The New York herald., 1921-01-10
DEFEAT OF SIWANOY.
STUNS THE GOLFERS
Metropolitan Linksmen Cock
sure They Would Stage U. s.
G.. A. Open Meet.
BY KERR N. PETRIE.


| ity, golfers sometimes find that uncon-
sciously they have been guilty of taking
too much for granted.
Don't count your chickens before they
are hatched." is a bromide, and yet
golfers go on holding the eggs up to the
light and stating the numbers OF the
brood that is to be. Don't hulloo until
you are out of the wood" has gone
laundering down the ages. Slightly
transposed and revamped, it fits into the
golf game thus: Don't count your holes
before they are wos nor your shots be-
fore they are played
Through countless years the royal and
ancient game has taught that there Is
many slip 'twixt the tea and the cup.
and yet with 1t all once in a while the
golfer finds himself planning his round
weighing up the value of every hole as
he ought to get 1t and crediting himself
with O par card before It Is made.
All of which serves for an Introduction
to topic that stings like lash any
where and everywhere in the metropoli-
tan district and smarts like salt In an
open wound out in Mount Vernon. where
is located the Siwanoy Country Club.
which Jared so badly in its bout with
the Columbia Club of Washington, D. c.,
at the annual meeting of the United
States Golf Association at the Waldorf
Astoria Friday night. when both crawled
through the ropes to do battle for the
honor of staging the next national open
championship.
Siwanoy was the favorite, a young and
lusty giant, groomed and trained to the
minute. Columbia scarcely was con-
ceded to have a chance. A walk
away 1t was thought to be by many.
Yet when the delegates Of the respective
clubs had said their say and the bal
loting had got under way, Columbia be-
gan to roll up the votes in manner
most surprising and embarrassing. Here
and there came furry that sent the adj
vantage temporarily to Siwanoy, but
back again came Columbia stronger than
ever, until a regular rush of votes from
the clubs at the end of the alphabetical
list carried the Washington organization.
through to victory Siwanoy and all
those who thought the open champion
ship long ago had been clinched for the
metropolitan district were stunned.
Received Little Consideration.
There is a peculiar aspect to the as
signment of the coming open champion
awarded the tournament according to
the rules prescribed by the U. S. G. A.
for settling these matters, and therefore.
1t would seem, cannot have the event
taken away from it, the Washington
club, although mentioned. received prob
ably less considerati ton by the average
professional and those officials of the
p. G. A nominated by the. u. S. G. A. to
recommend a suitable venue for the next
championship than any of the others.
To many of the professionals the sue
cess of Columbia will be a blow that will
shake them from their head to their
heels. Not that they have any doubt as
to the brand OF hospitality Columbia will
show them. Only during the last week
or two they have become accustomed to
speak OF Sjwanoy as If already this club
had received the plum. Already they
are playing the championship there in
the minds eye.
That there should have been a con-
test at all struck many at the meeting
as peculiar, seeing that, like the women,
the professionals had been asked by
the u. S. G. A. to state their prefer
ence. The fair ones In no uncertain
manner told the National Association
that they wanted Hollywood for their
next championship Hollywood Ii was.
There was no voting despite the fact
that i'm accordance with Section of
the bylaws of the L. S. G.. A. a list
of three courses-Nassau and Lakewood
were the other two-had been prepared
and duly submitted to the meeting.
Then what happened to the profess
sionals' selection committee If there
was such n preponderance of opinion
favorable to the Siwanoy Country Club 4?
If the ''pros" said "Siwanoy." and
were overruled, as seems likely. then
appointing such a committee each year
Is farce. The chances are that If
Siwanoy was the popular selection the
committee did not make itself cienr
enough. And this would seem to be
borne out by the fact that on the list
submitted to the delegates were tie
names of no less than six clubs-Colum-
bia. Lakewood, Hollywood. Lido. silva
noy and Garden City.
Much VIII Depend on Date.
For some reason or other many of the
experts feel that Columbia does not
measure up to the championship stanl
dard. Much will depend upon the date
chosen for the event, for the course Is
well south OF the usual championship
belt and therefore liable to be more
readily affected by climatic conditions
than the courses OF the North.
one professional VINO ATTENDED FIJI
days meeting was quite outspoken in
his criticism of Columbia as the choice
for the next open championship. He,
like many Others had considered tho
tourney as good as fixed for Swanoy
and the victory OF the Southern club
left him almost stunned.
"They have made n grave blunder"
he said. "and they will yet regret their
selection"
This professional argues that turf
conditions at Columbia were very diff
ferent from those encountered on the
courses farther north and that the
u. s. G.. A. cannot possibly give con-
sideration to n midsummer date IL they
are TO find the course at its best. More
over, he points out that II Is bad busi-
ness in the face of another contemplated
British invasion to select circuit that
might be found to embody some at
least OF the real Southern peculiarities
OF turf and texture
II is Just possible that the mortiflca-
tion some of the metropolitan profess
sionals feel at being ordered to WASH
ington. when they expected the cham
pionship to be decided on their own
stamping ground win prevent justice
being done Columbia for some little time
to come. Nevertheless, Il would seem
that the greatest care will have to be
exercised in selecting a date for the
coming open championship if the course
Is to be at lite best. September, or Octo-
ber even, would not be too late for Wash