Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-15
GOLFER FADES
Walter Travis Shows Poorly on
Home Course, While Younger
Men Go to Front.

The spectacle of Walter ]. Travis go
| ing over eighty-five strokes on his home
course of Garden City in the first
| round of the Metropolitan Open was
! convincing proof that the younger gen.
Grafton will not, in golf. as In other
games. be denied for long. 1t is
peculiarly true in this game that the
qualities which go to make up win
ner are often denied to the younger
player who has not had the advantages
of much tournament experience. One
| who is young at the game is apt to
become Hurried and take too many
chances, while the old stager is willing
to lose hole or two If the other fell
low plays 1t better than he. But. the
experienced player is prone to let Old
Man Percentage get in his good work.
| knowing that the percentage always
will favor those who play the heady
chances. There comes a time when
the physical machinery is unequal to
the grueling test imposed upon 1t by
| the demands of championship golf, in
the case of medal play event at least
| three days of top pressure play, and in
match play probably from three to six
days. surely in the case of the national
| amateur six days of steady play. when
the contestant must have impressed
upon him the value of every shot.
This is the time when the young
limbs and willing strength of youth
come to the front, and a study of the
list of champions for the past nine
the exception of the year 1910. when
the championship was won by the vet
eran, William c. Fownes, the blue rib
bon event of national golf has been an
eight years. In 1909, when it was won
for the first time by Gardner, the new
title holder was but nineteen years of
age.
A short time ago the Woodland Club
of West Newton, Mass, the organiza-
ton to which belong the men who have
fallen under the legislative ban of the
United States Golf Association, sent
out a circular to practically all the
tionai governing body in the endeavor
to ascertain the exact stand which the
other clubs were disposed to take in
the matter of professionalism. Many
clubs sidestepped the issue in anticipa-
ton of the Woodland tourney which
was held this week. Paul Tewksbury,
one of the protested men, took part in
the tourney and tied in the qualification
His action. it was explained. was
due to vote by the directors of the
Woodland Club, that it would be bet
ter form. entirely regardless of the
United States Golf Association, for
Tewksbury, Francis Ouimet and ]. H.
Sullivan, jr.. not to enter open tourna-
ments pending hearing on the appeal
from the decision which declared them
to be no longer amateurs Yesterday
the Woodland Club was notified that
in the u. s. G. A. had been refused.
An impasse seems to have been reached
in this very important decision. but
some decisive action is expected to be
agreed upon at the next meeting of the
executive committee of the U. S. G. A.
It seems to be the general opinion that
Ouimet strongly desires to have the
governing body have no occasion on
which to find fault with his actions. A
story went the rounds shortly after the
Hast amateur championship that Oui- |
met was offered large sum to pose |
for the motion picture men in all
stages of his goling stroke. which he |
refused.
The homebred players seem to have
decidedly established their right to a
position of supremacy. for yesterday.
out of the three men tied for first place |
in the Metropolitan open, two of them |
were born this side of the big ditch"
Jim Barnes of the Whitemarsh Valley |
club Of Philadelphia is the lone British !
representative in the play-on which |
will be competed today. The long string
of homebred victories was begun back
in 1911. when McDermott annexed the
open for the first time. and it has not
been broken. Walter Hagen, who is
one of the players tied was national |
open champ in 1914. and Charles Hon
ner. the other player. is a newcomer
IN the field of fast golf. He formerly
was caddie, but now holds the post Of
0xofAa6iopal 1t the Phtlmont Country