The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-05-18
AMATEUR GOLF
CHAMPIONSHIP
PLAY TO START
MOST IMPORTANT OF THE MANY
INTERNATIONAL SPORT COM
PETITIONS IN WHICH EXPERTS
OF UNITED STATES ARE TO
TO COMPETE.
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS.

New York, May 17.-The fourth and
most important TO date Of the many
international sports competitions in
which the experts of the United States
and England meet this year will be-
gin tomorrow with the playing OF the
English Amateur Golf Championship
tournament over the course of the
Royal st. Georges Golf club at Sand
wIch. For this golf classic of the old
world Ameri"a has made the most rep
reSentatiVe @uIry in its history and the
spirit of seeking new fields to conquer
is most COmmendabIe since there was
no organized effort in this direction,
each Of the dozen or so American en-
trants competing as individuals. That
under these conditions the foremost
amateur players of this country should
he eager to pit their skill against the
best golfers Of England, Continental
kuTopes and even far away Australia
speaks well for their spirit of sports
manShip and their belief in their abiI-
ity to hold their own against the
golfers of the world.
Whether one Of those who made the
journey from the states to Sandwich
will be skillful and fortunate enough
to return with the English title as a
reward only the next forty eight hours
can reveal 1t is natural that the
American golfer should hope for such
q fortunate repetition of the 1904 In
vasiOn of Walter J. Travis. This is
especially true since England leads at
the present time in the general inter
national sports series of 1914, having
scored with the Oxford University re-
lay team at Philadelphia on April Is
and again in London on May s, when
K. NJ. Baerlein defeated Joshua Crane.
Jr., Of Boston, in the final round Of
the English amateur court tennis
cham pionships Against these two
victories America has but one, that in
which Jay Gould defeated George r.
Covey Of London, at Philadelphia in
March for the worlds open court ten
mis- championship.
There Is. therefore, added incentive
in the attempt to win this, the most
important of all English golf tourna-
ments, and thus balance the score on
the eve of other and still greater com
petitions for international honOrs. It
needs but a glance at the entry list,
however, to grasp the magnitude of
the task that faces the American con-
tingent. The entry for the tournament,
which begins on Monday, contains the
name of every amateur of calibre not
only Of England but several other
countries as well. In fact, this tourna-
ment is to the golf world what the
English singles tennis tournament at
Wimbledon is to tennis-virtually the
amateur championship of the world
As to the ability Of the players to be
met It need only be stated that John
Ball, Jr. winner of the title eight
times since 1888, in addition to being
ruuner-up on two other occasions. and
Harold II. Hilton, four times winner
and three times runner-up, as well d
open champion. are entered and quoted
at little better than even out of a
field Of more than one hundred com
petitors. Others include Lord Charles
Hope French champion and IVO Whit
ton, the sensational and youthful play
or, who holds the Australian open
championship and has been frequently
compared to Francis Ouimet as TO
mannerisns and playing ability since
he began his practice rounds at Sand
wiCh
While the United States holds sec
ond place in number of entries by ma
tons It cannot be denied that the
American SQUAD is outclassed numer1-
cally If not in quality. IN view Of the
time and expense necessary to com
pete and the distance to be covered
the American entry is remarkable,