The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-18
BIRMINGHAM WINS
AFTER LONG WAIT
UNDER APPLE TREE
Storm Suddenly Lifts. Lake
on Green Disappears an.
He Beats Gardner.
WADES THROUGH PONDS
FOR 6 AND 4 VICTORY

RYE. y. r. June i7.-The Element
made a determined effort y mar the un.
blemished record Of the royal and
ancient game Of golf at the Apawamis
Club this afternoon. and just when they
succeeded gave up the fight. The rule
mat the true golfer cares not whether
II be clear or cloudy. cold or warm. we,
or dry. was strained to the breakins
point by the floods which descended upon
the rock bound Apawamis links while
the fnal round of the clubs annual in.
vitation tournament vas being played,
but the hnalists. r. Valentine Bermins.
ham OF Wykagyl n " Hamilton Gard
ner I'd Of Yale and Buffalo, kept on
through the storm. Birmingham winning
by s up and I to play.
II was at the fourteenth hole. the last
Of the match. that the elements gained
their victory and quit the struggle in
their m Of triumph. Things had
been bad enough up to that point. there
was casual water OF the ninth. tenth and
eleventh greens. casual ponds on the
twelfth and thirteenth. but the four
teenth green was a casual lake with
the bamboo flag stick standing up
bravely in the midst OF the waters.
The hole itself was two or three inches
beneath the surface and boiling out was
an !~mpossibility.
After surveying the scene Harmon s.
Graves. president OF the Apawamis Club.
invited the fnalists and the gallery to
adjourn to the rather sparse shelter af-
forded by an apple tree 70 await develop
ments While Mr.. Graves n his able
assistant. Harold l.. buwney. thumbed
over a rule book trat VAS fast becoming
a mass Of pulp the storm suddenly lifted.
the rain ceased and the sun came forth
in the western sky.
Green Makes Reappearance.
In n few minutes the green began to
reappear and after some cadd!es had
been pressed into service to bail out the
cup and mop up the water remaining In
it's Immediate vicinity the two fnalis;s
returned to tEeir balls, which had been
left where they landed after the APP
preach shots. and finished the hole
Birmingham was dormie 5 when the
hole began and both were on the green
In 4. SO there wasn't much more 70 do.
Gardner made a bold try for his 8. the
ball running FIVE feet past. Berming-
ham played up to the side OF the cup and
the bedraggled golfers shook hands
The perfect ending OF a day" was the
way one golfer p~araphrased the words
OF the song az he stood in the bright
sunlight wet to the sk!n watching tAc
last shot. Then he went on to tell what
he thought OF the day.
Semi-anaIs Close Combats.
In to the time the floods came the
Anal match promised TO be a SPLENDID
struggle. In the morning Bermingham
rad beaten Gardiner White and Gardner
mad eliminated Reggie Lewis In well
playei matches. both ~ which had been
carried TO the home green. SO the fnil
promised to be equally good. When II
began Gardner seemed 20 be a little
-attled, losing the first two holes through
,is own Door play. lie was a stranger
N . strange LAM. playing IN the Nnal
OF the biggesi invitation 'ouInament az
the year. and ne seem-l dec!dedly
nervous. His drive on the FIRST hole was
sliced and his second followed tn. same
route. landing In the woods Il vas not
uuit. far enough along to hit the rock
,ha, did So much Tor Harold Hilton back
IN 1911. 30 after taking one look At The
spot where the ball disappeared me Yale
golfer gave M the hole to Ssrning nam,
whose second saot wac on the green. \
half topped iron sho; that climoed only
half way up the hillside below the green
cost Gardner the second mole. and IL
looked as though We had ,"t hts nervous
ness master him
Pleasant surprise for Gsrd"er.