The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-02
CHANDLER EGAN
LEADS GOLFERS
Sixteen of the Leading Players
Are Given Ranking
EGAN'S FORM BEST OF ALL
w. j. Travis Is Placed Second on His
Victories and Young Charles
Evans Of Chicago Is Given
the Third Place.

New York, January LII. Chandler
Egan of Chicago is the foremost anna
teur golf player of the United States
for 1909, according to the ratings now
made public by leading golf authorities
in the east. A ranking of the 16 best
players of 1909 made by Hugh L. Fitz-
patrick, recognized as the dean of Amer7
lean golf reporters, who has prepared
the ratings for several years. was made
follows:
l. H. Chandler Egan, Chicago.
2. w. J. Travis, New York
8. Charles Evans, Jr., Chicago
4. Robert Gardner. Chicago.
8. Albert Seckel, Chicago.
6. J. D. Travers, New York.
Z. Mason Phelps, Chicago.
s. w. C. Fownes. Jr., Pittsburg.
Q. Fred Herreshoff, New York.
10. H. G. Legg. Minneapolis.
II. Findlay s. Douglas, New York
II. Thomas NJ. Sherman, Utica.
1S. H. II. Wilder, Boston
IA. P. w. Whittenmore. Boston
15. II. B. Mcfarland. Philadelphia
16. Paul Hunter, Chicago.
Reviewing the work of the golfers and
the points of their play which led him
to the determination of his ratings, Mr..
Fitzpatrick said:
Although there were more tourna-
ments and matches played last season
than ever before in the United States,
the action in the amateur championship
had more than the usual significance in
determining the golfers of national po-
sition and prominence. Egan was the
pivot of interest. He revealed a return
to the form that has won for him in
former national, western and in the in
tercollegiate che mpionship games and
that the defeat In the southern champion
ship of 1908 did not mean anything. Egan
stopped in turn Macarthur, up; Warren
Wood, up; Sawyer, / up, IS holes; Ey-
ans, up, and lost to Gardner in the final,
3 down. While Gardner had beaten Ira
Wis and Phelps in succession and has
since shown high class, had not Egan
suffered from a ptomaine illness before
the final I think he would have won
LAS winner of the Metropolitan Golf
association championship and of four
open tournaments besides being semi
finalist or finalist in others, deem Ira
Wis next to Egan, aside from the Brit
ish and American championships he has
won. Evans is western champion and
is the VESTS greatest new golfing pos
sibility. Gardner has substantial claims
to fourth place; he has won the Yale
title since taking the national among
other honors. Seckel is intercollegiate
and Princeton champion.
Travers, national champion of 1907 and
1905, has only played his best game in
flashes since returning from an unsuc-
cessful venture last spring for the Brit
ish amateur title. l rated Travers first
last year, but even on the gains he
then had, the five named to precede
Travers now would have had always a
good chance.
Mason Phelps is a former western
champion and won the Lake Geneva tour
nament this year. w. C. Fownes, Jr.,
is champion of the Western Pennsylvania
Golf association His greatest rival, By
ers, has been out of the game on ac-
count of the death of a brother. Fred
Herreshoff is Metropolitan runner-up and
q tournament winner. II. G.. Legg was
runner-up in the intercollegiate and is
Minnesota and trans Mississippi cham
pion.
IF. S. Douglas is tournament winner,
and was national champion. 7. NJ Sher-
man, son of the vice president, tied with
Evans and Gardner for low score in the
national, and has won many tourna-
ments. Wilder is the best national tim
Der and Whittemore the most energetic
OF the Boston golfers. H B. McF arland
won the Pennsylvania championship.
Paul Hunter won the southern California
championship, and in the national he
lowered the record for the Chicago golf
club course to Il. There are eight west
ern and the same number of eastern
players on the list. counting Pittsburg
with the former