Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-20
OU|MET'S So MAY
MEAN GOLF CROWN
British and American Open
Titles Won by Players Break.
ing 10 to Qualify
FIRST TEST J0LTED FIELD
BY SANDY McNIBLICK

Maybe breaking ~ in the qualifying
round If national championship means
something this year. Ordinarily it Is
considered very snappy when player
dips under the 70 mark and bowls over
n course record, but It's not supposed
to be good form for it sometimes means
that q player has put all his best shots
III the preliminary round and has burnt
himself out golfcally speaking, for the
championship proper.
Francis Ouinlct had 90. over the
first half of the 36-hole test to qualify
for the etateur golf championship Of
America yesterday. Did it mean any.
thing?
! Considering the records in the ma
tional championships so fnr this year,
II did. 1t means he will be the cham
pion on Saturday night. All you have
| 10 do II bark back to the records Of
the champions so far this year. In the
british open at st. Andrews, Jock
Hutchison qualified and led the field
BY the kindly aid of 90. At Column
| TIA. IN the American open, Jim Barnes
also scored GO. which was agnn the
course record and led the field in the
two-da7 qualifying test there.
1t Is now history how Jock and Jim
won their respective titles after their
auspicious starts with a 90 to qualify
The Facts
There are a lot of supcrstitions in
golf. but this might as well be written
in as an unwaverng fact this year---so
far. A 90 this season in national
| Qualifying round means that player will
win the title.
OF course. It didn't work out last
!car when Hutchlson had II GO TO
| qualify in the American opcn. and II
didn't work out in either the western
open or amateur this year. Nobody
would believe II might work ont in the
play at st. Louis this week, except for
the fact that OuimeS made it.
II seems to single him out Of the
big Three" Chick Evans. Bobby
Jones and Ouimet, as elected. Good
ness knows, as they say, there's little
else to choose between them. except 'ast
years national. After Ouimet soundly
defeated Jones in the semi finals, Evans
Just rs soundly beat Ouimet in the
final.
With his "crutch" putter Evans Is
now said to be very confident on the
green's. his main weakness OF other
years. Jones is in there to bust through
at last to q national title and Ouimet
is the same, having long been in what
you might call the background.
First Upsets
As usual a couple of top notchers
took the long count in the first elimina.
tion round for the national champion
ship. The surprise is that the toll was
not heavier. 1t was this eighteen hole
preliminary round that kept most of
the local players from taking the long
and expensive trip to st. Louis.
]. Wood Platt, George Hoffner and
Paul Tewksbury, all discussed the pos
sibilities of going, but when it came to
the last analysis Of the situation 1t
didn't seem worth while. IL was too
much of a chance.
The main stars to fall Saturday were
Dave Heron. national champion in
1910. and Frank Thompson, the young
champion Of Canada.
Though Rudy Knepper, Sioux City,
runner-up 10 Chick Evans in the West
ern, dazzled the first trail voyages
with a 20, his brother Fred was barred
by two strokes.
There were 132 starters, and il
would not have been so very hard to
send this field of for n 80 hole session
hut the plan had already been made for
the short preliminary to get down to
Ga survivors and this plan held. Har-
old Weber. Sheriff. Sherman, w. w.
Patten. Cameron Buxton. former Phil
adelphla amateur champion: T. G.
Newton. once winner OF the Lynnewood
Hall cup; Jimmie Standish, who once
ousted Ouimet in a national, and s. W.
Stickney. St. Louis golf mentor.
Foreigners Falter
Two Of Great Britain's quartet o!
starters in the going also failed tc
make the grade. Thcy were Raymond
Swift, and w. r. Mckay. The latter
is brother OF an American professional
and had won many amateur honor,
abroad. He was expected to figure but
the best he could do was drab 90
Willie Hunter, British champion, and
Tom Armour, Scotland, made the frs,
grade.
II is said the starters figured on 81
to pass the first barrier. There were
fourteen tied for last place at 81 strokes
when Dave Heron came In. He played
his SD stroke to the green and every
Cne cheercd their heads off when h
dropped a putt from 40 feet for ar
81.
All OF those with that total were
congratulating themselves and prepar
ing to wash up when an unheard O,
player named l.. f. Burning, Chicago
doomed over the trails and dropped Q
rs. That upset the beans
It ousted oil those with cards Of 81
and he rounded out list Of Ga, as after
that nothing worse than SO got in.
Max Marston was the only Philadpl
phian. and played fine golf Saturday
with "a