New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-19
PLEA FOR A FAIR TEST.
Golfers in FAVOR of Thirty-sir Hole
Match PLaq Rounds.


able to a return to the thirty-six hole match play
rounds in the amateur championship. Among those
known 10 prefer the double round are H. ChaHuet
t-gan the amateur champion; Waiter j. travis
Former title holder; Charles H. Seeley, the AIe'i
nol,tan Golf Association Champion John NJ Ward
holder Of a similar title in the New-Jersey elA.e
Golf Association; Charles B. Macdonald LOUIS ~;
James and Findlay s. Douglas, former naloiia'
champions -.
Association In 1904 Mr.. Macdonald made strong
plea In favor of the thirty-six hole rouhos' aN'
while It really seemed at that time as thoush INC
sense of the delegates at the meeting was
10 q return to the former style, nothing more "a'
rcoornplished than 10 instruct the executive coii-
Snittee that to qualifying rouhd ll0l 'ii
sIl-uoatch play method was desired.
cne plan suggested is to have an eighteen Hoe
qualifying round the best thirty-two to qua4fy 10
Enish out at thirty-six hole match play ROUNDS
se,ghton Calkins, secretary Of the MetropoiI'@it
Golf Association. who has MADE close s'uoS
tia question has been requested py hui'Oei "
golfers to take the matter UP. He treats OF INC
subject os follows:
To me it has always seemed that discussion a. as
10 wiaf playing conditions would De best al t me
esteur mas fSt has been said and
written has hinged rather ctosgy sem he retained or
sbsndoned on the one side there have been those 2
who have 5s sTs those 5os e who deand qualifying
round TO my mind. IL is relatively OF '.ae nd or
a isafs ali rounds are at play The one one
shlng that is Of real importance as Inds at the
sInateur championship shall be at thirty-si3 h9 Goes
.. gsssen1 pdEpoa ssli enio a is
nIture IN that It insures tue E6apon ought
10 be player who be depended upon 10 en t
so1n5 at least among the Trst thirtytwo in the
preliminary medal play round o But ' be Is 9uafying
Somn5 Its essential purpose is to weed out. NO"
with 50ufas Il the a9l was Weed
ing out There never is any in England
FAIR TEST AT ALL TIMES
then with the gsns5aa sy pf9RoS9 not the
lack of q qualifying round. but the lac[ ti b+eep
pnes P ow If seems to me that every reason for
Sayjng the finals thirty-sfx holes (as tlley a.
sbroa apples With equal to the :, saT Fbsf
rounds. The theory as 10 me ma onsfraed their
super1ority over the rest Of the field and deSe 6
Is the better man But if thrJy-sx n0le ma 9
IS necessary for the fnasts admt ti0 Wry bT
Surviving the eighteen-hole roundsl why So the
Net year II the same two players should naPpS793
20 be GraWa 81 Fact We ali know that the best
plavers NAV meet each other in the carrier & ~
satT Ue.3 Fan and Travers be in essence a fnaI
round whether they met on tuesqa se+ befora the
nss IS it not sef-evident that the earlier rounds
becane as important as the last? Eighteen hoies
SetTeeo such men is not conclusive test,not even
fair test. There is good deal OF IotK allsdaL
match while It often furnishes the unset IN e
tyso cjass players beaten solely because his sQ-
s9F s N f better ebr p oonsEste eas luck Yet how
often his happens in an leigh 4 the e0q nek
IN While there IS difference of opinion in this mat
pronounced than is generally believed The leaoing
pa Ia fPydP in Of oe hysx hole rounds The
recruitment at the annual meeting OF me aE It
I1Gn The vote It is true was merely vote
to go back the qualifying round out me hole
round what the main PHGps sd OF 6 ks 9u to cas
men, so as to permit them 10 measure their SKIN
In thirty-six hole rounds sine qua non ~ an!
match play tournament which is to be real test
viii question that the amateur + title soyp sPt
the playing conditions, not because OF tnei az
$50 really representative Of the best talent Plucky
Victories they and all credit to then but the
pions The amateur championship should stand for
T sona n ge caed 3' that there is
physical strain in thirty-Sx hole m9tches an1
succumbs to the poorer. do not think this is SO;
fSo ana are the @ be
sy full ann f ePe Py fbsn aT Would bs
the case If a hard match in the morning is fol
noon n fact there would probably be less strain
for Tayers for example in M playing Egan all day
sn the morning. and then be called upon to play
thirty-six hole match does cali for endurance, It
IS not objectionable for that reason alone. OF
q at disadvantage but 50 he is at football
phy5ies or eht or Both as We ag sk an
golf is essentially game which calls not only for
phatcally demands some measure Of phvscal en-.
durance and a perfect control Of the nerves.
PLANS SUGGESTED
bdui5 Is ADMITTED hat the match play rounds
shou4a pe al lhlFIE-slx NOES II or course follows
ts reduce the size Of the field quickly to class
prlsyeTs It only remains therefore to detsrlne
weeks time Several methods could be mentioned
but the following seems to me by ali odds to Ice
the best: Begin on Monday with qualifying round,
lowed by thirty-six match-plav rounds to the end
the plan followed in fsq and the Years preceding
except that the qualifying round is cut to eighteen
holes If ever get educated up TO the idea that
the amateur championship is the one event Of the
year which only class players should enter we
snail cease TO have unwieldy field Of incom-
petents. and IT will be within the bounds of pos
sibility 10 have tlirty-six hole qualifying round
On the nrst day: The system used in 1891 is the
makes It impossible to have al-day qualifying
round
The ideal plan can be closely approached by
simply cutting the qualifying round in two There
Is no question whatever that any player who de-
qualify among the first thrty-tvo in an eighteen
hole round. In the history of amateur champion
SHIPS IN this country there have been nine with
qualifying rounds. Six times the champion has
been low man IN the qualifying round. and only
once has he qualified outside the three lowest net
scores; This fact suggests a second method: Let
sixty-four qualify in an eighteen hole round on
monday, and sixteen In another such round on
TUESDAY The raatch-play rounds could then ell be
at thrty-six holes. Either plan would be good
Finally, while think that 1t would be helpful If
the delegates et the annual meetings would come
PREPARED 70 make suggestions and 10 exchange
one which should be left each year for the execu-
lutey necessary 10 reach final results at once
The record Of the governing body clearly shows its
the process of elimination. and better way
could be adopted A Few years OF experiment IN