The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1920-08-10
They're Off at Toledo!
Record Field NOW Busy
Battling for Golf Classic

him the logical favorite among all
American golfC-s to lead the field at
Inverness. The present champion won
the national trophy for the first time at
Midlothian in 1914, when only twenty
two years old, On frequent occa-
sions the Rochester star who deserted
baseball to clout golf balls has dem
onstrated his claim to the pinnacle
position of all native pros. Hagen
finished this run by winning the ma
tional title for the second time at
Braeburn last year. Yet never be-
fore on a course in this country has
Hagen faced the field that will try to
stymie his championship path here
during the next three days.
Any one of score of golfers has
the ability to show the way over the
seventy route. They all
seem so evenly matched that the de-
Gliding factor narrows down to the
matter of the breaks. The names
one hears the most to beat out HOgen
are Ray, Vardon, Barnes, Edgard and
Chick Evans, the brilliant Chicago
amateur who with Francis Ouimet
and Jerry Travers are the only Amer
lean amateurs to beat the pros at
their own game by capturing their
premier title.
Barnes especially has many sup
porters here, and It Is confidently hg-
ured that the deliberate playing st.
Louis star will find the local course
very much TO his style of game and
will be n difficult man to pass. j..
Douglass Edgar of Atlanta, who won
the 1919 Canadian title, is an extreme
| ly brilliant golfer who, while erratic
possesses the shots TO jump any held
provided he gets all the best OF the
breaks. Jock Hutchinson, a veteran
Scotchman, always had some sort OF
hoodoo pursuing him in tournaments
until the Western championship last
week, the first important event he
ever won.
With the confidence that come,
with victory. Hutchinson Is likely tC
blaze the way over the Inverness
trail. Chick Evans Do rated the mos
dangerous of the many capable anna.
tours entered, and few would be very
much surprised II Chicago Chick re-
turned the lowest total score. Will,
few names are freely discussed II
the role OF favorltes there IL a stronl
possibility for dark horse to gallon
through, and 1t is fear of this yer,
same contingency that Is holding
down the odds on stars like Hagel
and Ray. Nearly every one OF tn,
long NsJ OF entrants put on prac
, tice round yesterday. Gil Nichols
, veteran hero Of countless link battles
/ topped the field with a fine 20. Ba.ne
/ had ~, Jones rs, Ray "a. Vardon an,
I Hutchinson each IS. At one an
: two strokes higher up the scale ther
: were whole flocks OF golfers, whlcI
/ would indicate that low scoring Wi
' feature the championship.
Y Hagen, arriving late from Detroi
: where he had been resting up pre-
paratory for a tough fight this weel
Z arrived late yesterday afternoon 1
60 time only to play a few holes. TIL
r Inverness course Is In grand cUndi
d ton, the result OF expert handlln
c by a club committee headed by 8.
: German and stan of noted gol
y architects. Quite q few professional
e yesterday termed Inverness tho hes
course in the Middle West. To-day
I competition will be eighteen holes {
q medal play The same test VIII
h run Off tomorrow, the sixty four low
= est scores being eligible TO contlnu
d on in tho championship pros 70
o Thursday and Friday. which viii h
- thirty-six holes each day. The fol-
. tunate one having tho lowest tot;
n score for tho seventy-two holes wi
n be tho 1920 open champion OF tn
. United States.