The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-26
BEN SAVERS PICKS
TRAVERS AS WINNER
Fancies Lord Charles Hope as
Second Choice in British
Amateur Golf.
FAvORS USE OF LONG CLUBS
Wee Little Man Uses q Driver
Almost as Long as His
Own Small Body.
FAvORS USE OF LONG CLUBS

PHILADELPHIA, April :5--Ben Sayers.
ST., the grand old man Of goYf and the
instructor OF kings and queens, In paying
u short visit to his son George. the pro-
fessional of the Merton Cricket Club.
with the exception OF old Tom Morris
no golfer is better known than this In =
nous player and club maker Of North
Berwick. Scotland. 1t would be II hard
task to visit any country where golf Ia
played and not find one Of Ben sayers'.
clubs
1t is Sayerss first visit to this country
and the son Is anxious to have his father
end his days here. over In Scotland he
Is Familiarity known as that wee mamie"
and this describes the famous profess
sional who has played against every pro-
fessional In the world and. Aiexander
like, signs for other worlds to conquer.
lie stands just g feet ga. inches in his
golf shoes and he admits weighing 9
stone l. which interpreted means that he
weighs 1873 pounds. He Is g., years old.
nut To see him play one would think he
were a youth just entering his twenties. He
II mass OF nerves and animation and
Is as near to a perfect golaing machine
as one can find anywhere. His hair and
heavy mustachc are just beginning to turn
gray and there Is "A decided Scotch burr
when he talks, and every sentence ends
with a blurred chuckle.
For man Of his size Savers. Sr., uses
tremendously long wooden clubs, his driv-
ers and brassies measuring 44la inches.
while he il but 63a. inches himself. lie
believes that the longer the driver the
longer the drive. and he is vigorously OPP
posed to the short clubs. He carries three
drivers In his bag. two brassies. "A wooden
fa nlh oil
OF his own inventlon--a benny mash!e
niblick. cleek. two midirons and a
putter The reason for the three drivers
IL that II he gets three good consecutive
drives with the first he then uses the
second and later shifts to the third. start
ing with the heaviest and winding up
his round with the lightest. His putter
is one he has been using for n quarter OF
a century and II has no wrapped handle
He telitves that rain or damp weather
affects the grip too much in putting, and
for this reason uses none.
Sayers started to play when he was Is
years old and two years later he was
ready TO meet any one at the royal and
ancient game. His first professional en-
gagement was at his birthplace, Leth
Later he went to North Berwick and he
has been there thirty-five years. II might
be said in passing that he was the first
to instruct Miss Dorothy Campbell and
MISS Elsie tirant Suite, DOtn or whom
have won the British womens champion
ship. He also instructed Robert Maxwell.
who won the amateur championship OF
Great Britain in 1903 and 1903
Sayers was asked who he considered
the three finest professional and amateur
players and this was his answer:
THE best professionals. In my opinion
and think know a player when l see
one. and ! have seen them all with tho
exception Of Ouimet. are Vardon. Bol
Ferguson OF Musselburgh and J. II. Tay-
lor. The best amateurs are Freddie TAFT
Maxwell and johnnie BAH. Ferguson won
the open championship three times and
tied once. In my opinion there never
was a better one. II isn't necessary to
say anything about Nardon or Taylor.
II pick Jerry Travers to win the Brit.
ish amateur and my second choice is Lord
Charles Hope. who won the French anna
teur championship last year; the third is
young Clarke. | don't fancy Hilton. II
Trayers could work his wrist shots prop
erly he would be the grandest man OF
them all. don't believe McDermott ever
will win the championship. He is very
fne player. but We have many in Great
Britain Just as good. have never seen
Oumet. but his performance last yeai
was wonderful
81 like long clubs because the shots &c
further and straighter. The secret OF
playing is to have the left hand always