New-York tribune., 1908-12-20

/
/ & n SoeIy Robert Abbott |
Vow that an the important golf championships
a. saaS have been decided ana the curtain rung
Fovn on the regular competitive season. the an
-ysl question who is who?'' among the amateurs
= -rfs side 81 the presents itself. While the
.sh,ect Is always interesting and productive OF
,untless discussions among devotees Of the game.
:. & also most trying for those who undertake TO
20. she wheat from the char and place the first
<sxteen in their proper order In she absence OF
e-sr- rating there IS bound be a variety OF
.-i77 q state Of affairs likely 90 increase rather
han diminish as the game continues grow and
r,rsa5 throughout this country
c,ce The publishing Of the rating wear ago some
ef.,he hitherto acknowledged leaders have dropped
.l-,asr entirely from the public eye due to various
Csuses u certain instances amateurs have alb
s,-e6 themselves from competitions. while others
ters shown inability 10 approach their old FORM
80 others. the phrase, have stood still. In
,-+-sst 10 this there are those who. by constant
e.usv ard application TO the game, have advanced
- hat stage which demands recognition. That is
1,r SIX new names appear this years tablet of
.sroe Necessity knows law. and II sorse OF
.hosa who have beer dropped s good their
r,ceessors the fault lies rather with the former
a. one cf the chief means Of g rating must have
= do with public performances.
:, booking hack the last season no difficulty
a. encountered n picking out Jerome D Travers.
vso 50 ably defended his title in the national
,ts--rionship tournament at Garden City last Sep
,.rbe- 10 head the list. a position the Montclar
.vDs-r also enjoyed last season. Trsvers competed
:, sever tournaments this year than last. but his
re-cen;ase q victories was fully as large and II
1ss only by the narrowest OF margins that he
failed 70 win the triple crown for the second time.
he View Jersey title retained without trouble,
ri Travers missed the Metropolitan only after an
sv--s hole match IL the final round with Charley
ssslv First cups were gathered in by the national
cssrnuion at Huntingdon Valley and Morris Coun-
~ i did not require any great exertion on his
7s-r 70 win the Montclair championship. and, OF
c7urse Il is surprising that he succeeded dur
+,K the season in reducing the record for his home
Inks S.
B. v5-tuo q MS achievements in open toerna-
-7en-s Walter J. Travis. the man without a title.
seems he deserving OF second place This is
notch higher than year ago, when H chandler
Eran was placed second TO the champion AS
Travis tas said himself more than one occa-
sion his game has improved fully four strokes
since he vor the amateur championship OF Great
Britain n l904 all Of which stands as further proof
q The ralid strides the game has made IN this
counIry-
Lsavng aside his defeats in the national and the
metropolitan championships. Travis had quite
ssocessful season. winning open tournaments at
Garden CITY Apswamss. Essex County (Mass.),
Nssss1 and Poland Springs- His ability as a
Feasy medal player also made Itself manifest on
number Of occasions nOticeabiy in the qualifying
-oun6s Of the national and metropolitan Champion
shps.
,,-rpe- has done little Of consequence during the
as season. Were it not FOR the fact that his close
attention 70 business has been taken Into consloerA-
INN p. would unQUesuonably have to be placed stun
fs--be- down the list After losing IN the nn2l
-,--5 - .ra Southern Golf Association champion
Bin Esan went on TO Rock Island TO defend ms
weste-- -ltle He met defeat IN one or the carry
rounds but later won an open tournament at
Loaisvtle He also lowered the record OF the
Huntsville course 10 g.. Egan has the same charm
;ng style and with more time 10 devote TO the
g-De "a the future the chances are that ne VIII De
atle 70 once again become formidable claimant
tar the title he held in 1904 and 1so-
The e-st new name the hist is that OF h II
xU5e- the brilliant Harvard golfer, who among
oAer things won the intercollegiate championship
this vea- and tied with J. ". Coe for the 10"
score IL the qualifying round wilder also won the
tournament at Rye Beach, n "a. as weu as the one
a, the Country Club. Brookrie. besides being run
nsr-up 10 Travis al Essex Cdgnty. The Harvard
u-le also TO Wilder
Metropolitan golfers had an opportunity see
the es1e- player in that sensational forty-one hole
match with Travis at Garden City dunns 1he am
E,ev- ctarar.onship. BY brilliant play Wilder m
ished The morning session up. and when he stood
gup with only eleven holes to 60. in the afternoon
he looked like q reasonably sure winner Al uAat
sag he was taken ILL., and thereafter simply
PLAYED on his courage. After that Wider met
with an accident. and did not touch club for
two weeks but even so returned 10 Garden CITY
shd ABLY captained the Massachusetts team whlcl
pushed the metropolitan forces so hard IN the tn
city contest Wilder plays IN beautiful form and
hds far 70 become second Chandler Egah-that
is the Egaa OF four years age.
Another exceptional golfer from the Bay State
J. g. Anderson, who is placed nth on the list
He Won The spring tournaments at Essex county
and Oakley. The chief cup az Woodland was elso
bis while during the season he made nine hole
record q g al Brockton and eighteen-hole marx
q = a. Essex County. In the intercity match An
dersoI wes pitted against Travers. and the cham
pion won only after an extra hole match. Anderson
sss placed sixth last years Ist-
Next comes F1ndlay S. Douglas, who became a
frequent competitor in open events last sea
than has been MS wont. His tournament sue
cesses attained at Lakewood. where he won
both n Ihe spring and the fall He also made
new record ApawsInis Of H. 6 10 at 1ountakah
end Is ~ Fairfield Douglas was rated ninth a
year ago Following Douglas is the far driving
Pred Ee~rsshoff who met with Indifferent success,
as compared with 1907. when he won no less than
uine tournaments. Her-eshofr-s principal achieve
nents t-ls year the winning OF the vermont
rate Championship and Of the Ekwanok tour
nsrnents He also reached the serni-fnsl round or
he national tournament and IN the third round
administered q decisive beating 20 E NJ Byers' A
year ago Herreshon was rated fourth.
Byers gets eighth place whereas a year ago he
FGs rated ffth. He the Western Pennsyl-
Fsn!s championship again during The last season.
but aside from that his game showed falling on
froa previous years Following Byers comes
Thomas r. Fuller, who EpTang surprise on the
critics b defeating Wilder in the final round or
the Massachusetts, championship last summer
During the season Fuller lowered the record for
De Commonwealth course 70 Ts His is another
new nan1e on the list
Mason Phelps champion Of the Western COLI
Association IS also new the list. In addition
q winning his title al Rock Island Phelps lowered
both tie l and &c hole records for the links In ques-
oou, getting marks Of 70 and lSs He also mace
al Lake Geneva " c Fownes, jr., is rated
Seventh this time q droD of four places since a
h. thai the