New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-08
TRAVERS KING IN GOLF
Leads All Rivals in Ranking for
Season on Links.
EVANS IN SECOND. PLACE
Travis Third on List, Followed
by Wood and Oswald
Kirkby.

With another competitive golf season IN
the North matter of history. the annual
rating OF the players again commands
attention. In order to find out just who
are entitled to be placed among the first
sixteen, much research is necessary Con-
sideraton must also be given perform
ances in past seasons as we'll as the
present, but when a player drops out
| for a year or so il becomes next 10 i'm
possible to rate him with any degree OF
certainty. and it Is. therefore, often adj
visable to omit him from the list entirely.
On the other hand when golfer sud
denly jumps into prominence through
making an Unexpectedly good showing in
the national amateur championship, bur
| fails to maintain that form in minor
meetings. too much credit should not b.
given to his one championship splurge.
Character of the courses over which sue
cesses are achieved must also be con
s.dered
In the absence of an official rating.
the placement Of the leaders is more or
less matter of opinion. but il is worthy
of mention that the average taken from
the United States Golf Association handl-
caps of the sixteen selected is only Is.
Most of the men on this list are found
either on the scratch or the one bracket
The highest handicap man mentioned Is
Heinrich Schmidt, the Massachusetts
champion, at 5.
II matters little from what angle one
reviews the past season. the name of
Jerome D. Travers stands ont alone
This golfer from Upper Montclair won
the national and metropolitan titles and
only missed wearing the triple crown
by being beaten by Oswald Kirkby In the
final Of the New Jersey championship at
Atlantic City.
Even before he started for Wheaton I
Jerry was regarded in many quarters as
at least the class Of the home talent !
Harold Hilton, they argued, looked Ike .
the one best bet. The speedy elimination
of the Briton, however. caused him TO be
forgotten temporarily, and then Charles
w. Evans jr.. became a strong faVorlte.
The final clash between Travers and
Evans demonstrated to the satisfaction
OF ell that no amateur IN America had
an even chance with Travers when this
wizard was on his game. AS IL nap
pened, Travers was not driving wei AZ
any time during championship week, yet
he had so many shots with the irons al
his command that he defeated the West
ern hero despite the handicap.
In addition to having the shots In his
bag. Jerry is blessed with an ideal golf
ing temperament. and IT may be that this
helped him TO beat Evans. 1t had been
claimed that Evans had greatly improved
his short game since last year, but even
So Chicks" green work suffered BY
comparison with the almost mechanlcal
accuracy OF Travers.
After Evans comes Walter J. Travis
who always does we'll in the tournament
line though unable 10 weather cham
pionship. Travis is probably as strong
golfer now as in the halcyon days when
he was winning national and sections
titles, but I've lacks the brilliancy OF th.
two leaders. In the national champiol-
ship tournament at Wheaton last Septem-
Der Travis was defeated by Travers, VINO
also won from the Garden city VeteraH
the year before at Apawamis.
Warren n Wood, of Chicago, and Os-
valid Kirkby, the New Jersey champion
are placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
Had IL not been Tor Evans, the IeSo'u u
Wood during the last season would be
even more formidable. Chick" was re
sponsible for the removal OF Wood from
both tie national and the Western cham
pionships On other and less important
occasions Wood had the satisfaction Of
turning the tables on Evans. In 1910
Wood was runner-up in the national
championship at Brookline.
Kirkby had another successful season.
reaching the seml-flnal stage OF the met
ropolitan championship only to lose 10
Travers. but he turned the tables in the
New Jersey final at Atlantic City. Kirkby
also won tournaments at Apawamis AMI
Tuxedo. but lost IN the finals OF the Mas
sau and Shinnecock meetings. Closely
pressing Kirkby is Fred Herreshof. who
might have been placed higher had 1t not
been for his failure to qualify in the ma
tional. Later on he won over the ideal
links, as we'll as at Nassau. but ended
with defeat at the hands OF Travis IN
the Lakewood final.