The Washington herald., 1921-11-07
Why They All Skid at Times.

why Ihey All SKID at Times.
I have received a number of letters
lately. asking me the main reasons
for the big shift in form that has
| overtaken so many of the leading
players.
Most OF these writer's wanted to
know Just why 1t was that such
golfers as Hutchison. Hagen. Miss
Leitch, Miss Stirling, Chick Evans
and others, including myself. could
play like a champion one week and
then drop so far back a few days
later.
These sudden changes have seemed
to puzzle every one, They can't figure
why a man good enough to win a big
championship can't keep in the same
neighborhood at least, even IL he
doesn't always win. 90
I think a short review of some of
the leading features of the year along
this line will help to clear up the
situation.
I Hutehison and Mitchell
We will take up first the cases Of
Jock Hutchison and Abe Mitchell, two
| ofEthe stars of the game.
Early last spring Jock was travel
ing like q racehorse on this side of
the water and Abe was moving about
the same clip through England and
Scotland.
Jock was playing far and away the
best golf over here and Abe was play
ing much the best golf over there.
The spring and early summer tour
nament records show that II was a
romp for these two.
BY the time the British open had
arrived Abe was just beginning to
fade and Jock was just at the top of
his game.
At that date I hadn't come to the
top OF my game through a long layoff
on account Of boils and carbuncIes,
That was a big help to me, for our
own open later on. as 1t kept me from
being overgolIed
After the British open both Hutcbi-
son and Mitchell were ready for a big
slump, as both were badly overgolfed.
Nelther was able to max any show
ing In the United States Open, while
after an enforced rest through most of
May and June. l was still keen for n
hard competition.
AT the same time Hagen was work
ing mis- way forward o-top form. He
mad come far enough to tie for
second place at Washington. and two
weeks later he was at his best. Ha-
gen. after a slo wstart. had a great
nnish' Jock. after a grand start
nad BAD finish. Thy same thing,
IN a way applied to my own ease.
Why This Was So.
Why should this be? I'll take up nv
own case. When we got to the onen a.
Columbia, I was keen for golf, was
able to concentrate without effort ond
TO get my distance without pressinr
had the touch and the feel one
needs to win.
But when the Western Open arrived
was in another mood. After The
United States open I PLAYED IN sevo
eral exhibition matches and bv the
time 1 got to Cleveland for the West
ern had gone stale, Just as Hutcbi-
son and Mitchell had done at
staleness had this efrect-sbot-
making became an effort. I felt that
nad to press to get my normal dis
lance: 1 found my timing was out of
wnack. When it came to iudping
distance the intuition one has when
one Is keen had disappeared. had
to guess at what the range was. and
part OF the time I was still wonderin1
Whether 1 had guessed correctly
while playing the shot. This is ALWAYS
a big mistake.
But when you are tired and vour
Keenness is gone. making mistakes is
an easy matter. -
When you get to the green Won
can't see the right line. You have No
,aea H now hard to hit your putts In
Iact' your game Is 'crumbling and
you know II. Golf is a game that re-
aulres theN finest sort of nerve con-
uoI Is a game that requires the
must oencate type of timing. 1t is a
same you must feel keen for IL you
ae 70 40 well. And IL you are not
zen Ior ~, II you are overgolfed, a
star can crack wide open just as bad
ly as dutfer.
Too Mnch Golf.
The american team PLAYED too
much golf at Hoylake, consider,ne
the matter of daily gallery watch.
ing every shot for ten DAYS before
the championship.
The result was that Bobby Tomas
and ouimet were beaten by golfers
not even close to their class. Roth
Jones snd ouimet We're stale And
stale stars can come back in a hurry
to ordinary talent good enough to get
an SO or an 81
The same thing happened To Miss
Leitch. She had been in hard compe-
titions and exhibitions from late April
to October. BY October she was moth
Ing like as good as she was In May or
June, In June she had "a at Fon-
tsinebneau in The French Amateur.