The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-07-20
AMATEUR IN VAN OF
GREAT GOLF FIELD
N. M. Whitney of New Orleans
Shares Open Round Honors
With Pat O'Hara.
EIGHTEEN HOLES IN 70
Charles H. Mayo, Willie Nc
Farlane and Frank Mcnamara
Fail to Qualify.
EIGHTEEN HOLES IN 7a

Fail to Qualify.
ny KERR N. PETRIE.
Special Despatch to THE New York HmALD
WASHINGTON, July 19.-Had that first
round Of eighteen holes which sent the
national open golf championship on Its
way at the Columbia Country Club to.
day been something more than a mere
wedding out for the purpose Of drawing
the field down to workable proportions
for the deadly play that is to come in
the title tourney proper, golfdom once
again would be face to face with 6
situation similar to that which drew
a record crowd of 10000 golf enthusi'
asts to the famous st. Andrews links
in Scotland recently.
The amateur has figured with great
distinction in American open champion
ship golf since 1913. To-day he was
taking fine licking from the members
Of the salaried brigade qualifying In the
first half of the national championship
field and seemed likely to place no more
than one Of his kind in the charmed
circle. But as the last few couples were
clouding the horizon with the expiring
divots of the day a marvellous thing
happened and the lowly amateur took
his place alongside of the professional
in the van of the crowd of 124 players
who had teed up.
The hero was Nelson M. Whitney OF
New Orleans, former Southern cham
pion, we'll known figure around the
metropolitan district because of his
habit of making the national links at
Southampton his summer headquarters.
At a point q the proceedings when
anxious eyes were scanning the score
board and aibis were falling like the
gentle dew, Whitney came in with a
total of 70 and by so doing shared the
honors of the day with Pat O'Hara,
former open champion Of ireland, who
now is professional at the Richmond
whitney Sound Golfer.
While there Is no more to be gained
by leading the field on such an occa-
sion than there Is by coming in among
those who just scrape through. the
threat conveyed by such a performance
y.
Whitney is sound golfer, but not quite
up to the standard of Chick Evans and
Bobby Jones, who go out with the second
half of the field tomorrow. If the pro-
fessionals would give some little atten-
tion to the handwriting on the wall they
would get right down to business from
now on and fill in those terrible mental
hazards which they have reared up by
the condition of some of the Columbia
putting greens.
If they don't they may by the end of
the week be taking lesson on how to
do 1T from an amateur and eating
humble pie while some ''simon pure"
nibbles on the choicest viands on the
championship table.
In short, 1t is clear that in his 70
Whitney must have found the way to
the bottom of the cup with minimum
of extra shots with his putter.
But to-day's proceedings were chiefly
concerned with the doings of the head
liners. There is always something ex-
tremely doleful and tragic when q
favorite fails to qualify. Nothing like
that happened. although. nevertheless.
on the fringe of the charmed circle. held
out by that insurmountable barrier of
just one paltry stroke, were found
group of notables that would not have
been considered by any one betting on
players who would not qualify.
Among those was Charles HI. Mayo of
Edgewater, Chicago, who before coming
to this country from England was the
foursome teammate of George Duncan.
Then there was Alex .Ross of Detroit,
the national open winner In 1907. Willie
McFarlane, one of the prettiest golfers
in the metropolitan district, was an
other and so was Frank Mcnamara of
Cherry Valley, winner last year of the
Philadelphia open title. James Thorn
son of Philadelphia, former champion
of his district, also was in the caravan.
All these finished at $50 near and
yet so far-only a shot away, and yet
now out of the tournament.
Brand on so Mark.
On the so mark were Fred Brand OF
Allegheny Country Club. Pittsburgh, for
mer champion of western Pennsylvania.
and Orrin Terry of Chevey Chase. who
few years ago. In the opinion Of no
less an authority than Jerome d.
Travers. was the best all around home
bred golf professional in the United
States. Pat Doyle of Deal, N. j.; Ar
thur Reid of Ardsley on Hudson and
James Edmundson of North Hills, an
other former Irish open champion, were
In the group at 81. A little further on,
or at 81 to be exact. was found J. Wood
Platt OF Whitemarch Valley, member
OF the American amateur team which
William G. Fownes took with him to
the British amateur championship at
Hoylake.
Interest in the days plays naturally
centred In the work of Jock Hutchison
OF Glenview, Chicago. holder of the Brit
fsh open championship, and Abe Mitchell.
who, with George Duncan. Is over here
in an endeavor to atone for the failure
of the British professionals 20 keep their
trophy at home. Later on Walter Hagen
and others came In for their share of at
tention. but the pairing of Jock and Abe
was something that the gallery was un-
able to resist
A thrilling hour or more the fans had,
too. for luck was not exactly breaking
In the direction of Jock at the outset and
In the long run he had to literally fight
his way up among the qualifiers.
Title VIII BE Won on Greens.
The story of the championship so far
has been one OF putting greens. The
cinches are that the title will be won
and lost on the greens. for II has been
demonstrated that a player can 60 on
showing accurate golf afieId and yet pile
up terrific score through failure to hit
1t off around the cup. Hutchinson had
three puts on three of the first four
greens yesterday, and no one with cham
aspirations cares to start out
that way In a big tournament.
On the first two holes the law OF