New-York tribune., 1920-05-05

RayLeads Formidable Golf
Field on English Links
Shows Way to Vardon,
Braid, Taylor, Mitchell,
Duncan and Other Stars
By Arthur S. Draner

~ "a @AAAA /AdpCI
LONDON. April "a (By MaiD. EVERY
one Interested in the links game is
amazed at the amount Of activity in the
British golfing world. Never in the his
tory of the sport has a season opened
with so much promise as the one which
IS just bginning. Club makers cannot
drivers and irons; the stock of balls is
beng rapidly exhausted and every club
has long waiting list. Golf is a much
more expensive game than it was be-
iore the war, but it still is within the
limits OF the modest exchequer.
Though there was a goodly amount Of
publicity given to the Oxford Cam
bridge match, wherein Cambridge sur
prised the experts and R. H. Wethered
and c. H. j. Tolley, Of the Oxford team,
displayed form which should carry
them far in the amateur championship
at Muirfield, the first important tcurna-
ment has just been held at Worples-
don, where about $50 Of the leading pro-
fesslonals played in the qualifying
rounds of "The Daily Mail" $4,000 tour
nament, the final rounds of which will
be decided at Westward Ho in June.
On both days it rained heavily and
high wind approaching a gale swept
across the southern course, which is a
good test under the best OF conditions.
All the veterans were there, including
Harry Vardon, Jim Braid, ]. H. Tay-
lor, Arnaud Massey, the French profess
sional, who won the open in 1907, and
Ted Ray and most of the promising
members Of the younger school, in
Guiding Abe Mitchell, George Duncan,
w. H. Horne, who is the champion of
South Africa; Bert Seymour, whose II
for the first round led the field on
the opening day, and w. B. Smith.
Veterans Among Leaders
The "Triumvirate" found the compe-
tition keen, but Vardon, who PLAYED
consistently though not always master
of his putter, and Braid, who had an
amazing string of eight consecutive 3s
on the first round, were among the first
five. Ray led at the close, with 149,
which included grand 72 on the sec
ond day, compiled under the severest
of handicaps.
Taylor had a disastrous time of it,
his first card totaling 81, but he rail-
lied wonderfully on the second round
and was able to qualify ten strokes be-
hind Ray. Braid was driving tre-
mendously long ball, approaching with
deadly accuracy and putting like wiz
ard. Vardon's iron shots were not up
to his standard, which means that they
were not quite perfect.
Massey, with his "pigtail" swing to
his wooden clubs, was neither brilliant
nor mediocre; he played a consistent
game Abe MITCHELL who is considered
the most promising of the younger
players to dethrone Vardon in the open
at Deal, played in luck, obtaining
scores on several holes which he did
n Ill
velous distance from the tees that
four or five times his sliced shots
jumped bunkers intended to catch poor
seconds. Again he pulled into a tree
and the ball bounced back on the fair
way, but it is not luck which gives
player consecutive rounds of "a and rs
on cold, windy, rainy days.
Duncan seemed satisfied with 1872
which tied Wardon's score for SO holes.
He, like Vardon, found trouble on the
green's, but his wooden shots were Won
derful.
Seymour Displays Skill
Seymour carried Mitchell to the last
hole in one of the important tourna-
ments last year, and he proved this
week that he is on the high road to
the select group which rules the pro-
tessional ranks. Of medium height,
ance to indicate the power he pos
sesses. He outdrove the field, not be-
cause Of great strength, but by perfect
timing and wonderful wrist action. He
is said to be the only person who has
driven the first green at st. Andrews,
a matter OF 1856 yards Seymour's first
round produced q course record, and
for the second day he returned an 81,
which put him in triple tie with Var
don and Duncan.
The Oxford and Cambridge Golfng
Society has been playing series Of
team matches in which most of the best
English amateurs have competed IN
the opinion Of George Duncan the Muir
field course will furnish a test which
only the most mature and experienced
players will survive. He rather fancies
Robert Maxwell. who won both his
championships there.
j. L. C. Jenkins, who won the last
championship in 1914, is playing we'll,
as is Harry Hilton. Lord Charles Hope
is one of the younger players who will
have many supporters for the cham
pionship crown; he is 2S years old,
and consequently ranked among the
youngsters in British> golf.