New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-24
ROSS FINDS 'DUFFERS"
Saws British Golfers Care Little
for Defeat or Victory.
GREAT NAME a TALISMAN
Hero Worship of Public Makes
Lot of Struggling Player
Hard One.

American golfers Who have always been
taught TO believe in the uuquestiOned su-
periority of the devotees of the game IN
Great Britain. will doubtless be agreea3ly
surprised al the Impressions gathered by
Donald J. Ross the Oakley professional,
recently returned from tour of the best
links in Scotland and England Ross. IL
will be remembered with VIII Smith made
a fine showing i'm the last open champion
ship tournament of Great Britain at St
Andrews. With regard to the relative
merits OF the players here and abroad,
Ross in a conversation with a Boston scribe
said:
Golfers over Their" seem TO take less
pains with their golf and TO care very
much less whether they defeat their op-
pOnents than they do here. Perhaps this
is because the larger leisure class has been
less under the strain of professional busi-
ness life and therefore is less sensitive 70
success or failure. In any event, as We
went from one golfng resort to another
we used TO wonder whether 10 would be
possible to find so many players anywhere
fin the United States who would promptly
be rated as buffers.
Nevertheless. these buffers were en-
joyinE the game on some Of the hardest
links TO play properly In the world. and If
any one had dared 20 suggest to them that
they might find more pleasure on an easier
and therefore an inferior course their re-
marks would have been received with 81
lence and contempt.
Passing 10 St Andrews where the open
was played from June % TO
"a. we had another ten days Of golf. OF all
the links We visited st. Andrews was the
most worthy of study to those who wished
to make a good score. OF course. VIII
Smith and I were DESTROYS OF making a
good showing in the tournament.
"St Andrews goes out and comes back.
everybody at least knows that. and also
that at one time the nine holes were once
played twice out and in. Now the bunk
ering of St Andrews led the professionals
to defeat the object of the committee, for
coming home they would play TO the fair
way of the holes going out and so avoid
the bunker problems and open up an easy
way to the greens. But that's another
story.
I'VE found at St. Andrews during the open
the same worship Of names
as Mr. Travis had found al Sandwich, Eng
land in 1904 The crowds were all Braid.
and Taylor and Vardon and a few others,
and seemed to think IL prepoSterOus that
any of the young md rising golfers in
Great Britain or that Smith or myself
should accomplish anything against these
historic giants of golf
Smiths record round of Il was for
gotten when George Duncan equalled II and
Duncan was left 10 himself, as Smith had
been. after he had failed in his next round
Being accustomed to the admirable ar
-angements that the United States Golf
Association makes for It's open champion
ship in relation TO the posting Of the scores
and of giving everybody the squarest pos
zibIe deal certain happenings at St An
drews should not be allowed to pass with
put mention.
For instance, the scores were printed
zach day. but during the progress OF the
play each day II was next to impossible 10
find out how the golfers were going. all IN
formation, except a few casual postings on
a blackboard. being kept reIigioUsly within
the tent of the committee. Everybody
seemed 10 be asking everybody else how So
and 50 or So and So had finished, with lit
tie hope of enlightenment
Again. the great players aud the great
names in the competition we're followed
by large crowds and they were taken care
Of by hagmen and others. but the poor
struggling player was left to himself, and
however we'll ne might be going would at
any moment be held UP by crowds, which
had Just left favorite pair or which were
racing to follow another favorite pair
Such discrimination in favor of the great
men struck me as being very un-AmeriCan,
IN he least -