Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-12
LUCK Is FACTOR
IN GOLFING, SAYS
GRANTLAND RICE
Skill and Nerve Also Nee
essary in Competition
on Links
TRAVERS WON ON FLUKE
BY GRANTLAND RICE

. what part does luck play In golf?
The keenest analyst of the age could
never figure this out to any set percent
: age, although luck is always factor
one way or another.
One bad shot may roll within two
feet OF a bunker and stop for an easy
pitch TO the green. A better shot may
ram its way into the sand and bring on
untold anguish; also innumerable strokes.
In big fields, where so many are about
evenly matched, the winning golfer must
certainly have his share of the luck.
Often he will get just a triflc more than
his share. But those who are always
claiming that luck has won for this or
that entry forget this addendum-that
luck to win must also be backed by skill
and pluck. Raw luck alone never won
championship or n tournament of first
class.
McNamara's Theory
A certain Western golf writer charged
Jerry Travcrs with being lucky at
Baltusrol last June. We put the matter
up to Tommy Mcnamara the star home
bred, who finished one stroke back OF
Jerry and who had the most consistent
record Of the year.
"Any man" said Tommy, who wins
n championship is bound to have the
/ luck his way. But luck isn't all OF H.
/ Even with the luck the winner must be
/ playing fine golf, which means showing
fire. Take the case of Travers. Many
/ have said that jerry was lucky at the |
| 10th hole that afternoon, where he sliced |
his drive out of bounds, hooked his sec |
ond to the rough and then got par |
four There was sosne luck to this four, |
of course. lie would have been very well |
satisfied with a five. But don't forget |
this part of it-after Travers, under a |
heavy strain, had wasted one shot and
half spoiled another. in place of losing |
his head or quitting he still stuck to the
guns. His third shot from the rough
landed within two feet of the pin Some
of that was luck. But more of 1t was
nerve and skill. No half-hearted or dis
couraged stroke would have ever brought
any such ieward.
Luck Counts
Luck counts. of course" said McNa-
mara. "a woman, for example may be
putting well and have putt after putt
from to - feet away from the rim of
the cup or just slip by or roll in and pop
out. On one day few of these will stick.
On another day most OF them will keep
dropping ill., on one day shots to the
rough will have II good chance for re-
covery. On another day they will all be
almost impossible.
But If you will notice. continued Nc
Nnmara. "the man who is playing well
always seems to have the best of the
luck. This is because he can take advan-
tagc of his good luck and stand up under
a bad break But If n golfer is playing
badly he is soon discouraged by anything
that breaks against him."
Luck and Otherwise
Tom Sherman can claim his share of
hard luck in his match with Bob Gardner |
at Detroit. At the fourth hole Sherman
was > up. At the fifth Sherman had 4
2-foot putt for half and bumped into
n dead stymie. AT the sixth he had
sure two and Gardner holed out In one, ,
the first time this trick was ever done in
a championship in America. At the sew ,
enth hole sherman had another 2-foot
putt for a half and again a dead stymie
cost him the hole. Under normal condi- ,
tions sherman would have won one hole !
and halvcd the other two. He would have
been up al the eighth. AS it was, he
was | down. lie was finally beaten, up
and TO play !
There are different varieties of hard Z
luck. At Detroit, in his match with Max
Marston, Travers played the last 12 holes
in par. He was up at the time. But
Marston played the last l2 holes 1 under
par, the best match of the meeting. No
otEcr single l2-hOle finish in the tourna- !
ment would have beaten Travers that
day. 1t was his bad luck to get against a
finish that would have beaten Warden or e.
Ray. :
Break Again at Kirkby
One year ago, when the Metropolitan
open was held at Englewood, Oswald
Kirkby had a good chance to win. lie
was leading the field at the time and
playing around 20 or better. When he
was travelling his fastest he came to the
18th hole, an easy four at 800 yards,
Kirkby's long drive was a trhe hooked,
took II bad kick and finally finished jam
up against a cluster of rocks. The hole
cost him eight and ended his chance.
Playing in the British open champion
ship one season, Ted Ray and Harold
Hilton both came to the last two holes
with a par three and a par four 10 win. I
At the nth hole both thumped their tee
shots into a trap guarding the green, And
the same fate befell each Both landed
jam up against the bunker in a deep j
heel print, where it Yas impossible TO play h
out in one shot The hole cost each five /
and the championship. q
If you will notice from this and other :
instances, most bad luck in golf follows "A a
bad shot. It is seldom, despite the many h
plaintive outcries, that good shot Is
punished. d
Brady's Misfortune
In the open championship at Baltusrol =
last summer Mike Brady was leading the
field by one stroke at the end of "a holes u