Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-23

as fortunate IN the open a. In The minor
championship. To gain the title or be
In the money means more to a professional
than the actual cash he receives. Success
is reputation. Those who gain It are In
demand to lay out courses, to coach good
players, to teach beginners and to tour In
exhibition matches. Besides there are
bonuses to be picked up by boosting a
particular make Of gold ball or golf CLUB.
Thus far these perquisites, or the cream Of
them. have been gained by the Scotch or
English professionals. A number OF Ameri-
can professionals are capable players and
teachers, holding good jobs and making
money, but il one Of them could gain the
distinction Of the years title. the hsllmark
Of golfing fame. It would beside the per-
sofal benefits add stability to the trade as
an occupation for American boys who learn
to play and take care Of greens while work
ing as caddies.
There is no homebred who figures as a
contender" 70 use a phrase Of the racing
handicappers, and to have one win would
be as startling as lightning from a clear
sky.
Myopia Peculiar Course.
Myopia was the first American course TO
adopt the modern Inspiration of a clear
field, but with no favor for those who pull
or slice. which means a minimum of cross
bunkers and plenty of side traps. In 1898
the open at Myopia was over the early and
conventional course, but in 1901 it was over
the nucleus of the present course, so new
then that viii Smith lost his good show
to win by unlucky lies in soft earth. Sew
eral OF the Myopia golfers, especially Her
bert c. Leeds, made p~ilgrimages to the
great Scottish and English courses to study
and to reproduce the principles of the best
holes. not to slavishly initiate them, but to
catch the characteristic, the atmosphere
as it were, of the ideal holes. In 1905 the
open championship gem had this fine set
ting. and in the coming contest for the
golfing crown the course will be even more
delightful, for the turf is three years older
and consequently a degree more velvety.
The distances are: out; 240, 455, 80, $50, 46,
$40, 4O5, ass, 1iO-2,97O; in: 3S5, 800, 40, $40,
$50, 500, 265, $50, 3iO-3.270. The circuit is Of
$40 yards.
Odd as It may seem when the distances
and conformation of the ground on the
seventy-two holes are considered, there
have been ties in two American open cham
pionships. To suggest such an ending this
year would be as foolhardy as to wager
one could find a needle in a haystack, yet
/ 40 NAt hAp VI aNAAA 40 SAN'rA hh1AA - NH~'
to be one might fancy the consummation
would not be wise to back the off chance.
moro apt to happen than before. Yet It
would not be wise to back the off cahnge.
The first tie was in 1901 at Myopia, Will
Anderson beating Aleck Smith on the play
off; the second in 1908 at Baltusrol. 1t was
one of the most interesting finishes in the
records of American golf. David Brown, a
Scot who was the British open champion in
1886, had bobbed up from No Mans Land
with his game "all to the good He had
the field beaten except viii Anderson, be-
ginning the last eighteen holes, the latter
being then two strokes to the good. Ander-
son had the prize in his pocket, but as a
result Of bad luck and bad temper he took
nine for the par three ninth hole. On the
plsyoff, which was at eighteen holes, An
derson won his third title.
Between East and West.
There has not been a pronounced rivalry
between west and east since 1898, when
the member of the Washington Park
Jockey club, Chicago, had Fred Herd as
clubmaker and Aleck Smith, fresh from
Carnoustie with a great reputation, as
professional. A couple of the members
came to Myopia to get some bets down.
They backed the two Washington park
entries against the field, relying on Smith.
Herd, although a brother of the famous
Alex Herd, was not thought to be i'm the
race. Yet the dark horse won and Herds
unexpected success changed the dismal
faces of the C~hicagoans, who were as seri-
Gus looking as owls after Smiths defeat,
into broad grins. The changing about of
the professionals has broken up the sec
tional rivalry that existed in the early
years, and indeed the fittings of the
amateurs have helped to do the same and
to create an unbiased national viewpoint.
To illustrate: c.. B. Macdonald won the
first amateur championship from the Chi
cago Golf club end for years played as a
westerner, but now he is a pillar of the
Golden City Golf club and of eastern golf.
Will Anderson had been at the Pittsfield
Country club, Baltusrol Golf club and
Apawamis club of Rye before engaging
three years ago with the aristocratic On
wentsia club of the Chicago group, with
a winter berth at the st. Augustine Coun-
try club. Stewart Gardiner too, the Tall
son of Stewart" was for ten years at the
Garden City Golf club before going in 1905
to the EXmoor. ILL.,, County club. There
will never be a revival of sectional rivalry
until our home-breds come to the fore. if
they ever do.
Three Englishmen Have Won IL.
Three Englishmen have won the open
Horace Rawlins, who opened the dance in
1895; Joe Lloyd of Manchester, Mass. and
Pau. France, in 1897, who then beat viii
Anderson, d boy in a round jacket, by one
stroke, aud Harry Vardon. All the others
to via have been Scots by birth, of whom.
however, viii Anderson and Alec Ross,
the titlehOlder, never played in a com
7 petition before coming to the United States.
They came over as mere kids and Rawlins
was as youthful when he won at the New
port Country club.
There are the money prizes, ranging from
$500 10 $40. The winner also gains a gold
medal and he receives the custody of the
championship cup, on which his name is
inscribed, for the year. In 1902 for the first
time the rubber cored ball was used, and
the following table reveals how il enabled
the professionals 20 lower their scores, just
as the bicycle sulky brought about the