Evening journal., 1915-08-26
Interest CENTERS
IN Golf CLASSIC
Stars of American Links
Gather at Detroit for
Big Matches
CHAMPIONSHIP AT
ISSUE SATURDAY

Every one who mas wrapped MS hh-
gers around the golf club and squint-
ed along the line of a putt will find
himself unable this week and next to
keep his thoughts from drifting away
in the direction of the Country Club
of Detroit, where the golf classic OF
the year, the United States Golf As
sociation amateur championship, is
to be staged. The tournament proper
will begin next Saturday, but the
stars OF the country are tuning up
and tomorrow there will be the an
nual team match for the American
golfer silver club an event originated
by Walter J. Travis and of peculiar
interest this year in view of the an
nounced retirement from champion
ship contention Of the Grand Old Man
OF American golf.
Recent additions to the national han
dicap list have brought eligibles up
to a round number that would mean
chaos IL all were to compete and pro-
viding also that the governing body
had not taken adequate precautions
in the shape Of introducing pre-
liminary qualifying round for Satur'
day. If fifty per cent. of the players
rated show I'D al Detroit it will mean
a mammoth field, although not too
large TO be handled through the med
ium of the initial eighteen hole sift-
ing out, when all but the first sixty
four are to be barred from further
participation on Monday.
Preliminary Qualifying Round.
The problem of how 10 run off a
championship without interfering
1rao d frfr cfs koI
gram long has confronted the u s.
G. A. The preliminary qualifying
round seems TO be the solution evcn
if it has thrown the tournament into
two different weeks.
There appears to be general agree
ment that the course of the Country
Club of Detroit will not fail as a
championship test. In natural Sc
quence comes the query, Who is
going to win the title?" Somehow,
when one looks closely into the mat
ter the final selection lies among
Jerome D. Travers the open cham
pion; Francis Quimet and Chick
Evans.
For a brief time on the back Of the
Panama-Pacific Exposition tourna-
ment the name of Harry K b. Davis
u
since the western championship
there has been a notable change Dav-
is may redeem his reputation at De-
troit. So much the better II he does,
but in view of tie debacle at May
field. he cannot be regarded as a for
midable rival to the triumvirate un-
Ill he proves that he has mastered
the trick of eastern greens.
al.n -
one has not 10 dwell too much on his
lack of success in former years
Evans is a great golfer and is liable
TO furnish a surprise any time. In
considering his match play ability
also il must be borne in mind that, al.
though he has failed repeatedly in
the national amateur and each fail
ure may have had much to do with
the next, Evans once plougheC
through a western open champion
ship field the only time the event wal
decided at match play Things can
not always go wrong with a golfer
such as Evans is; hence the wisdom
of being prepared for the champion
ship some day taking a trip TO Edge
water, Ill.
@Chiek" Evans Likely to Do Well.
Before finishing with Evans 1
might be well to quote Harold H. Hill
ton. who has seen the Chicago sta
in action both in this country an'
abroad, and who, moreover, was de
fested by Evans in the playoff 70
the qualifying medal at Wheaton. Ill
in 1912.
Chick" Evans is still undispute,
cock of the walk in golf S. applied 4
the western states of America, as h
has retained the western amateu
title and has won it on three out o
the last four occasions on which
has been played for" says the man
times holder Of the British title an
one-time champion of America. But
whilst the game is Just as popular 1
the vicinity Of Chicago as it is in tn
eastern states, on the other hand il /
more youthful problem in the mid
die west and the class of play is nc
quite the same average standard a
It is in the New York district, and j
consequence the western amateur
event is probably not quite so diff
cult to win as is. say the metropol
tan.
Il have an idea that Chick is NOR
prone to produce his true form o
the links in the west. than he is o
courses some distance from homt
and, although he failed in the fin;
round in the championship at Whea
on In 1912, on the other hand the1
can be little doubt that, taking III
play during the continuance OF Ii
meeting, he was the most consisteI
player in the field and up to that fat
fnal effort his play had been qui
brilliant"
So much for Evans, the brillial
but uncertain. Admirers of Quinn,
and Travers are secure in the know
edge that their idols will not Sc
themselves oheaply. Ouimet was
trifie of form in the open at Bal
usrel, but he is too great a PLAYER
stay off very long. Both he and Ira,
ers have the thirty-six hole match,
in their favor. There will be an
number of near champions in N
tournament. but unless the thr,
stars get mixed up in the bracket ,
fall badly of form in any one rour
these lesser lights are likely TO fr
that they have still Just a little b
70 learn.
Would Like 70 Wear Double Crown.
Travers. as II has been pointed on
Is anxious TO do what no other Anne