New-York tribune., 1917-06-23
Wonderful Iron
Shots Defeat
Mrs. Hucknall
New Metropolitan Woman
Champion Plays Sensational
Game at Piping Rock
By GRANTLAND RICE

Votes for women is one thing. But
when it comes to strokes for women
in the Metropolitan golfng area there
is only one answer Her name is Mrs
". A. Gavin. of Baltusrol and England
and Always Down the Fairway and
Somewhere Near the Pin.
Yesterday in the championship final
at Piping Rocks very excellent course
Mrs. Gavin defeated Mrs. Thomas
Hucknall up and to play. despite
the fact that Mrs. Hucknall was play
ing far from bad golf the greater part
Of the way.
Mrs. Hucknall at times was trife
longer off the tee. but Mrs. Gavin won
by her steady driving, excessively use
ful mashie play, canny judgment and
display of putting that Walter j.
Travis and Jerome d. Travers would
have been pleased to maintain.
For the first four holes Mrs Huck-
nall, playing steadily, fought an even
battle. But after the fourth Mrs.
Gavin gradually drew on ahead by set
ting a pace that few men could have
beaten.
seventh and the short ninth broke up
the match.
The seventh hole is 444 yards in
length and par 5. At this stage Mrs
Gavin was 2 up. Playing safely on her
second shot, she placed her third some
thirty feet beyond the cup. Mrs. Huck-
nall was dead to the hole in a, all
poised for an easy at par. But her
opponent upset calculations here by
dropping the putt squarely through the
middle of the cup, when it was figured
that she might have some difficulty in
getting close enough for her 8. The
eighth was halved. but coming to the
210-yard ninth, Mrs. Gavin, on in 2,
again holed from twenty-five feet away,
and any chance that Mrs. Hucknall
might have had up to this point had
vanished into the mists.
For, lille she won the tenth. Mrs.
Gavin We her no opening at the 157-
yard ele enth by planting an iron shot
within twelve feet of the cup, and there
after dropping another good putt for
2.
Mrs. Gavin was out in IL, and she
was coming home evenly when the
match ended abruptly on the four
teenth green. with Mrs. Hucknsll 5
down and but four holes left.
The cards:
Ne, Ne, " Ha:.a.ii 4 G''n.: ,.: :sss:s ~ ~
In:
Mr., Gavin .........................s - : 5
There were several examples of Mrs
Gavin's work with the irons, especially
the mashe. Concerning this latter
club she is r jill of J. II. Taylor, one
Of the create mashie players in the
realm of golf.
At the first hole her tee shot, while
nicely placed, left her a long shot to
carry the intervening trap. Rather
than take the risk, she played safely
short Of the trap and then from 140
yards away dropped her mashie upon
the plateau green within five feet OF
the cup, barely missing a 4. At the
next hole, 367 yards, with a rolling
green. she played a fine iron TO within
ten feet of the pin, reaching the green
at exactly the right place for slant
toward the cup. Once more she barely
missed, her ball stopping within two
inches Of the cup for g.
At the third hole her control over
different shots was again shown. Her
DdII was lying III - just lhree IeeI De
low the cup when Mrs. Hucknall placed
almost dead stymie, the latter's ball
stopping only an inch below the cup.
There was just one chance to get by,
and this was to slice the putt, trick
which Mrs. Gavin very neatly turned.
One of her few bad mistakes was
made at the fourth hole, where she
topped her second shot, the ball trick
ling into the heavy grass, where 8
was needed.
On the next hole, after pulling her
drive and finding the rough, almost
missing her second in the long, heavy
grass. Mrs. Gavin played mashie from
tangled lie to within twelve feet Of
the cup, winning hole that at one
moment had looked to be irretrievably
lost.