The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-07
Gardiner w. White Is
Victor at Piping Rock
Nassau Golf Star Takes Honors of Invitation Tourna
ment Defeating His Clubmate John N. Stearns, Jr.
in the final Round by Up and to Play.
by KERR N. PETRIE.

! Helping TO back up that old golf ira
dition that the winner of the qualifying
medal seldom comes through In the
match play Gardiner w White of Mas
sau yesterday defeated his clubmate
! John N. Stearns. Jr.. by and in the
final round of the annual invitation
tournament of the Piping Rock Club
! Stearns had annexed the medal after a
play Off with Hamilton X. Kerr. but
though playing a brand of go!f that
enabled him 10 dispose of several trou-
blesome opponents then as we'll as IN the
match he fell a bit short OF his best
form when pitted against White in the
decisive test.
White made himself virtually certain
of victory by his play over the first
seven holes. at which stage of the pro-
ceedings he led by no less than up.
Had the margin been pronounced It is
possible that the match would have
been drawn very much closer inasmuch
as SteaIns made a rally that cut the
arrears to only down at the tenth.
White really clinched the contest on
the thirteenth when he laid his approach
skilfully or that particular table of the
Alps-like green on which the hole had
been cut, and then ran his putt down
for 8. raising his advantage to 3 up.
Two holes later Stearns outplayed White
and won a hole. but on the next a series
of blunders by both was followed by
Stearn oyerapproaching and taking two
shots to recover from a bunker. Not
outstanding that White had pulled his
tee shot into the woods here he had the
hole In to 6, winning the match by 8
up and to play.
1t was a combination of bad luck and
cratic golf that set Stearns back on the
early holes. He began his backsliding
at the second when he laid his second
short on the edge of the green and took
three more to get down from there.
White also had been in error with his
approach. but he finished out well and
scored A. At the next Stearns was
given q chance to square when White
topped his tee shot, but instead of prof
ting by this error the former made an
even worse shot of the same nature and
then dropped his second into the deep
trap In front of the green.
Two shots to get out left Stearns with
very much the worst of 1t on the green.
With his fourth Stearns stymied White,
and as this was the kind of putt that
could not well be conceded White used
his mashie to hurdle the obstacle. He
had the hole easily In 4, whereas Stearns
Stearns Has Bad Luck.
The third saw Stearns with a hooked
drive into the rough, but he got half
notwithstanding. his second hanging the
ball on the long grass at the back Of a
bunker. Stearns had to dig in to get a
stance, but he played a fine chip from
the weeds and halved in 4.
Luck entered largely into the winning
of the fifth hole by White, for while this
player sliced his drive he found lie
that gave him clear road to the green
whereas with a tee shot that scarcely
left the centre Of the course Stearns had
his ball roll just over the brink of a
trap SO that 1t hung in the long grass
few inches from the top. To escape
knocking that ball farther into the pit
was a feat in itself Stearns accom-
plished this, but he could not prevent the
hole falling to his opponent
Two poor shots by Stearns gave White
an advantage on the 526-yard sixth.
However. in the long run White took
three puts and allowed half in 8,
mistake which he fastened to remedy at
the next On this one Stearns topped
his brassie shot and made but poor work
of an approach. White had pushed his
second to the right, but he came back
IN good style on his third and holed
good putt for 4.
II was at this stage that Stearns
hraced himself for his big effort. He
was favored somewhat by having his
ball bounce out OF pot bunker on the
eighth green. but even so, White had
himself to blame for not halving here.