New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-10
HAGEN FIRST IN
MEDAL PLAY ON
SHAWNEE LINKS
Metropolitan Open Cham
piOn Defeats Mcdonald
by Four Strokes.
BY FRED HAWTHORNE.


Once again proving his worth as a
golfer of the first rank. Walter S.
Hagen, of Rochester, metropolitan open
champion, won the annual invitation
open tournament Of the Shawnee Coun-
try Club to-day by finishing the two
days of medal play with a total of
298.
Four strokes behind Hagen came
Bob Macdonald, the stalwart young
Scot from Buffalo, with a total of 3O2.
Macdonald was far behind when he
began his afternoon round, but bril-
liant ~ as his final effort enabled him
to brush aside all but Hagen from
his path.
Jim Barnes, of White Marsh Valley,
who started the last day of play only
a stroke behind Hagen. could not do
better than 77-76-153 for the final
36 holes. This placed him in third
position with total Of 304.
Gil Nichols, after furnishing the
sensation of the tournament by get
ting II on his morning round. fell
down hard in the afternoon and needed
an 81. This gave him 306 for the two
days, the same as recorded by Emmett
French, of the York County Club. Jack
Bowling, the Scsrsdale homebred, with
313 was sixth and the last two places
in the prize list were occupied by Her.
bert Strong, Of lnwood, and Lawrence
Loeffier, Of Eaglesmere, tied with 3l4.
Hagen is Pressed Hard.
Hagen in winning to-day, smothered
the successive rushes of Barnes and
Nichols. In the morning it was the
tall Whitemarsh Valley pro, only
stroke away, whom the metropolitan
titleholder had TO curb. They were
paired in the playing and when the
round was finished Barnes was three
strokes to the rear, a fairly safe mar
gin. Scarcely had Hagen started for
the Buckwood Inn and luncheon than
along came the veteran Gil Nichols
with his ~.
Gil is always dangerous when within
striking distance of the leaders, and
here he was on a tic with Hagen for
first place. Again it was to Hagen
that the task of subduing another bid
der for the chief honors was intrusted.
The Rochester star was equal to the
OCCdolOll, anu dllSI MI S'tu luooAc W
the turn Nichols blew up completely
and Hagen, Keeling off the holes IN par
figures, had once more held his throne.
Macdonald on the last nine holes
played golf that absolutely sparkled.
Three missed puts, puts that should
have gone down with an even break
in the luck, prevented Bob from turn
ing in 50. Rarely has Shawnee seen
ball driven further than Macdonald
sent out his tee shots this afternoon.
Add to this a deadly short game and
better than ordinary putting, and you
have the secret of the big Scots fine
round.
Out in 80, he "got the feel" of his
clubs coming home, and scored 33
for the last nine. Hagen proved con-
sstency jewel, and not of the paste
variety, by his four rounds of 75-75-
75-73, a pace of sufficiently ma
chine-like character to beat nine men
out of ten.
In the afternoon, against Nichols,
he started badly, taking for the
$50 yard first hole, after being in trou-
BILE all the way TO the green, Nichols
got his par here. but lost his lead
at the second, when Hagen laid his
mashie niblck second dead TO the pin
anu Sam the pun lOA a %, oNtNhN
under par The third was halved in
par 4, and Hagen got the fourth in 4
to after Nichols reached the brook
on his second, dropped back for PEN
elty stroke and was over the green
and in the long grass on his fourth.
Makes Forty-Foot Putt.
Gil holed out his 40-footer for his 5,
wonderful shot. On the 370-yard
seventh Gil again earned applause by
holing a curling 30-foot putt, bring
ing him level again.
Hagen won the next two holes in a
stroke under par, being 80 at the turn
to Nicholls's 80. From then on, except
at the short twelfth. where Gil laid his
tee shot feet from the pin and got
his 2, the Great Neck pro faded COM
pletely, losing command of all his
clubs. His card for the day follows:
A NJ:
In ......5 1 4 5 5-5S-7s