New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-18
Wykagyl Crack Defeats
Gardner, of Buffalo, in
Final Match.
PLAYS GREAT GAME
IN THUNDERSTORM
Defeats Gardiner White in the
Semi.Finals After a Stiff
Argument.
BY FRED HAWTHORNE.

7. V. Birmingham, champion Of the
vykagyl Country Club, won the chief
cup az the annual invitation golf tour
nament Of the Apawamis Club at Rye
yesterday, by defeating ". Hamilton
Gardner, Of Buffalo and Yale Univer-
sity. by the solid margin of 8 up and
to play, in the eighteen-hole final
match.
Had the slender Birmingham lived in
an earlier age, and had golf been the
popular game at the time OF the Floo:,
il is a safe bet that the Wykagyl
golfer would have been the champion
Of the universe. Gardner and all those
who saw the last few holes Of the final
round match yesterday are ready 10
make affidavit to-day that Birmingham
is the greatest submarine golfer in the
land
As an illustration OF the way the
winner was going on the homeward
journey with Gardner, let it be known
that he took the tenth, eleventh,
twelfth and thirteenth holes in one
stroke under par; and this, remember
in the heaviest rainfall of the year.
with all the greens awash and parts OF
the fairway completely hidden from
sight by raging rivers and tempestuous
ponds Of H,O.
Birmingham had reached the final
round by defeating Gardiner W. White,
Of Flushing, in the semi-hnal in tho
morning, by up; while Gardner had
eliminated young Reggie Lewis, Of
Wykagyl. by 2 up.
The match between White and Der
mingham was desperately fought bat
tie right UP 10 the last putt. White,
the gold medal winner in the qualify
ing round on Thursday. had been going
great guns in all his matches. He has
won many tournaments playing worse
golf than he did against the Wykagy
man; but, as he himself expressed il in
the clubhouse afterward they all
seem 10 pick on poor little Gardiner
If ! shoot a good game, some one shoots
better"
Evenly Matched.
The first six holes found the two so
evenly matched that neither was able
70 gain a single hole lead, although
they were travelling at exactly par all
the way. The next two were taken by
Birmingham. when White failed TO run
down short puts. but the Flushing
under par, and they turned for home
with Birmingham one hole TO the good.
He had gone out in Sc, par figures, with
White two more.
Coming home they ran neck and neck
until the fourteenth, where Nnlte
squared the match. He went into the
lead a little later by winning the six
teenth with a perfect four. Berming-
ham drew level again at the seven
teenth, and so they began the home
hole. 49,,
Gardiner got off beautiful drive
but when it struck the soggy turf II
imbedded itself so deeply that Just tne
top Of il was visible. There was some
debate as 10 whether White had right
10 lift the ball without penalty, owing
70 the unusual conditions. IL was
finally decided, however, that the pail
must be played from where II lay.
The Flushing player took out heavy
niblick and ripped the rubber core out
OF the mud with so much vigor that IT
overran the green and lodged in the
long grass behind He was short on
his third, and it was all over, for Der
mingham, after getting within three
feet Of the cup on his second, put the
ball in for 8, one under par:
Gardner and Lewis went along at a
fast pace, with neither being able 70
gain a substantial lead They reached
the turn all square, Gardner going out
in 80 and Lewis in 3S, and then they
alternated at winning holes.
From the seventeenth tee Reggie
sliced his drive badly and it landed in
the rough, almost up against the stone
wall. and Gardner won in TO 6. On
the last hole Lewis got in the trap on
mis- second and his opponent won that,
leaving him up.
A Cloudy Start
The big match of the day was started
shortly after o'clock. Even then
threatening banks of clouds were blow
my up from the southeast and distant
thunder rumblings were heard al fire.
quent intervals. Those who boosted
mackintoshes and umbrellas brought
them forth and sailed out after the
PLAYERS. Those who had not even such
small protection started out too, cast
ing anxious looks skyward.
Birmingham won the first hole after
Gardner had lost his ball in playing
mis- second shot. IL landed IN the clump
Of woods to the right and failed to re-
spond to the plaintive calls Of the cad
dies.
On the next the DuNdlo man huDDeN
his second shot and had to take another
stroke before reaching the green.
The imperturbable Birmingham played
along Ike machine, was on IN two
and took two puts, giving him par 4:
On the third Gardner laid his second
shot twenty feet from the pin, and
Birmingham lay ten feet further oil.
The Yale man then ran down his long
putt and won the hole in splendid 3,
10 his opponents !.
The next three holes were halved IN
par figures, and the Wykagyl champion
took the seventh after both had been
in trouble by sinking long putt.
Down the hill 10 the eighth Gardner
pulled his tee shot around 10 the back
Of the ninth tee. while his opponent
kept straight and was on the green in
two. The Yale golfer recovered well
and was able 10 get half in five when
Birmingham took three puts.
Then the Deluge
Right here the storm broke and
there was wild and disordered
scramble toward the clubhouse by the
less hardy of the spectators. Berming-
ham and Gardner, however. set their