Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-07
THINK MISS STIRLING
UNBEATABLE, SOSHEIS
Fair Golfers in National Face Worse Mental Hazard for
Them When They Face Champion Golfers
in National Different
by SANDY McNIBLICK


TNRANCIS OUIMET came to Oak.
l. mont this year as the greatest golfer
In the country to win the golf cham
pionship of the United States. lie was
beaten.
He was beaten by an outsider, Woody
Platt, not considered to have a chance
against the greatest of them all, and
particularly against the golfer who had
beaten the champion, Chick Evans.
The match went to extra holes in a
clelnge of rain. where they said the out
sider wouldn't have chance. The psy-
chology of the thing would be his down.
fall. they said. but Woody won.
That's history.
On the other side we have the wom-
ems play for the American title.
Only one of the great and classy field
knew she could win it. She was the
champion, Miss Alexa Stirling.
She did win it. She will win it for
years in the same way
That is the difference between the
golf of men and the golf of women. We
talked to every one of the women before
the match who was called on to face
the champion the following morning.
"Who is going to VIM" we asked
Miss Stirling was the unanimous
and immediate reply. '"rhc only thing
hope to do is play well enough so as
to make an exhibition of myself.
Asking the champion the same thing
was different.
what are you going to do to so and =
so tomorrow"
II am going to beat her." said Miss
Stirling Immediately each and every
time. ''If l can" she would generally
add with confident smile.
Thus every player that faced her was
beaten on the first tee before they had
fred shot. Mrs. Fox had time going
out, and only began to discover after
they rounded the turn that she was
going about as good as Miss Stirling
except off the tees.
She settled down and gave the cham
pion a severe match all the way to the
Seventeenth green.
How IT'S Done
Miss Marion Holl1ns, metropolitan
champion, went better than any o
them, scoring an unofficial S3 the frs
day of match play. Strong, happy go
lucky and expert, she was thought tt
be just the one to beat Miss Stirlin,
If anyone did
She admitted, like the rest, that sh
would be beaten, but the consciousness
that she had chance had strange eff
feet and back kick.
She retired early and proceeded t,
put in a highly fretful night before
The next day she meyer had chance
Mrs. Stetson beat Miss Rosentha
and yet she did not figure for minut
she could beat Miss Stirling. So sh
didn't, though she came near it, almos
in spite of herself.
Mrs. Vanderbeck faced Mrs. Barlov
not too confident and won out after
nerve wrecking match.
She, too, waved her hand toward
Miss Stirling as the winner of .thei
match before it was played.
This was not all modesty. 1t is tn
conviction and sincere one that ever,
woman golfer had in going up agains
Miss Stirling as Mrs. Gavin in tn
tournament. Miss Caverly concede
her match to Mrs. Gavin before it wa
played. She predicted confidently tina
she would be beaten and naturally sh
was She won five out Of the first 81
holes and had the same tremendous lea
at the turn.
Knew 1t All Along
"Still, knew all the time she woul
beat me-" said Miss Caverly after
wards. Which no doubt explains tn
now famous shot to the creek whe
she was l up and playing l to Mrs
Gavins on the binnikilI.
1t was almost in the nature of a trag
edy for the local experts to find all tn
Philadelphia stars before their bi
matches so confident--of being beater
1t must be the fatalistic trend of
woman's mind. Perhaps it is that ap
prehensive way of reasoning that fig
ures husband will surely get in
train wreck when he leaves to go on
trip or that something dreadful will al
ways happen. In few of the wome
golfers is there that something thu
says: 81 am good enough to win tn
match and 1 will"
p Miss Stirling has it, and now that 81
has twice won the national impressivel,
she has tremendous edge on the tie
that she will have for years unless Il
feminine attitude of mind changes.
Miss Stirling is the serenest of golfe
before big match. Her diet is regula
her sleep is regular.
In the afternoon she practiced