Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-06
Great Golf Rivals Tee
Off in Big Tourna-
ment Over the Merton
Links
nv SANDY McNIBLICK


ott history buried and alinost forgot
In ten is dug up again to-day fcr return
.n,arement over the Merton links, where
!, bsnE waged the conflict for the amateur
,hsmplonshlp of the United states. One
!, ,ba greatest matches in two years is
y ,.,ae fought In an all-day session today
i s.i,h Robert A. Gardner Hinsdale. American
srSateur champion, acting in. the role of
; Guardian and defender OF title ne won
sst year at Detroit.
irbe opposition Is being taken up by Max
b vrel r. Marston Baltusroi trimmer Of Jer-
", 1ravers the Great last year, and popu-
lar idol for the title at that time.
In the seminnals Mt Detroit, Marston
.arplessly hit small putt he had for the
match against Gardner without taking no.
Nce of the fact that Gardner had conceded
n The putt missed fire, Gardner won the
= ttie. and Marston was suddenly showed
Z sut In the cold just at the time when he
had visions of himself wearing the proud
eoronet as u. S. champ"
n has been the popular belief that this
ANAL error he blew cost Marston the belt
and that he was the logical champion last
yAar This is his day for revenge. 1t Is
Sardners day to SHOW that the victory of
last year. though fluky, was deserved.
Big Gallery
Hundreds Of fans today. that dropped
IN every car and vehicle approaching the
course, chose this match as the golf treat
Of the day and 1t is likely that it will be
a long time before another such Will be
staged In this city.
Both players\are splendid types of Ameri-
can youths and athletes. They are two
golfers of the perfect and free-hitting
swing. 80 rare even among the very top
notchers
twilight may see the national champion
dethroned.
BY peculiar coincidence, both the golfing
wizards are suffering from the same i'll.
Gardner's infected finger has received much
comment in he public prints and it was
thought for n time that he would not be
able to defend his title at all His hurt
was on his left forefinger. lie holds his
club in the left hand with full clasp, but
the right hand he spares by tapping the
little finger over the forefnger of his left
hand This extra pressure on his fore
finger resulted in a blister. which became
infected His finger today is virtually
healed, though he still wears light protec-
ton of gauze and tape over it.
Not Handicapped
at does not bother me in the least" he
said. today II can bend il freely and it
does not feel sore at all
Marston has adopted the same grip this
year and he has suddenly sprung the same
trouble as Gardner His finger began to
30 bad yesterday.
81 had it opened and then I think / got
some dirt in it," said Marston 1T feels
mighty sore"
He has it bandaged and 1t seems to bother
him not little. AT least neither golfer
can use as an alibi that he was crippled.
for the other fellow IL just as badly off.
The beautiful surprise and satisfying
match of yesterday for Philadelphia fans
was that when Cameron B. Buxton, local
idol and champion, overthrow "Bill' Fownes,
former national amateur champion, con-
queror of Francis Ouimet last year, and
Of whom it is said in this country's golf
circles there is none more steady or more to
be feared. Buxton showed the most splendid
nerve of any of his game matches this
season.
He had little hope of winning against
Eownes. His chief hope was to keep down
the score. He held on gamely in the morn
ing and was only down at the end of the
first Is holes. But giving a champion like
Fownes 3-hole bonus to take away from
him In Is holes seemed like a feat inn
possible. But the Impossible" in golf is
Just the thing that is possible, and Buxton
came along till he was up and TO play.
1t was remarkable show of pluck lie
accomplished his deadly work by his
frensied putting. on no green In the after
noon did he take more than two puts ex-
cept the thirteth, where he needed three.
on many of them he was sinking his rollers
from crazy corners of the green. Such work
got under the placid surface of such a
veteran as Fownes. who won the gold medal
from the field of $50 golfers on the first
day.
Buxton Worried
When Buxton became dorme he was
slightly worried. and resolved to go along
Just halving one more hole for the match
HIS caution gave him a funny shot on the
thlrty-fourth. II is a long iron carry or
spoon shot to the green. He laid his ball
out on the grass of the tee and chose his
spoon lie does not tee up his spoon shots |
as ne likes to get into them. Buxton set
MS ball on sprout of crab grass got the
lne from hole to ball, and drew back to
Voley to the green Just as he came back |
ms ball rolled off the grass sprout, and be-
iofe he could call his balk he hit the ball |
and It rolled overheard into the guley
buxton has good chance in his long |
oflll with George Small Baltimore, today, |
ana nightfall may find him ready for |
ship.
Meredith Jack. the Philadelphia Junior
champion who is barely in his twentIeB, |
mad all the golf nerve and stick-to-it in the |
world IN his match yesterday with r. e. |
hunter, Midwick. He was down over his
mead at the seventh and an ordinary young
ster' appalled, at the thought OF being I'm a
national championship, would have only had
desire TO end things But Jack fought
WIN all his teeth set. He won five holes
right In a row and stuck TO his man so
hard that he was not beaten till the thirty
'ouftn mole. Here he made a game try TO |
stay in the running He had a 2O.foot
putt Tor bird. IL was a bitter uphill shot