Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-19
RED SOX MUST MAKE BIG GAIN
ON HOME STAND TO WIN FLAG:
MERTON FATE WORRIES GOLFERS
More Than One Candi.
date for Title Anxious
Over Outcome of
Tourney
BY GRANTLAND RICE

TT1 HERE Is more than one anx,ou. 49,.
l. didate for the amateur golf chsfnn,o-
ship Of these United States who sIs..ax :.
beginning TO wonder whether or not n. r.,n
escape Fate or Merion-or whether ~
will drop upon him at the big mornent ~
leave him writhins on the field For ,,,s
very. very few exceptions every chamnlos'
ship winner in the past has drawn a. :,
cessiyely close during some match vSh...
for the time being his fate hung n az
balance and where a tilt Of tho slivh,aH.
sort would nave dropped him out
Since. 1910
These whlms Of fate are due partly :.
luck-and partly due to skill But thsrs
is sufficient luck to give the winning roli.,
buck fever when he stops to think over h,
narrow escape.
Suppose we go as far back as 1910. vii.
liam c. Fownes won the championship ths,
year at Brookline.
Fownes played unusually nne vo,,
throughout But for all that in his ssml.
final round against Chick Evans he cama
to the thirty-fourth hole 2 down with only
TO play.
Not only that. but on the short thirty.
fourth hole Evans was on the green and
Fownes was OF. where ordinarily he would
have been extremely thankful for hair
But Chick took puts Fownes took ana
the match was turned upside down.
Hilton's Call
Hilton's close call against Fred Herreshos
is an old story. But It illustrates the point
The English champion was Q I'D with "a
to play. Herreshoff by a great exhibition
of fine golf and finer nerve squared The
match. At the thirty.sixth hole Fred's putt
o. grtz -
jumped out. At the thirty.seventh mi.
tons badly sliced iron hit a rock and ca.
rooned of on the green. where ordinarily
II would have been unplayable. Fate thai
day was with Hilton. Otherwise Herreshon
would have driven back the English In.
yasIon.
Travers's Close Shave
In 1919 Jerry Trayers won the cham.
pionship at Garden City. 1t was his fourth
conquest.
During the qualifying round Jerry wa,
breaking his wrist play badly on his mashis
shot ana was constantly pushing the bali
well to the right. BIt he was able to get
down a number of fine puts ranging from,
IL to is feet. II he had missed just one
of these that he sunk in place of being
amateur champion he would not even have
qualified.
For. as II was, he was tied for last placs
with ~ others. In his first nine holes oi
play he was out in a. BY exceptional
putting he came back in 35 Save for thle
one great streak he would never have avn
a chance at match play. as he required an
Sc for his second round.
But after barely wrlRgling through Jer.
ome D., Of Upper Montclair, won his fourth
title.
Ouimet in 1914
Francis Ouimet, although playing won.
derful golf in 1914 at Ekwanok, had the
same close call which comes TO each winner.
In his semlfinal match with Bill Fownes
Francis was one down and two to play
All Fownes needed at this stage was two
par fours In succession. an ordinary
achievement for him, and ouimet was out
of the tournament But Fownes took 4
five on the twenty.fifth hole. drive and
a mashie, and on the last hole ouimes
played a remarkable brasse shot from
close lie for his victory.
Gardner's Case
Bob Gardner at Detroit last fall had an
even closer call-probably the closest call
any champion has ever drawn.
In his semifinal match against Max Mars
ton. Gardner was three down and five to
play. on the thlrty-tb1Ed hole Gardner had
to win a l2-foot putt over a fast. sioplns
green TO win. This left him one down.
On the thirty-hfth hole Gardner had to
play a midlron shot Of $50 yards from the
rough TO get half and stay In the tourna'
ment.
These things are all part of the game,
But on the thirty.sixth hole the match was
out OF Gardner's hands. To eliminate Gard
ner Marston had putt of IS inches Nine
times out Of ten that putt would have
gone down. But 1t so happened the cup Haa
placed on a slight mound with the grass
badly worn away, so when Marston's top
started for the cup the ball slipped an inch
or so TO the right over the slippery space.
BY this margin the Hinsdale star woa
his second amateur championship. S.