Evening star., 1916-06-26
PROS" ARE GETTING READY
FOR NATIONAL GOLF TOURNEY
Field Seeking Title May Be Divided Into
Two Glasses of Players-Homebreds a..
Have Good Chance to Win. !

Interest always attaches to the open
golf championship possibilities and 1t
seems to be stronger each year, writes
John G. Anderson in the New York
Sun. Every section loves a winner and
every section has it's own champion-if
not because of title won IN play. at
least in the estimation Of the players
round about.
Already the state open championships
have begun. When these events are held
in the east the competition for the title
championship itself
There are number of reasons why
professionals who in their hearts know
that they have no chance for the title
attend these championship gatherings In
the case of the foreign born players there
is the keen desire to renew the friend
ships which were started in the old coun-
try and to swap stories OF the play which
they had had together over the links which
were quite likely within the SOUND OF the
roaring sea. 1t perhaps has not been
matter Of record as yet. but II you will go
over the list Of the professionals OF this
country who have made a name for them
selves you will find that they come from
the links which are by the sea-from
Montrose, Carnouetie, St Andrews, North
Berwick and others of the seaside links
whose names are famous in our own
country here.
An open championship means. besides
gathering Of the clans. a chance to
pare prices. to give opinions concerning
the merits of stock. to hear Of new open
ings where an advance in salary perha ps
may be attained, and in hundred diff
10&t, IT,
come acquainted with the doings in the
golf world elsewhere than their own per-
haps secluded spots.
Many Strive for Years.
To those golfers who always have a
distinct chance for titular honors the
open championship is something in ad-
dition to all this. Many Of the golfers
have been striving for title for years
only to be baked time and again by a
single stroke or two. The greatest
honor always goes to the man who
wins title. A golfer who is first one
year out of ten usually will be accorded
more praise and honor than a golfer
who was second six or seven times.
Why this is so may or may not be
hard to fathom, but it is well known of
course that Americans love a winner.
1t can be added whenever 1t happens
that one of these steady players like
Tom Mcnamara, for example. gains the
praise because the students of the game
realize that such a golfer has through
the stress of the moment risen to
heights which many time have seem
ed to be only for the golfer who was
capable of brilliant streak.
Perhaps to the brilliant golfer there
comes the least of dismay at failure.
Like almost all golfers. the profess
sionals in viewing match of this
kind see themselves capable Of play
does not distress them as 1t does the
steady golfer, for they feel that they
may come back. and with such golfng
fury that they may make up for all
their past failures.
I doubt very much II a first round of
so bothers Gilbert Nichols, for he real
ICES that he has 1t in him to turn in a
II, IL not less. over almost any course
in the world, and do 1. just as easily
or oit would seem to the onlooker-
as when he made an SO. I have noticed,
however-and this is well worth men,
tioning at this time-that there are
few brilliant last rounds turned in by
the professionals whom We deem the
brilliant PLAYERS of the day-that it is
the steady golfer who shines the most
at this stage. There are a number of
reasons for this. Of course. II the brill
liant golfer knows that he must make
a.
that fact bit unduly, and past history
teaches us in this country that in tight
contests of this sort we very seldom
see the ~.
Care Saves Strokes.
In the case of a steady golfer, how
ever. who generally Is the careful play
er, he exerts just triie more care and
perhaps saves himself through what we
might term brilliant headwork. stroke
or two which counts for him nightly in
the end. A glance at the records of the
championships during the last ten or
fifteen years proves the point that ii is
in the second and third rounds where
the brilliant scores are made. 1t would
he unwise and a trifle unfair, l think,
to Judge a brilliant last round over a
course which was not of championship
caliber. where the ball of the drive
would go 800 yards or so, and 1t will be
found that brilliant rounds made in the
last eighteen holes usually have been
made over an easy course.
There has been a disposition on the
part of the railroads this year to be
more accommodating than at any pre-
yious time, several of them having
made arrangements whereby the pro-
fessionals and their friends and fami-
lies may have the exclusive use of Pull
man sleeping cars from New York to