New-York tribune., 1909-07-17
GOLF BETTER THAN PAR
SMITH And B1RKER YIN.
Deadly Putting Costs Uacbie and
HObens Brilliant Match.

In Of the most brilliantly played rour-balI
matches ever seen IN this country Alec Smith. OF
Wykagyl. and H. H. Barker. of Garden City, de-
feated Jack Hobens, Of EnglewOOd. and Isaac
Mackie of Fox Hills over the links Of the Fox
Hills Golf Club yesterday by 3 up and to play
Par for the course is q. but suffered all day
long. When some one of the quartet not drop
ping a good put for bird another was. and the
way the men recovered when in difficulties kept
the gallery edge from start to finish
That matches between well known professional
golfers, when properly arranged, pronounced
attraction and was proved again Yesterday. A good.
sized gallery appeared hours before the principals
got away their first round. and when they teed
up at O'Clock for their second eightsen-hOle cir
cult the size Of the crowd had more than doubled
Among those on hand were many prominent am
ateurs and a number Of women, including Mrs. C.
T. Stout Of Richmond County. former nationaI
champion, and Mrs. w. J. Faith. of WylagyL A
H Pogson. of the home club. made an admirabls
referee. The elements were also kind. the ram
holding off Just long enough both morning and
afternoon to save the gallery ducking
Unquestonably the spectacular golf OF the Day
was crowded into the hOmeward holes OF the morn
ing round After ten holes had been played smith
and r}arker erioyed the slight advantage OF up
and at that time 1t appeared 70 many as II the
affair would be fought out TO the bitter end IhS
Srnith-Barker combination then won i've OF th@
next six holes the winning figure IN all save ono
being 3.
RareIv have two players formed-a more happy
combination than Smith and Barker did throushouc
the day. Always driving a long' straight pan ana
anproaching tn his usual deadly style. smith gen
orally kept the other pair tptoed. 80 to speak anu
incidentally afforded his partner many oPportuni-
ties TO ''gobbIe' or go for everything in sght Ia
this respect Barker than fulfilled expectations
AZ might be expected. many exceptional drives
were recorded. Hobens was particularly long on
occasions but as is often the case he had 10 Pay
+ba rrica in loss of direction. Time and again hS
pulled OF sliced into the rough and at one mole 40
went out of bounds twice \ glance at the earo7
shows that Smith five holes ard haiseu on
4fteen others while Barker won five and halved
+rt+oon On the other side Mackie four and
baIvad sixteen Hobens won two and halyed tnlr-
Teen This includes the four bye holes Inc
we're thirteen threes made in the morning round anu
fourteen threes in the afternoon
II was nearly noon when the match began anu
nothing happened break the succession OF naiVe0
holes until Smith reached the 45-yard fourth green
IN two psrfect shots and won in l. Five mors
halved holes left Smith and Barker one UP at the
turn their ball reading 55 to 81 Tor the O1isE
side. . .
the long eleventh. MacHe reached the green in %
while Smiths second kicked OF into the IOusu'
hole high. The Iatter's recovery fell far snort
leaving him something like twenty-five foot put
and it looked like forIorn hope, especialy as tnS
1,ox Hills pro laid his third practically dsao-
smith then ran down the long one for a l. ana
the hona contingent groaned when MacAle HisSe@
his
tyyAIve-footer for a halve in on the AsA-
green after Smith had driven 10 within ten 1seI
of the pin The thirteenth hole proved sensational
in that Barker hOled out an approach OF Io''y
Yards for a 8. This hole IS oSs yaros 4Ons-
Parer said afterward that he half expected 70 get
down an approach somewhere, as so many OF Is
shots of This nature had been knocking at the door
ANYHOW that made Smith and Barker up aI-
this advantage was increased few moments ia'eL
when the Garden City man ran down a teh-loO' p--
for a on the fourteenth green II was NJ NJ
Smiths turn TO do something. and the Eas'eln
champion responded with at the hlleeI4'ilr
thanks to put of fully twenty feet
Now I'D the Smith Barker team made things
even more uncomfortable for their opponents Dy
winning the short sixteenth in s. Smith made tns
. bu+ ITackie should have got n halve. as No
failed on a put of not more than YARD lLA@
seemed 20 rouse all the fighting blood IN the FOX
Hills professional. who promptly won tne '' neN-
two holes in 3's his approaches TO Do'h hOes IS@'
ing him little to do in the putting line
Barker should have had halve on the ho"e
green but he missed a put Of not more thah
eighteen inches through sheer careiessness Lli4~
loft smith and Barker up AT the end Of the morn
i,, -o,,1 their hest ball reading s.. against 50
for the other side Individually, Smith showed 20
the best advantage. with a So Barker ana AldeAs
had % and HObens 30
The FIRST hole to be won in the afternoon was
the third where Smith got a B. Barker would n
all probability have had a as vel. as he had q
shorter put to make. but when Smith got his the
Garden City man picked up. Sliced drives % ths
rough put the other pair out Of 10 at this hole 4
fine approach and a good put enabled Barker to
win the seventh hole fCr his side Their adVan-
tsge Of 8 I'D was Iessened a hole when Aaclue wen
the ninth In 3. Barker then ran down put from
the edge of the tenth green for 3. thereby getting
The lead back to 6. There was no change until noth
1Ia.lfe and Hobens won the pend hole IN 3s but
it did no good. as two more halvei holes left
smith and Barker a comfortable winner the
fourteenth green.
III, bast hall cards were as follows