The Washington herald., 1911-07-09
ON CAPITAL GOLF LINKS
Professional Sargent Talks of Recent National Open
Championship-OtherN News and Gossip.

recently from Chicago, and in an inter-
view has the following to say of his
experience in the national open cham
pionship which took place June q end
"a on the course of the Chicago Golf
Club, at Wheaton, Ill:
First of all perhaps, a short descrip-
ton of the course will be appreciated.
II is a very long course, measuring $500
yards from the tees where the cham
pionship was played. But the turf was
fast, so the distance hardly seemed so
long.
The whole course was in splendid'
condition and certainly reflected much
credit on Dave Fowls, on whom rested
the responsibility of getting the links
into shape. Seldom have 1 seen eighteen
putting greens in better condition than
those at Wheaton during the champion
ship week. Any one who putted badly
could certainly lay the blame on them
selves.
The fair greens were very wide, so
there was no excuse for going into the
rough. The only objection had to the
ccuse was the absence OF sufficient
variety of holes. There are no less than
twelves holes of the drives a pitch
variety, lOuT IWO-SuOI nOl6Ss one one
shot hole, and one short hole. The
course is what is known as left-handed
one, that is, the boundary Of the links
is on the left for the first seven holes.
A hooked shot at either Of the second,
third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh will
put you out of bounds.
The course is fairly well trapped, but
not enough to call for exceptionally ac-
curate play. The bunkers consist chiefly
of sand traps grass traps, and grass
hummocks. 1 did not notice any that
were extremely difficult The course was
generally sized up by the professionals
as follows: Keep straight down the
middle and don't miss any short puts,
and it's easy
There were number of good rounds
played during practice. Among the best
were 69 by ]. Donaldson, Il by Nc
Dermott and Tom MacNamara, and a
regular host of 72s and 73's. In fact,
the scoring was so low that the players
were beginning to speculate how much
under 800 for the four rounds they would
have to be to have a chance of Win
ming
The home professionals were very
much in evidence during the practice,
and several of them were playing so we'll
that every one rallied that one of them
was going to be near the top, the chief
fayorites among them being McDermott,
Tom MacNamara, and Mike Brady.
THE first round saw a number of play
ers clustered together with 75's and 76's.
At the end of thirty-six holes play Alex
ander Ross and Fred Mcleod were at
the head of affairs, with total Of 49,
next to them being Otto Hackbarthp with
l52, George Sargent, McDermott, Mike
Brady, and two others, with lSS. Gill
Nichols and Alex Smith were l54- Tom
MacNamara was very unfortunate in his
second round, taking 81, which put MIN
completely out of the running.
Even at this stage of the game it was
exceedingly difficult TO pick the winner.
1t is true that Mcleod and Alex Smith
had a lead of four shots over the ma
jority of players. but any one knows
that four shots is not very much IN
score competition, as one is liable to
lose those at the first ~ ! holes.
unfortunately the weather was very
bad. and it rained hard all the second
day, which made scoring uncertain My
partner of the first day, Mr.. Fowls, just
failed to qualify for the second days
play, and 1 was paired with Tom Vardon,
who was just over from England.
Whether the change Of partners had a
bad effect on me or not, don't know,
but 1 certainly played badly in the third
round, and took 81 which almost
put me out of the running. being
no less than eleven shots behind the
leaders and only one round to go.
In the meantime Mcleod was round
in Il, and McDermott 20, so that only
two strokes separated them. Gill Nichols
did a "A. and was tie with McDermott
at %. Mcleod being 226. Alex Ross took
81 strokes this round, which made him
$50. Nipper Campbell and Jack Hutchi-
son were also $50 at this stage.
In the afternoon it rained in tor
rents and made holding of the club very
difficult However, notwithstanding this.
1 started in well and turned in the low
est score of the afternoon, "a This
made my total score 81. Mike Brady
and George Simpson were in with S07.
and Gill Nichols was 3O9 All excitement
was centered on Mcleod and McDer-
mott, who were playing together and
practically fighting for the championship
between them. But neither player was
hole where it should have been cost
Mcleod his chance, while McDermott
was not doing any too good. Both holed
long puts on the sixteenth green for a
3 each, which left McDermott with two
as at the seventeenth and eighteenth to
win, and Mcleod had two 3s. McDer-
mott took 3 puts on the seventeenth
green, holing out in 3. Mcleod got a
4 and reduced McDermott's lead to l.
Mcleod now needed 3 and McDermott
to be with Simpson and Brady.
Both were on the last green in two,
and Mcleod just failed to run down his
long putt for a tie. McDermott also failed
to hole his for a win. Both got fours,
which made it a three-cornered tie be-
tween McDermott Brady, and Simpson,
with Mcleod, who was one stroke be-
hind, fourth. The next one TO have a
chance was Jack Hutchison, but a bad
finish at the last six holes killed his
chance, and he finished with 300. He I'm
ished fifth and Gill Nichols sixth place.
H Barber and myself tied for seventh
and eighth, with a score of 81, while
Peter Robertson and Alex Ross tied for
ninth and tenth places, with a2.
i did not see the play-orf OF the three
cornered tie, but from the papers find |
that McDermott won. with Brady second
and Simpson third, so for the first time
in the history Of the game IN this country
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