New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-15
Victory in Amateur Tour
ney at Detroit Would Up
set All Golf Traditions.
BUT OPEN CHAMPION
EXPECTS HARD FIGHT
Says Standard of Non-ProIeS-
sional Game in U. 5. Has
Reached High Plane.
Nv GRANTLAND RICE.

set az she had never known in her 4oo
wears Of golhng history. For that sum
noer. now back in another century, John
Ball won the British amateur cham
pionship and followed this achievement
mn bv landing the British open, dou-
hle achievement of amazing proper
t;ons No one then had ever figured
.be+ an amateur could win an open
event until Ball performed the miracle
Five years after this double conquest
h.d been established by an English
amateur America established her anna
tour and open championships, ana IN
tbe twenty years that have followed no
American golfer has ever been aole 10
5yniicate Balls heroic work. FRANCIS
O,iret won the open in 1913. two years
GOO but he was cudgelled out OF lhe
ana+eur parade in the second round
,rben he fell before Travers at Garueh
City. o,
Rut now. twenty-five campaigns after
polrs twin titles and twenty years
after both American championships
baye been established, the chance mas
80 last come 10 an American golfer 70
smash all records for his native lahu'
For Travers won the open champIon-
shin at Baltusrol, and II he can INV
wrest the amateur tue ava! -,
O,,;1ee+ ~ Detroit he will have achieved
q golfng destiny that no one thoueh.
nossible three years ago before OulmeI
fyt his way through the professional
barrier. - 18th
While playing friendly round WIN wv
Jerrv few DAYS ago we brought thls
point TO his attention-the chahce ne
bsd 70 null up on even terms with 'he
redoubtable Mr.. Ball. ,,;I
SIt would be a great thing" he sald'
"but winning an American amateur
championship is quite dlherent run n
what it used to be- some Neais -
there we're only one or two entries one
mad 70 bother with. Most Of the others
could be counted upon to beat them
selves. so that one could loaf along
most Of the way and save ms energy
for the one big match.
"To-dav there are eight or ten
Golfers al least in this country among
the amateurs who are likely to cut IN
with a u or a % any old day ana peat
anv man in tle tournament. mere
are now very few chances 10 pull up
and take things easy. for. in addition
TO Ouimet and Evans, ] know II WouId
never occur TO ne now TO loaf against
such entries as Max Marston. Ned
SAWYER. Oswald Kirkby. Phil Carter
Bill Fownes and three or tour otheIS'
Last Year.
"Take last season for an example
continued Travcrs. "l drew IN the hrst
round Schlottman. Of Detroit; Evans
drew Ed Bvers and Ouimet drew Max
Marston. None Of these three mad
been even mentioned as possible WIN
ners. Yet Byers put out Evans;
Ouimet beat MarstOn by only one mole
in the hardest sort Of match @nd l
had to shoot a y TO beat my man, VINO
was around in a inc -. playing the
hardest sort Of golf from the hrst hole
10 the finish.
III had loafed that day at any
stage | would probably have lost As
il was ! was only UP coming 10 the
sixteenth hole at EkwanOk. This hole
is 450 yards up hill. and very diff
cult 1, as il requires two full shots.
won the hole, but 10 DO it had to get
3, as my opponent got his 4.
and il was the only ! got at that
hole during the tournament Any sort
of a slip and We would have been on
even terms. with only two holes to go.
Later on Ouimet had another close
call from Bill Fownes, who had him l
down with 10 20 in a 36-hole match
Harder than Ever.
"The field this season will be harder
than ever 70 beat" continued the open
champion. MANY young golfers have
improved immensely and have gathered
a world of experience at tournament
play in the last year. In this way they
have increased their confidence as well
as their skill, and they are as likely to
play great golf against the leaders as
against any one else"
Outside Victories.
It is in this respect of losing to a
higher handicap man that Chick Evans
is still a trife below 0uimet and
Travers.
AS we recall the details, the only
two golfers who have put out Travers
in recent years in en- amateur cham
pionship were Harold Hilton, British
champion in 1911, and Francis Ouimet
in 1914. This doesn't include his Eng
lish invasions. Ouimet, since coming to
fame, has lost only to Travers in any
amateur title play. But Evans had had a
rougher row. Fownes beat him in 1910,
HerreshofT in 1911, Travers in 1912,
John G.. Anderson in 1918 and Eb Byers
last fall.
Travers was beaten in the metro
politan championship this spring but
the man who put him out was Walter
J. Travis, veteran who, when not
worn down by the strain and grind OF
a long tournament, has enough golf
left to beat any man alive.
56-Hole Route.
There is one big change in tourna-
ment play this season that Will give
the leaders a better chance. At De-
troit the battle in match play Will be
only over the full 36-hole distance.
There will be no lS-hole rounds for
starter such as former years have
known. This means that while, some
outsider in the betting may shoot par
golf for Is holes, he will be forced to
continue the pace all day to eliminate
any of the leaders. And it is about
three or four lines as hard for most
golfers TO shoot two good rounds IN
succession as il is 10 put away one.
II is possible that one Of the younger
golfers may head off Travers, Ouimet
or Evans, At Detroit, over the double
iourney-but il isn't a good bet that
any such development will take place
esnecially in the case of Travers and
Ouimet. who have both won open and
amateur championships, and have there
fore proved they could meet the hard
est test at hand
But for all that, golf, as we have
risen 10 remark before, is too often a
matter of one days or one weeks men
tai attitude. II Travers, Ouimet or
Evans should by i'll fate fall upon
week of play below normal form, as
! u i