Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-29
LONG DRIVING BY
WOMAN GOLFERS
More Skill Displayed at Chevy
Chase Than in Any Previ-
GUS National Tourney.

There are two reasons why the Wom-
ems national championship at the Chevy
Chase Club should long live in the MEM
Dry of golf players, says the New York
Sun. One. that for some unexplained
cause the entry was limited to forty,
whereas there are usually between sixty
and eighty to start, and for the remark
able long driving by the contestants.
There had been a protracted spell Of dry
weather and the hard ground aided the
roll Of the ball, but in other years there
have been tournaments under conditions
very similar in which the feminine driv-
ing was By no means remarkable. The
fact is that the amazons OF the links have
learned to swing hard at the ball and
strike it cleanly with an accelerated force
that gives it wings. The distances at
tanned on the second shots, whether with
wood or iron, were also remarkable.
1t often happens that the best measure
ments are not gained in a scheduled long
driving contest, for many screamers are
not counted because they go outside the
white lines. 1t was different in Chevy
Chase. for Miss F. s. Osgood of Boston
won with an aggregate OF 142 for three
drives and she had one Of go yards in
the trio. This was surpassed by Miss
Grace Semple of st. Louis. who had a
drive Of 25S yards and a total of lib. Miss
Harley had an aggregate of 100. The
most phenomenal tee shot OF the tourna-
ment was made by Miss Margaret Curtis
of Boston in the match where Miss Har-
ley Of Fall River deDosed her from the
championship.
1t was on the seventh hole and Miss
Curtis. the ball being aided by slight
descent on the roll. brought I'D in the
center Of the old winter green, q, distance
of o6O yards. 4 Chevy Chase member In
the gallery gave the distance as 261 yards
correction was made the next day by
James Douglas, the clubs professional.
The fifth hole. $40 yards, when the drives
were good. the Curtis girls played with
a cleek for the second to be short of a
brook. and then pitched to the green with
a mashie. 1t took nearly all. however.
two shots with wood TO get near the
brook and with a mashie shot in order.
Miss Georgianna Bishop in playing Mrs.
Fox played the hole in this way and had
a three-foot nut for four. but as she
had two for the hole did not try for il.
Long Drives.
Miss Harriet Curtis, Miss Bishop. Miss
Adams, Miss r. c. Osgood, Miss Marian
Oliver, Mrs. T. II. Pohemus and Miss
Kate Harley more than once drove from
200 to 213 yards in their matches, but
Miss NJ Curtis was supreme in the tee
shots and through the green. 1t Will be
noted that the driving surpaSses the rec
ord made by Miss NJ. Whigham of IA
yards with the guilty ball in the British
women's championship of 1850 at West
ward Ho! Miss Dorothy Campbell's tee
shot to the 212-yard green at Enfield was
also beaten, and the reputed drive of 2io
yards by Miss Cecil Leitch at Dilloth was
in jeopardy This is the seventeen-year-
old girl who did SO well in the women s
championship at st. Andrews last spring.
About 200 yards was the best distance
gained by the title winner. Miss Kate
Harley. on her tee shots, and she was as
good on her second shots. Consistency
is the jewel of most value in golf gems,
and Miss Harley did not slip up in the
drives or full second shots more than six
or eight times during her five matches.
Her game improved with the progress OF
the tournament, a crescendo scale war
ranted by the confidence such strength
on the long game must have given. IN
the final with Mrs. Polhemus she reached
the twelfth green. 364 yards. with a drive
and mashie. following with W-foot put
that won the hole in a stroke under the
par The thirteenth is of 305 yards and
hard four for any one. as the green Is on
a hill necessitating an all carry approach.
and an everyday is punished, yet MISS
Harley had the par again there as easily
as breaking sticks.
Such puts as Miss Harley made on the
twelfth green were more than ordinarily
exceptional, for as rule the women are
very brilliant in running them down
and each is disappointed if at least two of
twenty to thirty feet are not safely
bagged in an eighteen hole round. The
fast, slippery turf accounted partly for
this lack Of long puts at Chevy Chase, for
the players We're green shy and planned
for safe two unless they had to try the
hard put to gain a half. 1t was the grub
worm season at Chevy Chase. a pest of
the putting green new to northerners.
The worm is continually running connect
ing tunnels under the turf. series of
subways with the diameter Of an ordinary
lead pencil, and occasionally tt comes to
the surface to push out some earth. These
defect the ball, and the green's may not
readily be kept clear of them, for while
the ball is rolling for the hole lump of
earth may be pushed up in its path by one
OF these energetic borers.
Putting High Class.
Yet on the average the putting far sur
passed that at the mems championship.
Wherever else she may be at fault every
woman is at ease on the putting greens.
The aluminium putter does not find favor
In their eyes. the majority using the
fiat faced iron club with short shafts
but a few had gOosenecks or putting
cleeks. Miss NJ. B. Adams, Boston. and
Mrs F. T. Perkins. Chicago. were the only
ones who pushed the ball before them ~
croauet style. Miss Pauline Firth, Bos-
ton; Mrs. Ormsby McCammon. Washing
ton and Miss F. G. Griscom. Philadelphia
putted brilliantly. The honors for put
ting best throughout the matches were
due to Mrs. c. F. Fox, yet for there is
many a slip on such shots. she failed with
a two foot put on the home green with
Miss Harley that if gained would have
carried the match to an extra hole. Per-
haps because the turf was so hard the
~,
that the women generally display on
such shots. They could not hold the
place when pitched true to the cup and
ran over, which made two puts needed
The four best scores at qualifying medal
play we're Miss II. Curtis, So; Miss Mar
jorie Phelps, Boston. and Miss Georgianna