The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-27
TRAVERS PUT AT TOP
OF LOCAL GOLFERS
Upper Montclair Veteran
Rated Best by Metropoli-
tan Association.
ONLY SCRATCH PLAYER
Oswald Kirkby Is Second at 1
Sawyer and Hammer
Advance on List.

Golf Association handicap committee,
there Is only one scratch man in this
district, and he 10 Jerome D. Travers
The 1913 list given out yesterday las
placed the Upper Montclair man in
the position Of honor which has. been
accorded him almost continuously dur
inE the past decade. Scarcely less prom
tnent Is Oswald Klrkby. the metropoli-
tan and New Jersey title holder from
Englswood. who Is rated at I.
These two places show no change over
the 1877 list, the last published. and
the committee has also seen At TO leave
blank No. 2. though several changes APP
pear In the 3 group. Two years ago.
the only amateurs in that section were
John G. Anderson. the Siwanoy cap
tain: Max Marston Of Baltusrol and
Gardiner White of Nassau. Now that
trio has been augmented by the add
ton Of D. r. Sawyer Of Siwancy. who
has como on from the West. and A
+. Hammer. the Staten Island champion,
rated at 4 in 1917.
The merit OF all these players u
nuquestioned, and possibly the commit
tee could have, without making any
blunder. selected one or two who could
have done with a two stroke allowance.
There may be those who will question
whether Kirkby is two strokes better
than Anderson, Hammer, Marston and
Sawyer, and for that matter, White.
The last named, II will be recalled.
eliminated Kirkby from the champion
ship at Merton in 1916. Sawyer has
held the Western title, and was once
runner up for the national. and right
now he Is probably playing as well as
anybody In tho East.
Unusual Conditions.
II must be remembered. however,
that the committee in its labors this
spring has been confronted with an un-
usual situation. Tho war upset every
thing. some of the favorites being COM
PEELED to give up all thoughts of golf
for the moro serious duties OF the ser
vice, while others only appeared semi
occasionally in Red Cross matches and
still others absented themselves almost
entirely from the links. Under such
circumstances. It became n difficult mat
ter to get line on the players. That
10 why II was decided. 80 far as posi-
bic. to let we'll enough alone and wait
for another season to tell the tale.
There will be 20 many opportunities
offered the golfers this year to show
whether they are there" or have b.
gun to slip that there will be no excuse
year hence for any leanings toward
sentiment In ascertaininS proper ham
dicaps. past performances have always
been and always must be taken into
consideration. but there is limit to
that, and II Is no secret that had II not
been for the war the present list would
have shown a number OF fairly impor-
tant changes.
The group OF 4 men two years ago
embraced eighteen players. but there
are only fourteen now. That Is partly
due TO the fact that D. Clarke Corkran
Of Baltimore. s. d. Heron of Oakmont
and Fred Herreshoff have been dropped
entirely. The two irst named are no
longer eligible. as they got in previously
through their Princeton connection.
Findlay s. Douglas. whose competitive
year, 10 now at 5. while Hammer. pre-
viously mentioned Is in the 8 group. and
W. NJ. Reckie of Upper Montclair ap-
pear for the first time.
The Fine Group.
There are a number OF strong players
at s, 30 strong in fact as to make II
seem highly probable that they will
have to be given greater consideration
later on. Take Hamilton X. Kerr, tho
well known New York golfer. who rep
resents Greenwich. Only last winter
Kerr won fresh honors in the South
playing fine golf and could doubtless
taAe the measure OF some that appear
ahead OF him.
1t may be that the committee will
have to keep an eye on A. l. Walker,
Jr.. the Richmond county lad, who has
won the Columbia, Staten Island and
Junior titles. He lost his Staten Island
honors last fall. being beaten by Kam-
mer. but then Hammer would have been
. tough proposition for any amateur the
way he was going at Fox Hills Walker
was 6 on the last NJ q. A list. as was
l. G. Spindler, a former Fox Hills cham
pion. now at S. On the other hand, c. E.
Van Week, Jr.. OF Bsltusrol has been
shifted from 6 to 8. while H. c. Kayser,
who appears at ), IL new man.
Another is J. s. Worthington, the
British golfer who has been represen,
ing Siwanoy for the last two years He
10 placed among the men, as Is James
G. Parrish. Jr.. whose name did not ap-
pear on the previous list The Shinne-
cock man, however. always plays good
golf and a few years ago won a tourna-
ment at Atlantic City.
HaiEht Bears Watching.
A golfer that will bear watching Is
Richard A. Haight, the far driving
Princeton player who two years ago ap-
peared at .. He has been placed at 6
now. while IL his game shows any i'm
provement at all he'll be a hard nut for
even man to crack s. ID. Bowers
OF Brooklawn, a tournament winner in
tho old days Is now among tho 6 men.
He was at on tho previous list.
James II. Hyde or South Shore has
also been shifted from to 8. Frank
Barton, the Marine and Field man who
won at Lakewood a year ago, has been
cut q stroke. from to 6.
In total number Of golfers handi-
capped the 1919 sheet. which contains
5S7 names. Is somewhat smaller than
the previous ones which total 625. They
are Identical. so far as scratch and No.
places are concerned: also No. 3,
which remains a blank.
There are now Ave at g. as against
three in the 1917 table fourteen at 4, as
against eighteen previously; thirty FIVE
at 6. as against forty-two; seventy-two
at 9, the former sheet containing eighty
one; ninety-eight at 7. seventeen less
than the other; 1879 at 9, which Is one
more than In 1917. and 2ce at 9. twenty
five less than formerly.
In many respects Charles W. OCon-
nor, chairman Of the present committee,
and his associates, Arson r. Robinson,
A. r. Hammer. Theodore Cassebeer and
John F. Kelley. had 10 contend with
greater obstacles than were met with In
previous seasons.
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