The sun., 1919-10-07
HERR0N'S SHOWING
Is NOT IMPRESSIVE
Amateur Golf Champion Not
Up to Oakmont Form in His
Matches Here.
MISS HARDIN A WINNER
Leads Women Golfers at Essex
County-Three Days Tour
ney at Piping Rock.
MISS HARDIN A WINNER
BY INNS BROWN.

BY INNS BROWN.
S. Davidson Heron, the new amateur
golf king, made his first appearance on
local links since his coronation at Pitts
burg some six weeks ago. when he took
part In the Lesley Cup matches at the
National Links last week and followed
with an exhibition match at Scarsdale on
Sunday. Only a few were present to
watch the Lesley Cup matches and only
a comparative handful saw the exhibit
ton on the Hartsdale course. Opinion
as to the worthiness of the husky Pitts
| burger to succeed to the title of Evans,
Ouimet. Travers, Travis and long list
OF others following his work in the above
matches, is still far from crystalized.
Frankly the work of the champion in
neither case was anything to provoke
any wild enthusiasm. At Scarsdale he
scored round of ~. but one stroke
above par. Yet Scarsdale isn't a tough
test Of golf by any means AS a matter
| or fact, IL ought to prove a very easy
| course indeed for the new champion.
With his long walloping he can get home
on every two shot hole of the course
with drive and mashies, save in pos
sibly two or three cases. Given day on
which he is putting well, he should have
|
out much difficulty.
| The National. however. is a different
proposition. and mis- showing there de-
serves somewb At more critical analy-
sis. 1t Is long, hard course, with
| difficult carries from the tee, plenty of
| traps to catch misdirected shots and
| rough that Is rough. While II Is hardly
as long as his home course, Oakmont,
1t is quite as difficult to play. At the
same time 1t pays a fair premium on the
terrific drives he usually gets of.
Heron Home Course Player.
Down at the amateur championship
tournament at Oakmont several of Her
rons friends stated early in the tourna-
ment that he would prove a very hard
man indeed to beat on that course. since
he knew every nook and turn of It. But
Tor some reason golfers are not in
clined to lay much stress on this home
! course stun. They point out that few
| goHers ever come through big tourna-
| ment on their home courses, II being
| especially notable that professional play
ers rarely win on their home courses.
wherefore the prophecy that Heron
would prove formidable entry at Oak
mont wasn't taken over seriously by
the visitors. But in view of his showing
stands out boldly. Either the champion
has dropped of somewhat in his play-
ing or else that home course business
meant a considerable advantage for Her
ron. He was hitting his tee shots as
iar as ever at the National, and for
the most part they were straight. But
ne did have more trouble once he reached
the rough there than he did at Oak
mont
Furthermore he wasn't putting with
tne deadly accuracy that he displayed,
especially In his match with Bobby
Jones. Against the Atlanta lad he was
almost certainty on puts of six. eight
and ten feet But rarely indeed aid he
miss there. Against Kirkby he missed
several short ones, and in only one in
stance against Whittemore did he run
down anything pretentious. His place
ment OF long iron shots was onlv fair
and his short game wasn't of Champion
ship calibre. 1t seems fairer to assume
however, that he was a bit out of killer
in these matches, rather than to iump
at conclusions to say that his showing
mere tends to prove his victory at Oak
| mont fluke.
AS to his match with Kirkby, the out
come was no surprise to the New York
team. Weeks before the matches mora
than one member of the New York team
expressed firm belief that Kirkby
would beat the>champion. and even went
| further in offering to wager to that
effect. But the outcome of the match
In no way shook the faith of the l>ttts-
burgers on the Pennsylvania team. w
G. Fownes, Jr., captain of the Quaker
team, has made an offer to get backing
for any reasonable amount on Heron
| to beat Kirkby on any neutral course
with each player given a week or ten
| days to familiarize himself with the
course.
Concerning the question of advantage
Oh homo course, an interesting offer
| grew out OF the match between Heron
and Parker w. Whittemore on Saturday.
| The Brookline golfer gave the champion
| a terrific battle through fifteen holes of
| the match, On the fifteenth Heron
holed his single long putt to keep Whit
| temore from bringing the match to even
at that late stage. En- route back to
the city Saturday night several of the
Massachusetts, delegation offered to
| wager that Whittemore would beat Her
ron on the Myopia course. They con-
| tend that Whittemore is all but invinci-
| BILE there. They are willing to let Her
| ron practice over the course as long as
| he wishes and then back Whittemore to
! beat him. The offer Is open any time
the champion cares to hook up in such
a match.