The sun., 1919-10-06
MERITS OF LEADING
GOLFERS DISCUSSED
Achievements of Champions
and Near Title Holders Now
in Limelight.

The national amateur women's cham
pionship tournament at Shawnee-on-
the-Delaware was the last of the ma
tional golfing events of the 1919 season,
and while the general run of golfers
will keep right on swinging their clubs
until snow flies, and even afterward, the
critics and students of the ancient game
will begin TO ask questions for which
there will be no answer until another
championship season comes and goes.
There is a Hot Stove league in golf
as well as in baseball. Golfers all win
ter will debate a number of issues that
were raised by the outcome of the three
big national tournaments, the open at
BraeN Burn, the national amateur at
Oakmont and the womens national at
Shawnee. Immediately after the open
il practically was the universal opinion
that Walter Hagen was entitled to the
distinction of being the best golfer in
America. Following that event, how
ever, Long Jim Barnes proceeded to
uncork a brand of golf that gave the
experts something new to talk about.
with the result that the Barnes and
Hagen following now are about equally
divided. with many of the belief that
Long Jims record for the year entities
him to a niche in the golfing hall OF
fame slightly above the one occupied py
Hagen.
They point to his achievements in the
Western and Southern open champion
ships and in the professionals tourna-
ment over the difficult Engineers course
at Roslyn, pointing out that what the
lanky St Louis tutor accomplished IN
these events more than made up for his
failure to finish ahead of Hagen at Brae
Burn In the national open.
And yet, Walter won the national
open, which Is admittedly the big event
of the year, with the biggest field en-
tered and with more at stake. Hagen
won that affair, presumably under a
heavier strain than Barnes carried whef
he achieved his notable victories OF the
year, and any argument over the rela-
tive perits of the two great pros always
gets back to that starting point.
Discuss Ouimet and Evans.
The winter league Is already busy with
the question raised by the Evans-Ouime'
match at Oakmont. when the Boston
player, while admittedly Ill, vanquished
his old Chicago rival by the closest OF
margins. Chick, 1t now Is said on good
authority, also was suffering from physi'
cal ailments on that historic occasion
and in addition to the battle being one
between too near sick-a-beds. the course
was so rain soaked that real decision
between the two was out of the ques-
ton The issues will have to go over
another year, or until these famous
players cross clubs again under what
everybody hopes will be entirely favor
able conditions.
Is Dav Ison Heron, who won the am
atcLr title at Oakmont against field
containing both Evans and Ouimet In
addition to practically every other first
class amateur in the country, real
champion? Is there any chance for him
to repeat next year?
These questions will be debated this
winter wherever golfers meet. Heron
left no doubt of his superiority at the
Oakmont tournament, but for the reason
that he did not meet either Evans or
Ouimet, and for the further reason that
he was defeated in rather handy fashion
in his match with Oswald Kirkby during
the play for the Lesley cup, some CRITICS
already are beginning to wonder II he
will show the class next year that he did
this.