Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-15
By W. R. Tichenor.

United States will be held again
this year at Garden City, which
is the home course of Walter j.
Travis, the grand old man of Ameri-
can golf, and it was on this course
in the championship in 1908 that Mr.
Travis made what he considers the
most satisfactory shot of his career
When he was in Atlanta in the
spring of 1911 I asked him if he did
not think that there was some one
shot which stood forth most wildly
in the memory of every golfer and
which he considered his best shot
Yes" said he, 81 think that every
golfer has at some time or other pull
ed off a shot, which If ii was not his
best shot, might truthfully be termed
his most satisfactory one. In my own
case the one shot which stands forth
most wildly in my memory was one
made in my match with H. II.
Wilder in the amateur championship
held at Garden City in 1905.
Mr.. Wilder had me dormie four
but won the fifteenth and then the
sixteenth holes and so was dOrmte
two when we started to play the sew
enteenth. At this hole, which Is
about four hundred and thiryty yards,
neither of us reached the green on
cur second shots. My approach shot
left me with a putt of at least five
yards, while his left him with a putt
Of hardly q yard. His was a putt
which it looked impossible for him to
miss. Mine was one which it seemed
impossible for me to make on ac-
count of the fluctuations in the green,
which had to be figured with abso-
lutte accuracy. The line of my putt
was along the top of a ridge and then
break down the slope TO the cup.
From my position the cup didn't look
as big as a thimble. II l putted too
strong the break would come too late
and / would overTun the hole. If |
putted too weak the break would come
too soon and | would be short of the
hole. Absolute accuracy as to both
speed and direction was necessary. A
half would do me no good. l had to
win the hole or / was beaten two and
one 1t didn't look as though / had
one chance in hundred to sink that
putt And then he must miss an
easy one in order for me to win. l
played the shot and I shall never
forget the applause that went up from
the gallery as the BAN sank from view.
Mr.. Wilder missed his putt. l then
won the eighteenth hole and squared
the match. The nineteenth, twenti-
eth and twenty-first holes were halv-
ed but l won the twenty hole
and the match
2NNELL," said Chick Evans who
" was in Atlanta getting in shape
for his try at the British Amateur
Championship at the time Of Travis
visit, my most satisfactory shot was
made in the Western championship,
when II was held at Minnekahda in
1910 / was playing against Robert
Hunter in the semi-ttnal Of this tour
nament. We were having one Of
those ding dong seesaw matches.
First he would win a hole and then |
would get it back. This kept up all
day long with not more than a hole
between US at any time until we
reached the thirty-siXth. From this
tee / got away a peach of a drive
straight down the middle of the
course. Hunter followed with one
Just as straight but not quite as long.
His second was beautifully played
right on the line of the flag and came
to rest about three feet from the flag.
Upon reaching my ball l found that
had driven into the road, which
crosses the fairgreen about two hun
dred and seventy-ffve yards from the
tee and my ball was lying up against
the far bank of this road. My posi-
ton looked hopeless. In such a pos
ition / could not hope to do much
more than get out and he had putt
for three. Taking a mashie and
laying It well back l swung at the
ball with all my strength for a sliced
shot Much to my amazement and
great qualification out came the ball.
Il sliced beautifully. struck the green
and trickled to within a foot Of the
hole Hunter failed to hole his putt
but l got mine down and won the
hole after it looked like the very best
l could hope for was half in four.
WHILE I am on the subject of
Wv good shots or rather shots which
stand out quite wildly in ones mem
ory I recall an experience Of Andy
Stewart at Montgomery, last week at
the Southern championship.
No, / don't mean Uncle Andy Stew
art, the genial tax collector Of Fulton
County, but Andy Stewart of New
Orleans.
Andy is a brother OF W. P. Stewart
who has twice won the Southern
championship. and even Andy admits
that his brother is the better player.
At Montgomery Andy qualified in
the second division, which was the
thirty-two players composing the fifth
and sixth flights. lie lost his first
match and so became one of the six
teen losers Of this division, which
made up the sixth flight. In the sixth
flight he also lost his first match and
so dropped into the consolation di-
vision Of the sixth flight. Here he
met Ed Joseph, one Of the commits
sioners of the City of Montgomery.
They had a hot match which was all
even at the end of the first eighteen
holes. So they proceeded 10 play the
nineteenth. This hole was halved as