New-York tribune., 1906-12-17

fessionaI tournament rather than for retraction
as some advised. An Eastern open champion
ship viii grow to ali appearances out OF
the metropolitan open championship and create
a wider interest
The recent golf match for $50 side in Eng
land in which James Braid and Harry Vardon
beat George Duncan and c. H. Mayo, has
prompted Rowland Jones' of Wimbledon Park
and ]. B. Bailey. of Bushey Hail. TO issue a
challenge to play foursome OF seventy-two
holes against any two professionals BRAID and
Vardon preferred) for $50 a side. They stipu-
late that each side shall have choice of a green
Bushey being the course which they propose
TO select. and that the match shall be COM
pleted by January Is next In writing about
the victory of Vardon and Braid. H. H. Hill
ton. an ex-open champion. says in English
exchange
The fact of the matter is that Harry Vardon
Harry Nardon, and that settled the match.
as with partner like Braid the combination
just a little too trying for any two players.
and it was very evident that Mayo and Duncan
realized this. AS Mayo himself remarked.
Harry Vardon is a different player to-day"
and Mayo only spoke the truth, for Vardon
played superbIy There may have been a slight
inclination 10 slice his wooden club shots. but
this failing was not sufficiently evident to get
his partner into trouble. and he played sufi-
cient number OF good strokes TO mark him as
the greatest player OF the day. Braid played
one expected him TO play. He not
brilliant as Vardon and scarcely as sound. but
he played really good golf, and an ideal four
some game. James Braid may be able to drive
long ball. but the strength of his game lies in
the fact that he is most excellent judge Of dis
tance and the manipulation of his strokes when
he is at close quarters. He is just about Us
good as any player living at anything from 100
70 $50 yards from the hole. In his short game
he hardly made mistake all day, and with
Harry Vardon playing as he alone can do, there
could be only one result. The boys lit
orally swamped. but they took the swamping
quite cheerfully, for they realized that they had
run UP against rock
ELIGIBILITY OF MINOR COLLEGE TEAMS
The need for uniformity In rules governing
the eligibility Of freshmen in the minor inter-
collegiate sports was again forcibly brought out
at a meeting Of the intercollegiate Swimming
Association last week. After much discussion
it finally agreed that against Princeton.
Harvard and Pennsylvania. which debar fresh
in all sports. no first year man could be
played, but otherwise they could be used. In
other words, Yale and Columbia can use fresh
men against each other, but not against the
colleges first mentioned This is likely to lead
TO complications, and emphasizes the need for
a rule which would apply TO all sports. 1t is
decidedly inconsistent that the Intercollege
Basketball Association should allow freshmen
TO play, that the intercollegiate Hockey AS
sociation should bar freshmen. and that the
Intercollegiate Swimming Association should
go half way and bar freshmen in some meets
and allow them to compete in others. AS said
before in this column, the question Of CONNER
cialism, which led 10 the ineligibility of first
year the major teams and which made
for good, has little or no bearing in the minor
sports. Inducements would hardly be held out
TO schoolboys TO go to this college or that for
the purpose of playing hockey basketball
need for uniformity TO avoid unnecessary con-
troversy, and it is unfortunate that all the moro
important universities and colleges have not
taken the same stand in making the rule in
question applicable TO all sports.