The New York herald., 1921-07-24
PRESIDENT HARDING
TO PARTNER BARNES
Pair Will Tackle Fred Mcleod
and Bob Small On COlum-
bia Links Tomorrow.
CHAMPION is HONORED
Winner of Open Golf Title Is
Invited to Luncheon at
White House. az
BY KERR N. PETRIE.

| Although the national open golf
championship Is over the excitement has
not abated In Washington. In fact It
looks as though It had only begun. Tha
winning of the classic by Jim Barnes OF
| Pelham Country Club and the large
measure of success attending the efforts
Of the midget Columbia Country Club
professional, Freddy Mcleod. who tied
for second place with Walter Hagen, has
something to do with the case. but again
1t Is not everything. There IS also the
fact that President Harding Is a rabid
golfer and the further fact that the
Executive had his interest in affairs Of
the links thoroughly aroused by the play
and success of two of the mon who
played with him In several matches on
the links Of St. Augustine, Fla, last
| winter.
Everything that passed between tha
President, Barnes and Mcleod during
the presentation of the championship
cup and prizes on the piazza Of the Co.
lumbia Country Club on Friday was not
overheard by tho entire assemblage. II
is understood, for instance, that Presi-
| dent Harding announced that despite
the fact that they were champion and
joint runner-up in one Of the biggest
and greatest golf tournaments ever held
on American soil big Jim and little Fred
were not playing bit too well for him.
1t has been arranged that tomorrow
the President and Barnes will play n
match at Columbia Country Club
against Mcleod and Bob Small Of
Washington. Last winter Barnes was
President Harding's partner in a match
| at st. Augustine against Mcleod and
| w. o. Simpson Of Philadelphia The
President and his partner won. but whom
| Small. who is a member of Columbia,
took the place OF Simpson the result was
reversed. nT
Before the match tomorrow Barnes
will have luncheon with the President at
the White House, at which time doubt
less the plan of campaign for the inn
! pending battle will be thoroughly dis
| cussed.
The officials Of the Pelham Country
Club are planning to hold a compli~
mentary dinner for Barnes on Tuesday
night ~
Coming close on the heels OF the suc-
cess OF Jock Hutchison OF Chicago I'm tno
British title tournament the magnificent
| victory Of Jim Barnes Of Pelham In tho
national open golf championship at the
Columbia Country Club OF Washington,
d. c., has been the making of the met
ropolitan open. which begins on Tuesday
at the Siwanoy Country Club. Metro
politan golf enthusiasts were not par
ticularly eiated when earlier In the sea-
son they were informed that the met"
had been relegated to q date which
would make It a sort of anti-climax to
the blue ribbon event.
At first II had been thought that tho
local championship could be decided the
week before the national. thereby en-
abling Duncan, Mitchell, Kirkwood and
the American professionals returning
from the British championship to get
rid Of their sea legs and generally to
straighten out the kinks in their games
looking to the play at Washington
Then came the change. and with the
announcement that Duncan and Mitchell
had been engaged for exhibition
matches in the West and could not
therefore participate at Sfwanoy the
New York galleryites began to look
blue. M
Had Duncan or Mitchell won the ma
tlonal open honors the blueness by now
would have been almost officiating.
Fortunately the home players were able
to head off the attack of the British
stars. and the gallery Will have an ops
portunity of seeing both the American
and the British open champion In co.
ton, not to mention Tom Kerrigan. who
was second professional in the play at
St Andrews, Scotland; Walter Hagen.
Joe Kirkwood, the Australian, and q host
of others.
IL would have been slightly different
II Duncan or Mitchell had won the big
prize and then had gone on without Civ
ing the metropolitan tourney a thought.
Siwanoy Country Club. which took the
tournament In the face of the change Of
date. Is coming out on the right side
after all.