The New York herald., 1921-02-15
STRONG PRO- GOLF
TEAM NOW LIKELY
Experts in South Appear Need
lessly Alarmed Over Side
to Visit st. Andrews.
BY KERR N. PETRIE.

After listening 10 that dismal sound
made by the professionals at St. Angus
tine one would imagine that there is not
chance in thousand OF making a
success of the plan to send ten, a dozen
or fifteen players to st. Andrews TO
compete in the British open champion
ship IN May. According to the opinions
freely expressed when several OF the
experts foreSa thered on that Floridian
course the other day. Walter Hagen.
Jim Barnes and Jock Hutchison will be
alone in their glory--tlat is, they are
the only ones from this side of the ocean
who possibly can attend the big function
in the "old gray city by the sea"
fortunately this happens to be slightly
at variance with the facts of the
case. Several weeks ago the +. G. A.
decided to send out to the thirty golfers
named in the preliminary list from which
the team is to be chosen a letter in
which. among other things, the expert
was asked to state definitely whether in
the event Of his being chosen member
or the American party he intended TO bear
the colors Of the United States in the
Scottish Golfing Mecca. From about
half dozen of these favorable replies
already have been received. What Is
more to the point, this half dozen does
not include Hagen, Barnes and IIutchi-
son.
1t is rather interesting. too, 10 find
that Fred Mcleod of Columbia Country
Club, where the next American open
championship is 10 be played. is listed
as probable absentee. Recently the
p. c. A. gave 1t out that the little
national champion of 1908 not only had
sent reply in the affirmative but also
mad applied for and received a leave Of
absence from his club so that he can
attend the classic abroad
Those who know how golfers talk
after bad round can put their own
construction on the st. Augustine re-
port. But If anything else Is required
to indicate that the professionals who
met the other day at st. Augustine may
be worrying themselves needessly over
the outcome of the proposed trip it is
found In consideration OF the case OF
Leo Diegel. According to the report,
Mike Brady in outlining his views gave
|. as his opinion that It would be next
TO impossible for Diecel to play at st.
Andrews because of his long associa-
ton with the Schenectady putter. "Of
course Leo might change over to some
other style of putter." Mike IL quoted as
saying, but the chances arc that he
won't.
Successful With New Clrb.
1t may interest Mike to know, how
ever. that Dicgel for weeks has been
using a goose necked putter In place of
the Schenectady. Leo has been golfins
out in California all winter and reports
coming East have been to the effect that
with the new club he has been meeting
with success on the putting green's
greater than ever he experienced with
the mallet headed typo. Any golfer is
liable to effect a change in style OF II
club, but IL Diegel was 40 passiorately
fond of the Schenectady as to make it
seem to Brady that il stood In the way
Of his playing abroad there must be
some good reason for the change. Mike.
IL would appear. has gone a long way
toward proving that Leo has his mind
set on st. Andrews and the British
championship.
Diegel with his goose necked instr,i-
ment has been doing great execution
among the California records. Not long
ago 1t was set forth In this column how
he had kept on shearing the record at
one particular course until he had car
ried 1t into the middle sixties. Still
another mark falls TO the credit of the
Lochmoor expert. namely, a 20 for the
circuit of the Los Angeles Country Club.
This round was made under strict cham
pionsh!p conditions. as Diegel at the
time was trying for the Southern Cali
fornia open title.
Finding himself back about seventh or
eighth when the last eiahteen holes be-
gan. Leo put on thar 40 by way Of hoist
ing himself into third position. lie care
home In SO and he played the last twelve
holes In four better than fours. This Is
how his card read
In ....N..4 3 1 4-33-7o