New-York tribune., 1921-12-25
Building ia s %>6111 Game
BY. JAMES II. BARNES
OPEN GOLF CHAMPION Or THE. LIMITED ST47TS.
Golf Form Through Past Year

While will not attempt here any
review of the last year in golf, this
seems to be a good time to look back
on one of the most interesting seasons
we have ever had.
1t is a good time to show how hard
it is for any one man TO reach top
form in golf and hold this top form
very long.
1t can't be done by any one VINO plays
much golf, especially competitive golf,
for l don't know of any game in which
staleness comes quicker or has great
er effect.
Starting with early March of this
year, there were two leading figures
in golf.
One was Jock Hutchison in America,
the other Abe Mitchell in England and
Scotland.
Two Leading Figures
Hutchison, you may remember, won
one tournament after another between
Florida and Virginia.
He was like a machine, turning in
10 or II at almost every start Jock
was almost unbeateable at this time.
Hagen, playing very fine golf up to
the green, had in some way lost his
confidence and his putting touch
around Che pin. He had started miss
ing short puts, and worry over this
didn't help tho rest of his game.
AT the same time Abe Mitchell was
winning most of the important spring
tournaments in England and Scotland.
1t SO happened that Jock had reached
the top of his form when the British
open got under wav. Mitchell, over
played even then, had begun to slip
just a little. Neither Hagen nor N.Y.
self had quite settled down to a win
ming pace.
Hutchison, having won the British
open, was due to start slipping, as every
one is after three or four months. of
brilliant play. I was about due to reach
my best game at Columbia, with Hagen
still coming on, but not quite recov-
ared from his putting troubles.
know | was at my best when the
United States open got under way. |
had confidence then in every club, and
felt that I couldn't miss. With
Hutchson and Mitchell overgolfed and
with Hagen still trying to get back
his putting touch, I had the best Of
three strong opponents from the start,
and 80 came through.
Hagens Time
Hutchison had had his fling up
through the British open in late June.
I had had mine up through the United
States open in late July. We were
both about due to fall back, and Hagen
was about ready TO come forwrrd
He finally overcame his putting trou-
bles, and from that moment was ready
to go out and win. He started his
rush by winning the Western open
from very strong field, and then
followed this by winning the profess
sional champi pionship at Inwood
; Hutchinson, by this time, was moth
ing like the Hutchison at ST. Andrews.
Hagen had gone from one extreme to
another. After an early season OF
poor putting he seemed TO be able to
hole anything in sight of the cup. I
have rarely seen finer putting than
the brand ne used against me in the
final ?. G. A. round at Inwood, where
he opened up by holing two in sue
cession around twenty-five or thirty
feet.
My best game seemed to slide away
from August through the last of
September. In October, after rest,
| could feel the old keenness for play,
with the result that against Miss Leitch
/ was able to turn in a GS at Pelham,
where my timing had improved to such
an extent that | was able to outdrive
her by Atty and sixty yards.
TT wn0a GUlcnls9a and | had met
five weeks earlier on Labor Day at the
Sound Visv Club We had both grown