likely to occupy an entire
/ day and as the finals will also require a day. the
championship at Nassau IS likely 10 continue from
Tuesday. September 7, to Saturday September D