New-York tribune., 1919-08-15
MarstOn Leads
Stars i'm Trial
Round w With Y
Few Scores Under 80 at
Oakmont - Travers and
kirkby Have Cards of 81
By Grantland Rice

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 14.--There are
nightmares and CHASTITY visions which
are haunting the dreams of 1870 of
Americas best golfers, assembled here
Tor the championship test.
These sombre nightmares and highly
speckled visions consist Of an endless
series OF traps, bunkers, pits and trou-
ble IN general for any golfer who is
slogglng his way around the Oakmont
course and not hitting each and every
shot as each and every shot ought to
be hit.
We &C on record now as stating that
oakmont is the hardest test that any
amateur championship has ever drawn
and that only the finest golf will pre-
vail against par. There is nothing
tricky, unfair or mysterious about the
course. 1t is merely a sheer and rug
ged test of golf where wood and iron
must play their part in order to score.
When such golfers as Jerry Tray
ers, Bob Gardner, Oswald Kirkby and
others high in the realm of accurate
play are content to travel between SO
and sc without berating their game
you can gather some notion of the
barrlcades that await various shots
winch are not struck squarely in the
proper direction. We have never seen
a course where on an apparently sim
pie hole or an 8 comes with greater
suddenness.
Rugged Test From Tees
Oakmont is a particularly rugged
test from the tees. Diagonal bunkers
OF harassing depth wait in a recep-
tive mood for all the tee shots that
are not well hit-either those that are
OFT the line trife or those that fail
to carry from 165 to $50 yards. And
with the tee shot out of the way and
a sigh of relief drawn, the tension re-
turns all too frequently when one
faces the second shot--more often
than not long brassie or full iron
to we'll trapped green that rolls and
undulates IN such way as to make
1t important to get that second shot
fairly close.
The greens here are in a wonderful
shape: but getting long approach
dead from thirty to fifty feet away is
no easy assignment. 1t is extremely
simple to Slip six or eight feet over
and then to lose your golfing nerve and
stop six or eight feet short. 1t is so
simple that the best golfers here are
doing it, despite the fact that the
greens are true to the ultimate wiqgle.
Robert 4. Gardner, twice amateur
champion and worthy member of the
A. 4. T., took his first spin around the
course to-day, He was hitting his tee
shots well, yet the best he could do
was SO. And in place of complaining
he stated that he was we'll content.
There were extremely few scores un-
der so Max Marston, one Of the N
ropolitan cracks, had II and he wa
forced to come back in 36 to get this
Tcore. Travcrs and Kirkby in the fore
noon were around 81. These scores
alone are eloquent testimonials as to
the various pitfalls that await those
who wander from the straight and mar
row way.
Chick Evans Due To-day
Chick Evans, the present title holder,
tailed to arrive to-day but Francis
Oulmet took an easy practice turn
around late in the afternoon. Oakmont
should suit Ouimet we'll, for he has an
accurate long game and his putting
here should. be vital factor.
In summing up the score needed to
qualify Saturday in the first l8-ho1c
elimination test there are any number
who believe that an 81 viii turn the
trick. Certainly those with an IS need
not worry; they will be able to start
Monday with the lucky Ga who face the
3o-hole qualifying journey.
There are so many holes where even
the best golfers can easily slip and
take or that these qualifying
rounds are going to be nerve wracking
affalrs. 1t is easily possible that more