Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-27

Il was to keep its foremost place. The
ground was net vol suited 20 an eighteen
hole course, besides. the Boston owners
would not fix 2 selling price, and there was
nothing TO do but seek a new spot.
st. Andrews held open tournaments each
fall over the sawmin River course and an
annual professional tournament also. A
notable match in 1895 was between Willie
Park. jr, the twice British champion, and
Willie Campbell. then engaged at Boston.
There have been open amateur tourna-
ments of Importance over the Mount Hops
course. but not for some years. The
Metropolitan Golf association champion
ship OF 1906. in which Jerome d. Travers
cared his first title. was the most Inn
portant tournament ever held at the Mount
Hope links, and in 1899 the Philadelphia
New York match, the earliest Of the semi
annual series that has been succeeded by
Tire trtcity match, was held at st. An
drews. tt club has had but three presi-
d~ents-John Reid for many years. J. c.
Ten Eyck for one year. and ]. b. Thomas.
One tournament over the Sawmil River
course has had an important bearing on
American golf history. The Newoptr Golf
club announced an amateur championship
for September 3 and 4 1904. but made the
mistake of holding the competition at
medal ~play-the game Of the professionals
at open championships. There were twenty
starters and the program called for thirty
six holes of medal play. The winner was
William Lawrence. entered from the New
port club. and who had learned the game
at Pau. France. He did 1855 and beat c. r.
Macdonald by one stroke. The latter then
played from the Chicago Golf club, and
began golfing when at ST. Andrews uni
versity. Scotland.
Committeeman of our st. Andrews
promptly arranged for an amateur cham
pionship at match play on October II, -
and Is. Macdonald had his revenge by de-
feating Lawrence in the semi-final, 2 up
and l to play, but he was beaten 1 up in
the final by L. b. Stoddart, an Englishmau,
who had learned his golf in that country.
The clash and the consciousness that the
game had a great future in this country
brought the leaders into council on Deem
Der, %, 1904, the United States Golf associ-
alton came into existence at a meeting
in the Calumet club. Manhattan. Charter
members were st. Andrews, Shinnecock,
Hills, Chicago Golf club. Country club,
Brookline and the Newport Golf club.
Ohio is the mother OF presidents and st.
Andrews Is the parent OF many gols clubs.
There was q great opening of new courses
about Manhattan in 1S95-97, and in most
cases the founders were players over the
ola course. Each new club sapped the en-
ergy of st. Andrews in a manner, for Il
meant the loss of a few members. It was a
critical time too, as property for an eight
een-hole course had been bought at Mount
Hope and a clubhouse finished. The re-
moval was in the latter year. T. A. Have
meyer, first president of the United States
Golf association was the financial hacker
or the undertaking and his sudden death
made a complication. The election of Joseph
X. Thomas. as president, ended the clubs
troubles and it is now very prosperous.
There are few better inland courses in the
country, and should the United States Golf
association ever open its heart to give the
old club a national championship the public
will find this out.