New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-21
GREENWICH PLAYER
DEFIES SAND TRAPS
A Stiff Wind Sweeps Across the
Course and Mars Sport
White ConquerS Ward.
By FRED HAWTHORNE.

Garden City Golf Clubs invitation
tournament by margin OF 4 up and 3
20 play. II was Topping's second tri-
umph os the kind within a week. for
last Saturday he vanquished John G.
Anderson in the battle for the chief
cup at Ardsley.
II was no fuke yesterday that gave
the Greenwich golfer the victory. His
game would have been hard TO beat un-
der almost any circumstances, and
White was not IN the mood to do the
trick.
Reaching the turn in IS. one over
par. Topping stood up and began tie
homeward journey by gobblng the
,en,h and eleventh holes in 3, 4, one
stroke under par. A missed putt on
the next and trouble with a trap on
the thirteenth gave the Flushing man
his last chance. and the best he could
do on the next two was 10 get an even
break. which left Topping a winner on
the hfteenth green. Had the bye holes
teen played out it is probable that the
winner would have had card of 70
or II.
Uncanny Skill.
A deadly accuracy in laying up his
approaches and an almost uncanny skill
IN sinking long puts brought victory 10
Topping in both the semi-nnal and
final round matches. Against Franklin
X. Dyer, Pennsylvania State champion,
in the morning the Greenwich star
holed out when twenty-five feet from
the cup, with his putter. ran down two
or three more fifteen or twenty teet
IN distance and on the fifth hole, when
. 10
ger and sent the ball straight and true
INTO the hole.
But 1t was not only on the fsirways
and the green's that Topping was dan
eerous. Several times during the day
he found himself IN serious trouble at
the bottom of deep sand traps. Daunt-
Cd not a whit. the tall player from
Greenwich siashed his way out and
laid the ball within inches of the pin.
When Topping first began to pull of
these spectacular shots the gallery was
inclined 20 gasp Luck but after
three or four Of these had come from
his club those who saw and wondered
were ready 20 acknowledge that, mixed
with the luck. was about 90 per cent
Henry J. Topping
Il was by no means an ideal day for
golf at Garden City yesterday. A
stiff wind swept across the fiat coun-
try, sometimes in the face OF the play
ers and at other times at right angles
across the course But Topping, get
ting tremendous distance with wood
and iron, hewed straight TO the line IN
almost every case. lie has fine, free
style in going at" the ball from
the tee. and this, combined with great
steadiness, brought due appreciation
from the onlOokers.
When play began in the morning.
with Topping pitted against Dyer and
White opposed by veteran John NJ.
Ward, the gallery was undecided as
TO which match promised the best re-
suits. Topping's work all through the
tournament, however, and the fact that
In Dyer he was meeting a worthy OPP
ponent. attracted a majority of the
lovers of the game, and more than
hundred trooped after the Greenwich
golfer and the Pennsylvania cham
pion.
Hard Pressed.
White had to go at his best to take
the measure Of willy John Ward The
veterans putting was superior TO the
Flushing players. and just about made
up for the greater distance White was
getting from the tees. In each case
the galleries were we'll rewarded. for
the matches were not finished until the
lone was underfoOt.
AT the very first hole. in the final
round. Topping showed he was going
TO give White plenty Of trouble. His
drive landed his ball in the rough TO
the right, whereas White was straight
down the middle. His second shot
found the Greenwich player still short
Of the green and sixty feet from the
cup, with Gardiner on with the like.
Topping knew there was only one
chance TO win the hole, then, and asked
his caddie for the jigger. There was
TO hesitancy In the manner in which he
played his shot, and he laid the ball up
boldly. For q moment it seemed that
the rubber core would overrun. but, no,
Topping had calculated the roll Of the
green TO perfection. and there was
mUrmur of surprise as the ball slipped
along over the green and then bodied
into the cup.
White must have been a tri1e shocked
1T the sudden turn Of affairs. for he
proceeded 20 take three puts, and Top
ping had won the hole after 1t looked
hOpelessly out Of his reach. On the
short second. over the gully, Topping
laid his mashie shot eight feet from
the pin. and White, playing too strong
y
green. His second was short, and he
failed to run down his third, so picked
up. with Topping having a fine chance
Tor 2.
The next two holes were halved in
par figures. but at the fifth Topping
holed long, curling putt for 3, one
below par, and became up. On the
sixth the Greenwich man got into
trouble all the way, and White won in
3 TO 6, leaving him 2 down.
The seventh hole, 53i yards is the
longest on the course, and those who
were hoping White would win took
heart when Gardiner laced a terrific
drive down the centre, almost TO the
road that cuts across the course
poke Of fully 300 yards. Topping's tee
shot was a good sixty yards short Of
this. and White still held the upper
hand after the seconds were played. At
this point. however. the Flushing cham
pion began TO make mistakes. and 70
ended with Topping taking the hole IN
n par 8, to his opponents o.
Reels on Holes.
White became 4 down at the eighth,
when Topping, still Keeling of holes IN
par figures. halved the ninth IN par d,
after White had glowing opportunity
% get back a hole by sinking a medium
length putt. Topping had gore out IN
50. splendid golf under the adverse con-
aitions, and Whites card read ~, good
enough in ordinary company. ,,
Gardiner had been having httie
trouble with his new trick putter'
alternating fine puts with disastrous
misses from short distances. nut me
ola