The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-07
ID Professional Golfers Haze Busy Week Ahead
HAGEN'S FINE FORM PUTS
HIM TO FORE AS
National Open Golf Champion Looms Up as Likely
Successful Defender of His Title Next Week
Both Ouimet and Evans Formidable.

to gst In q bad round Of late years.
which puts them out OF the running
for first place. The time seems to nave
gone when brilliancy Of itself wins these
championship affairs II Ia brilliant con-
sistency. with the accent on consistency.
II will be noted at once perhaps that
| have listed no foreign born profess
sionals whose abode is what we term
out West" The reason for doing this
Is simply that no player from the West
since 1902. with the single exception
of the %redoubtable Freddy Mcleod. has
won the title or finished particularly
well up when the event has been played
on an Eastern course. There must be
something In the nature OF the soil or
the layout which makes II hard to get
thoroughly Thinks acclimated." II there
be any such term. II might Be we'll to
continue the exception Of Mcleod. who
was tied last year for third place and
who can usually b counted on 70 play
a steady game. Genial James Donald
son from Glen View wa In the money
last summer. as was Arthur Smith OF
Columbus. whose play Is 60 be praised
not unduly. for his chances for practice
over a standard course are not great.
To mention all the others who have
a chance for the title. Isaac Mackie.
Jack Hutchinson. "Geordi' Simpson,
Bob PEBBLES. Tom Anderson. Karl kef-
fer OF tho Royal Ottawa Club. Canada;
George Cummings and others. would
simply be a repetition OF man OF the
former entrants. A fash OF their high
est form means n high position In the
summary and golf is often just that un-
certain. No one has been able to pick
the winner consistently for many years.
The chances of the amateurs must
not be overlooked, and at the scoring
game Francis Ouimet and Chick Evans
must not be overlooked.
What are Ouimet's chancesT' was
asked OF n good golnng critic lately. n
his reply came quick and sharp: 1T
depends on how he 10 playing" Which
means only that II at his best he has
AZ good a chance to win as any pro"
The same must be said OF Evans.
AS for Travers his forte has not been
score play 80 distinctly. but he can.
nevertheless. score with anybody when In
the MOOD HE card against Hagen at
Greenwich would have won at match
play. and II he Is in that mood Is clearly
n factor.
BaItusrol does not suit the game OF
Travis so well. by reason of his lack
OF distance as compared with any OF
the Others named. And he seems TO
have lost a bit on the deadly iron and
putter work that made his fame. Again
the route is over four days. including
the qualification. me Travis is not so
young as once he was. OF the other
amateurs there are several who can
go fast enough for a round but can
hardly be expected to keep up the clip
needed for four rounds The profess
SIGNALS who hav seen Harry X. y.
Davis OF California say he Ia equal to
any one. but his entry is not so prob
able and the trip and new conditions
OF soil would handicap him.
II Oswald kirkby gets going really
well he too Ia good enough for n place
In the prize list. where he has been
before now in open competition.
1t must be noted that youth seems
TO have its day on the links in undue
proportion so far as the game In this
country Ia concerned. and that the
names OF most OF the foreign born play
ers have been familiar for years. Per-
haps excessive hours al teaching and
few are playing by the best players
ensconced In fine berths NJ excellent
clubs. together with the lack OF inter
club matches between the professionals
or contests OF other kinds. have made
for a certain degree OF carelessness as
TO where the title goes.
But there are many clubs to-day
which wish n good player and the signs
OF the times seem TO point to their selec-
t.on. as each new club hires n new
professional. Sargent was an unknown
when he won at Englewood, and II
gained for him his present fine berth.
Some ambitious young player may turn
the trick again and the reward will be
Just as certain.