The New York herald., 1922-09-06


Upon Knepper the laurel leaves ac-
tually We're slowering in profuson as he
shook the hand of his opponent on the
home green this afternoon. while the
gallery stood around and cheered en-
Enthusiastically. Knepper had been 5
down to Torrance at the conclusion OF
the first eighteen holes and yet he beat
his man by up. He was down at
one stage of the morning play and he
came back like a man of iron nerve.
squaring at the tenth. slipping again at
the fourteenth and then after sqnarng
at the sixteenth with fifteen foot putt
for a birdie coming through on a rush
to victory with another birdie at the
seventeenth and then q par at the home
hole.
Little wonder that the gallery cheered
for "Rudie." 1t had been thought that
be could not fight. This misconception
of his worth had been built upon a
match while he lost to George Secor a
much inferior player in the intercollei-
giate championship at Garden City. But
In this, contest fought out to-day, in the
sunlight glades of the still moist Com
try Club links "Rudie" took the gan
and batted like a. gamy black bass
until he had the match clinched on the
historic green where in 1913 Francis
Oulmet was seized by the multitude and
nOlSIeQ OH nlRn, NlClOT
over the celebrated British professionals
vardon and Ray in the neverto-be for
gotten play off for the national open
championship.
An extraordinary match this Knep-
performance AFFAIR was in more re-
spects than one. For one thing the
Princeton team captain was the only
man of the lot down-in the morning to
throw off the yoke and come through
- Vic fln an he
tween runners, a contest replete with
scintillating sprints. series of heart
breaking bursts OF speed. And then at
the finish endurance cast. the die
Knepper, after catching his man. "ama
back with the winning rally Down
the home stretch he dashed with every
nerve straining Torrance fought back
courageously and well, but that pent up
force within the game Of the brillianl
Knepper. that flash of super golf coininG
as the contestants were dashing fo- thc
tape. blazoned way to victory AM
pointed the way to defeat Tor -ance
had heart But courage alone was not
enough. Nor was par golf 1t required
combination OF both and it was this
combination that pulled Kneppe
through in this. the feature match Of
the first round OF the national anna
ieur golf championship of 1922.
Rudie Makes Poor start.
II is difficult to imagine more, dis
so,ira gng start than that which Knep
per made in this match this morning.
for he had to fight down handicap
that well might have proved nerve
shattering Rudie lost the first five
holes TO Torrance and then. after coming
to life and having the next five. h.
had to surrender the eleventh.
4a oh xrsl,x Lf,n td M
claim hole here and there. Torrance
was playing like a machine. On this"
first nine holes he had seven fours and
two threes and he was still under the
average of fours when he became six
bp at the eleventh with a par ). A.
the twelfth Knepper scored his firs:
success of the day with par 3. his
DpponentsA ball striking the face Of the
trap short of the green. The thirteenth
also went TO 'Knepper in a par 4. but
Torrance won the next two holes and
left off at the end of the round with
lead OF up
The first nine holes of the afternoon
round were almost the morning nine i'm
reverse. Knepper did not get five hard
running, but by claiming the second
NTH. seventh and eighth. he was onl,
one down as he turned for home. The
tenth he won also, and squared tn
match. This last was a remarkable
hole and 1t might truthf,illy be said
that here It was that Torrance lost his
grip OF the match
Both men were so close that II seemed
h question of conceding puts. Knepper
putted first and missed and then IL caspe
the turn of Torrance. He also failed
10 drop the ball and this despite the
fact that the putt could not have been
more than eighteen inches. To the gal
lcry II looked to be the easiest kind Of
shot, but in reality II was a rather
difficult sidehill putt, much more testing
than 1t looked.
with the match all square. Knepper
worked like a beaver. But~at the four
lcenth, Rude hooked his second into
the rough and Torrance came through
10 the lead once more on a perfectly
played hole. Knepper did not appear to
be playing the swimming game at the
hfteenth. In any event he lost a glori-
gus chance, for with Torrance In a
bunker on his second the Princetonian
FIRST played a flne chip close to the hole
from the rough at the back of the
Rrecn and then missed the putt.
Torrance Encounters Hard Luck.
But Rudie's turn was yet 10 come
Torrance had the hardest OF luck In
falling to sink his ball on a twenty
ave foot try on the green Of the short
fixteentn. the Dali was Deautfuily MT
and splendidy timed but the sphere
passed the cup by the fraction OF an
Inch. Knepper holed his putt from ff-
tcen feet and so squared the match.
Driving for the seventeenth. Torrance
hulled into the rough but his recovery
tuperbiy executed. left him on the green
wide II struck, but with his par In
view. Then Kpepper laid his ball within
Nix feet OF the cup. Pitching high with
Renty OF bacls-stop and coming down
Sith reasonable chance for 3, Rudie
aoled this oneS leaving himself dormie
There was not q great deal 10 choose
between the two on the last drive. Tor
fance had the longer ball but the second
shots sealed the match. Knepper hit his
ball up on the green to the left OF the
:up. while Torrance pushed his to the
right and found himself stymied BY a
huge tree. A was OF little use in such
"a emergency. but there was nothing
jettcr in sight for Torrance now. He
hhipped back as close as possible In the
circumstances; but Knepper had the hole
with a par and the match by and 1.
Tho card:
MORNING ROUND.
fnepper. out. ...... 81 4s434 $50
kcrrance. out. ..... 4 4 a 4-34
Kneppcr In ....,. 935 F-3o-Ts