New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-12
ooso Golf Champion
Thinks Match System
Is Not Dependable.
CITES NATIONAL
TOURNEY AS PROOF
,.,ou< Amateur Expects 10 Try
for Only Three Titles in
Coming Season.
~ GRANTLAND RICE.
Ry GRANTLAND RICE.
nh Is The fairer champiOnship

usieb Is the fairer championship
:. golf-match play or medal play
:, ,s.,e is one golfer in this unpre-
- commonwealth Of ours who
I.,5 know, it is Jerome Dunstan
T-.vsrs. Trayers has won the anna
..H, championship at match play on
fs. orrssions. lie has won the open
~, xSss,no.onship st medal play once. lie
&c bsen over both routes. lie knows
~ comparative value Of each.
There is no argument here A. al
ii Jerry. "The falrer, surer test Is
e. e. ,bs medal play route. That is whV
TyL.;sve our amateur championship
ts~id be settled by y holes OF meoaI
So ~ rather than by the match play
ZEN. which is entirely TOO compll-
80 which takes entirely too long
80 Tbieh isn't nearly as FAIR TEST
The Golfer who finished first IN
-o.bojs test would be playing better
80 than any one else. lie could Fet
80 In no other way. But IN our
.-s.snt system OF match play II IS
.s,ilv possible for a man TO win the
.5sroionship and play only one or two
.oWnds Of high grade golf. 1t IS as
.,geb A matter Of luck as 1t is matter
affrtirely too much depends upon the
law One man may have an easy
800 ahead and the other have a star TO
iSsf every day. Out at Detroit this
s.T Chick Evans shot a 10 his first
nm. .o,, and was still beaten the first
law On the second day l had 10 and
80. dropped out. Yet Sheriff. Sherman
IN. 10 the semi-fnals without playing
4 round under So
Medal Round Favored.
Il have talked to leading golfers
.,,- the East. the West and the
south" continued Travers, "and with
5sr5ly an exception they all favor hav-
10 the amateur title decided over the
-s5sl round route. There are two rea-
.or, for this-one, that medal play IS
tls better test. The other Is that the
tournament viii then last only Tour
days instead Of a week.
why is a medal round the falrer
display? Because practically all luck
has been eliminated, and each man S
unking depends upon his ability TO
sore. stroke by stroke. This has been
proved well enough in England.
The worlds three greatest golfers
are Vardon, Braid and Taylor. No one
disputes this statement. And among
hem bv the medal play system they
have won something like sixteen OF the
last twenty championships of Great
Britain
aDo YOU know how many amateur
tsmDions America has had in twenty
rsars? Exactly thirteen. Not because
1s have so many fine players, but be-
1gse by match play the element OF
lscz plays too big part
Travers takes his stand for medal
nav In spite of the fact that he is
considered better and has always done
better under match play conditions. His
victory in the open tournament at Bal
tusYol last summer was about his only
medal play achievement, whereas he
has won four amateur titles where
match play was the test.
Who would be more likely TO win
consistently az medal play? Travers,
0uimet, Gardner, Evans, Marsston-or
vho' Travers and Ouimet have each
ron one open championship at medal
play. Evans has finished second in an
cher. There was a time when Evans
vas ranked as the best medal play
s-s,eur in the land. But this year he
isil away badly, although Ouimet's
drop was even greater.
Eyans's Mashie Play.
Trsvers. who is a keen student of
golAng conditions. figures that the main
reason for Chicks of year was bad
slump IN bis mashie play.
Evans has been the best amateur
rishie player in the country for some
t-s," said Jerry. "He had no equal
hsr with this club. Not being a good
l.ssr, first class mashie play was alb
s.1,sly essential 20 Evans, as, by drop
fng the ball fairly close 70 the pin he
ii3 little left 70 do. So when his
-tshie control left him, or at least
wen the old touch seemed to have
slipped for the time being, Evans left
naself more 20 look after on the green
ian he could handle.
Chick seemed 20 have developed 2
lAght pull 20 his msshie shots, and any
'eri OF hooked shot with this club IS
tnost impossible 20 control on q fast
rssn. This shot, II possible, should be
taysd with a faint slice in order TO
tays y take hold"
Irsyers expects 20 follow the same
anpaign for 1916 that he followed this
psl' year-that is, 20 play only on Sat
icays and Sundays and 20 enter only
1's. ehSmpionships-th Metropolitan,
,,s Open and the Amateur. There is
~. thsncs that he will not 20 20 Open
y h held in the West and calls for
y. nsth time In training and travel
!ss Amateur will almost surely be
~ yer the course Of the Merton
SHst.. Club, a. Philadelphia course
hf!srry likes very much and one that
= s!Eays plays well-but the old feel
as used 70 have in regard TO this
shanpionship has passed. There was
TINE when he was fairly confident Of
'.,lhning. But In the last year or two
- lsis has been a wonderfully rapid de-
,e.opment In the standard of tourns-
nent play.
Nhere thsra - .. l.. ..... H..