New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-07-15
Hagen, Barnes and Hoff-
ner in Neck-and-Neck
Race at Garden City.
MEET IN PLAY-OFF
AT 10 HOLES TO-DAY
Opinion of Experts as to Winner
Fairly Well Divided-Fourth
Prize for Mcdonald.
By FRED HAWTHORNE.


Hagen, of Rochester; James B. Barnes,
Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, and
Charles II. Hoffner, Philmont Country
Club, landed in triple tie for the
annual metropolitan open golf cham
pionship, with totals of 307 at the end
Of the seventy-two holes Of play or
the links of the Garden City Golf
Club.
Hagen and Hofner are homebreds,
while Barnes, Long JIM" is an Eng
lishman. These three will meet AZ
Garden City at 10 o'clock this morning
in a play-off at eighteen holes, medal
play, to decide the championship:
Both Hagen and Barnes had started
the last round after luncheon behind
Hoffner, the Rochester pro being four
valuable strokes in the rear, while
Barnes had to bridge a gap OF hve
strokes 70 bring him level with the
Philmont yovngster.
Both succeeded, Hagen by making
the last eighteen holes in brilliant
70, while the tall Briton tore off u.
the best single round made during the
tournament Opinion as 70 the WIN
ner to-day is pretty well divided, but
if anything, Hagen, noted for his cool
ness under fire, is the favorlte, fol-
lowed closely by Barnes, who has
demonstrated before this that he is
most dangerous when hard pressed.
May Not Stand Strain.
Hoffner, still youth, small and slight
of build, will not be able to withstand
the pressure that will develop during
those last few holes of the match this
in which close followers of the game
had it figured out last night. Hoffner,
quiet and unassuming, may upset these
experts, as he did on the first day Of
play. If he does the greater will be
the honor due HIM.
While the three mentioned are thus
compelled to make another nerve-test-
ing round of the Garden City links
before the prize money and the title
are decided, the rest of the ED have
received their balm of cash. not having
been bothered with ties.
There were eight cash prizes offered.
outside of any amateur who might fin
ish IN the first eight, and the places
were won by the following: Robert G.
Macdonald, of Buffalo. fourth Emmett
French. York, Penn, fifth; Louis Tel
iier, Brookline, sixth; Frank W. Dyer.
amateur, Montclair, seventh; Jack
eighth, and Jack Bowling. Scarsdale.
ninth.
This is the way the prize money is
divided: First, $3.50 and a gold medal;
second. 800; third, SIS; fourth. $50;
fifth, $40; sixth. $50; seventh. $40,
and eighth, $40.
In addition to these financial re-
wards, there were other cash prizes
distributed during the two days of
play. Hoffner and Emmett French split
a so prize for having the lowest single
rounds on Thursday morning, and Hoff-
rer drew another $40 for Thursdays
total. with 1855, Dyer not being eligi-
BILE for the cash.
Yesterday Hoffner split another SO
with Bob Macdonald for the loves.
morning round, with IS, and in the
afternoon jim Barnes took a SO
gold piece for his afternoon round o.
70, and another SO for his days total
of $50. But the largest rewards are
yet to come.
Ideal Day for Play.
The fates dealt more gently with the
golfers Yesterday than was the case
on Thursday. when torrid head, fol-
lowed by thunder. lightning and blus-
terry rain. made life in general trial
and golf in particular a nightmare.
The morning broke warmly enough,
with only a gentle wind to rufiie the
surface OF the Uncovered pond front
ing the clubhouse.
Clouds drfted overhead, but they
were innocent of any wrong intent, al
though in the afternoon they hid the
sun from view, cooling the atmosphere
just to the right degree. This, with
an almost total lack of wind, made con-
ditions welnigh ideal for the decisive
stages of the great struggle for the
title.
1t was pretty we'll known when the
first pair teed up in the morning who
had a chance to get in the money di-
vision, and the chief interest centred
in just how the places were to be di
vided. Among the first TO finish in the
morning was jim Barnes, with a 7s.
The Briton did not look exactly at
ease, for word came back to the club
house that Bob Macdonald, the brawny
Scot, was travelling at a whirlwind
pace.
SO it turned out, for Bob. with the
exception of missed putt on the
short second, where he needed a 4,
reached the turn in 38 and then came
home in fine style, getting hole after
hole in par figures, except at the long
eleventh, where an extra putt gave him
a 5. Even so, the Scot had rs, which
placed him three strokes lower than
Barnes.
Things began to look interesting
when Hagen and Hoffner returned,
each with rs, leaving Hoffner only
three strokes lower than Macdonald
and Hagen a stroke higher than the
Scot. Emmett French came next, with
a rs, for total of 235, the same as
Barnes.
A Hasty Luncheon.
The gallery that had followed the
leaders around in the morning retired
for hasty luncheon, as did the play
ers, and little groups on the veranda
and on the lawns sent up continual
buzz of comment and speculation, and
related sensational features of this and
that players round.
Barnes was the first of the stars TO
leave on his final round, but his costly
rs of the morning had apparently de-
luded the gallery into believing that
the tall Briton was out of the running.
Not more than dozen of the faithful
trailed in Long Jim's" wake as he
started off. But this indifference on
the part of the gallery did not ruffle
Barnes's spirits, and he proceeded to
play absolutely par golf for the out
ward nine, reaching the turn in 81.
Even this fiawless game did not sat
isfy the man from overseas. and on the
komestretch he let out an extra burst
of speed. Barces's game in the after
noon was really remarkable, for on
number of occasions he was wild with
the wood and landed in dangerous
fra Ench L a