The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-24

| and ncrvously potent
| refer Of course to
the prel m nary
struggles for places
| In the match play
ranks In the anna
tour championship
and not to the lesserJoHN q. ANDERSON
club open events. which carry no special
significance. This score rd and pencil
racket can wound more spirits and cause
more rejoicing than any other feature in
the game OF golf. The reason need hardly
be mentioned. The whole secret Is In the
measure of a mans mind. and not In his
play Those who are eligible to take part
in these championships are good golfers
who at some time In their rounds have
proved that II on their best game they
would be able to qualify for the later
stages. That is why they have been per-
mitted to play at the start.
But OF the many who enter the tourna-
ment. only thirty-two can qualify That
is where the first mind element gets in its
good work The scores reported In prac-
tice by the good players rankle In the
hearts OF many a five handicap man, when
he should stop and consider that In the
majority OF cases the total Is not what
IL would be II the round were a regular
medal play AFFAIR. and that the four ball
match score liz not by any means a cri-
terion OF what a player has actually done
ing beforehand sixteen nan~s of men
who will qualify should give hope and
encouragement to those golfers who Just
before the play have lost faith In their
ability to come through. My experience
in qualifying rounds has been that then
Is the time above all others when an
ounce OF prevention Is worth pound of
cure. Think once before you make the
shot and you will not have two thinks
coming to you afterward. The golfer
who is 90 brilliant that he never fears
the qualifying round Is mighty scarce
nowadays The experience which Jerome
Travers had in that bunker at Garden
City last year on the last hole in the
qualifying round is enough to set each
player thinking seriously.
My theory may vary bit from the or
thodox belief that one should go In and
play his regular game. The trouble Is
that In these rounds II IA well nigh inn
possible to do this. A brilliant score. or
even two. may be seen on the bulletin
board in the course OF a days play. but
that will not be the players average
Then there will be number of players
who will qualify at a figure several strokes
higher than their normal gait.
Scores for some will mount up out OF
all reason, and this will be due to the fact
that the players were not able to keep
their nerves under proper control Four
HuNNS Oll kIs'll VIII NC Nlt 'h'uo'
given by many "A player after he has
finished his round and finds himself out
side the boundary. But the reason is
none other than that his wrist muscles
gave a nervous twitch AT just the wrong
moment. and the ball went skiung along
In "a fashion that spelled ruin to his hopes
and added trouble to his nervous dispo-
sitlon. The question naturally arises as
to why all this is so. There are plenty
OF good answers.
The golfer steps up TO the tee at Elk
wanok and he knows and thinks seriously
about the fact that there have been some
changes made In the course overnight
New holes have been cut and the greens
are so much keener. the traps all the more
inviting because the ball rolls merrily
over the smooth surface Everybody knows
that the grass IL always lief, long on the
greens just before a championship, and
these troublesome reminders persist In
getting in the forefront OF a golfer
thought Then there is the slight thought
that perhaps the caddy Is not capable and
the ball will BE lost with two strokes in
addition. The usual result IL to look for
all the spots where tho ball might disap-
pear with the inevitable result.
Then the idea sometimes comes TO mind
that as most Of the strokes lost are usu-
ally on the putting greens II would be
/ well to take the most pains there, The
net result is that the player finds himself
on the green in a stroke or more than
usual. with his temper in such state
J that he forgets his previous determination
and puts worse than ever.
/ Overconfidence, too. has often killed off
a good golfer, but this does not happen
now as frequently as 1t did in the old
| days when there WAS not so much Keen
1 competition. There are mighty few golf
ers who possess this feeling to-day. when
( IL comes TO a test of medal play. A bad
hole, unless followed up by something
quite remarkable, makes the golfer feel
that he has only an outside chance OF
getting into the charmed circle, and then
the effort to make up the bad play often
proves disastrous,
The fellows who qualify are the ones
who have fought back this appeal to their
waverng susceptibilities with the greatest
success. There are the veterans who have
| gone through this baptism OF medal fire,
| who expect that they will have these same
| feelings which have been enumerated. but
| they know how to get rid OF them. The
| vacant mind Is an essential part OF their
| programme. BY that ! mean that the
best golfers school themselves to Danish
from their thought as many OF these ter
| rifying bugaboos as possible. at the same
| time acknowledging their existence.
doubt II a missed putt on the previous
green worries Chick Evans as he makes
| his way to tho next tee. 1t couldn't affect
| him much because there is no stacking
off in his play through the green. But
when he gets OH the putting green. then
the memory OF what has been confronts
him. and he must hght to put II away
| from his mind.
When you look at Travers putting you
expect him to hole the ball, because he
has put out of his mind all thought OF
everything else Last year at Garden
| City he was worried for time because
OF his poor short mashle work. and this
! affected his whole game In the qualifying
| round, As soon as that st>oke came back
| to him he was the old imperturbable
| Jerry, whose mistakes were but the step
| ping stones TO vivid achievements,
Funny incidents are happening every
| day that golf Is played, and the strangest
are never seen In print. I have had many
| a good laugh the past week at an incident
which happened to me few days ago,
! was PLAYING golf at a summer hotel
| course, and the caddies had never seen or
heard much about the game. They took
| an interest however, In our play and in
| the course of two rounds never lost a ball.
As was stepping down from the tee
on one OF the holes my caddy marched